325i - cracked head help. :(

Post Wed Apr 05, 2017 9:58 pm

So, my 86/7 325i vert went funny last week- black smoke, kept dying, hot, oil light on. It went to the garage and it's bad news- they found a crack in the cylinder head.

I'm gutted as I've just spent on it for an MOT. Mechanic is saying that it's proving difficult to find a new head that isn't like 800. I was wondering if anyone would know where I might be able to find a good one. Being honest, I wouldn't know, be able to inspect it for myself, so anything I'm looking for personally such as on eBay, etc, I wouldn't know until the mechanic saw it. He's not had luck in the past couple of days.

Anyone know any good places to look?

Thanks, despairing e30 owner.

Post Wed Apr 05, 2017 9:59 pm

£800 sounds like a lot of money for a head

Post Wed Apr 05, 2017 11:28 pm

Spc1953 wrote: black smoke, kept dying, hot, oil light on.

Apart from 'hot', not the symptoms I'd associate with a cracked head, unless you drove it to near destruction.

Post Wed Apr 05, 2017 11:41 pm

theres a 885 on flea bay at the moment for 200

listing say,s its a good one

Post Wed Apr 05, 2017 11:44 pm

theres a 885 on flea bay at the moment for 300

listing say,s its a good one

e bay number 222456223042

Post Thu Apr 06, 2017 2:31 am

I'd keep an eye on eBay. When mine died I was either planning to get a second engine to steal the head from, but then a 2001 casting off a car that was written off ~1000 miles after the new was fitted popped up for £250.

I suspect I was very lucky, but i wasn't getting much luck outside of eBay

Post Thu Apr 06, 2017 9:05 am

Brianmoooore wrote:
Spc1953 wrote: black smoke, kept dying, hot, oil light on.
Apart from 'hot', not the symptoms I'd associate with a cracked head, unless you drove it to near destruction.

I was a bit surprised, but then it's kept on dying for a while on and off, It's had new air intake, fuel injectors, came out, died again after not much driving.

Post Thu Apr 06, 2017 9:07 am

HRH-squidlips_III wrote:theres a 885 on flea bay at the moment for 300

listing say,s its a good one

e bay number 222456223042

Thanks for this, I'll go look. Yeah mechanic said its just too much to pay at 800 for new one, so suggested we look for a old one.

I mean, generally are they fine, as in if there's no visible damage they're OK, or can all not be as it seems? Feel like I'm looking for a part I know nothing about.

Post Thu Apr 06, 2017 9:10 am

HRH-squidlips_III wrote:theres a 885 on flea bay at the moment for 300

listing say,s its a good one

e bay number 222456223042

Argh. It's gone.

Post Thu Apr 06, 2017 9:37 am

Spc1953 wrote:
I was a bit surprised, but then it's kept on dying for a while on and off, It's had new air intake, fuel injectors, came out, died again after not much driving.

What I'm hinting at, is if these symptoms are a result of abuse after it overheated, then a cracked head may be the least of your problems. You may have seriously damaged the rest of your engine.
Try the 'trusted traders' on here for a head or a complete engine (not much difference in value, but obviously more difficult logistics with a complete engine), and it's no more difficult or time consuming to swap an engine than it is to change a head.
By 'trusted teaders', I mean those that have long history on here, with plenty of good feedback.