Headgasket costs?

[GavinJ]

I've started to get mayo on my oil cap on my 320 cab

It's using water and its gone all milky! so i assume this is surely the headgasket?

My friend with a mk2 golf said he has similar symptons and it turned out to be the oil cooler failing, could this the case?

What sort of price am i looking at for the headgasket to be done?

Thanks in advance....

[amit325i]

On average i reckon its about Ԛ£500 inc a head skim if it has overheated to check for warping inc head bolts which must be renewed and gasket.

Unlikely to be a oil cooler, headgaskets are common problems on these cars!

May also be a good time to change if you have the money or if you have recently bought the car w/o history to change the timing belt and tensioner
thermostat, viscous coupling water pump. saves agro later on with labour charges if you intend to hang on to the car for a while!

[charlE30]

Why not do it yourself? Beleive it or not it's not that hard if your handy with a spanner, you'd save yourself about Ԛ£300 and it can be done in a day and I'm sure you could find a local garage to do the skim.

[6inline]

Think about another scenario as well - head cracked. The headgasket may be fine (as was mine- brand new after 100 000miles). I had heating and the car was pulling fine, but mayo in the coolant and the head. Second hand head for 320 - 100-150 quids

[charlE30]

Couldn't he get the head pressure tested aswell, well before the skim?

[6inline]

Pressure test - compulsory I'd say

[Brianmoooore]

Most common place for a 325 head to crack is through one of the cam bearings. I've not heard of it happening here on a 320, but does anyone know if this is a weak point on the 320 head as well?
Cracks in the cam bearings can usually be identified by running the engine up to twmperature to pressurise the cooling system, taking off the rocker cover with the engine running, and carefully watching around the bottom of the cam bearings.
If a crack is present, you should be able to see beads of water emerging.

[Templ8e30]

Most common place for a 325 head to crack is through one of the cam bearings. I've not heard of it happening here on a 320, but does anyone know if this is a weak point on the 320 head as well?
Cracks in the cam bearings can usually be identified by running the engine up to twmperature to pressurise the cooling system, taking off the rocker cover with the engine running, and carefully watching around the bottom of the cam bearings.
If a crack is present, you should be able to see beads of water emerging.

The 320i head is a lot less prone to cracking than the 325i head, this was one of the main reasons I opted not to use the 885 head for my 2.7.

[My friend with a mk2 golf said he has similar symptons and it turned out to be the oil cooler failing, could this the case?]

Iirc these golfs used an oil to water cooler rather than the oil to air cooler used on e30's. The oil to water cooler is basically a metal tube in the engine coolant circuit with another tube running through it containing the engine oil, the oil and water are seperate but when the tube containing oil corrodes the coolant and oil start to mix. So this won't be the case with your car.

Cheers,

Iain T

[gcorky]

Most common place for a 325 head to crack is through one of the cam bearings. I've not heard of it happening here on a 320, but does anyone know if this is a weak point on the 320 head as well?
Cracks in the cam bearings can usually be identified by running the engine up to twmperature to pressurise the cooling system, taking off the rocker cover with the engine running, and carefully watching around the bottom of the cam bearings.
If a crack is present, you should be able to see beads of water emerging.

The 320i head is a lot less prone to cracking than the 325i head, this was one of the main reasons I opted not to use the 885 head for my 2.7.



audi/vw favourit suspect the little cooler!!!!!loads rebuild head with same trouble only too find it was a 10 min job....also
[My friend with a mk2 golf said he has similar symptons and it turned out to be the oil cooler failing, could this the case?]

Iirc these golfs used an oil to water cooler rather than the oil to air cooler used on e30's. The oil to water cooler is basically a metal tube in the engine coolant circuit with another tube running through it containing the engine oil, the oil and water are seperate but when the tube containing oil corrodes the coolant and oil start to mix. So this won't be the case with your car.

Cheers,

Iain T

audi/vw favourit suspect the little cooler!!!!!loads rebuild head with same trouble only too find it was a 10 min job....also it is good practice to crack test /skim a head .no point skimmin a cracked head.