what is rocker top like when h/gasket gone.. mines clean!??

Need technical Q/A then you're in the right place

Moderator: martauto

dobbie82
E30 Zone Addict
E30 Zone Addict
Posts: 4125
Joined: Thu May 05, 2005 11:00 pm
Location: Dolgellau, Wales (NOT A TRADER,broken a car,got lots of bits)

Post Wed Jun 28, 2006 8:56 am

Ok, buy a car with a rebuilt engine(was done nearly 2 years ago), spend a fortune on it, get it checked out at garage and they say headgasket is on its way out. (bit of oil scum in water, no mayo, but compression is nowhere near equal)

So we start taking it apart, took the rocker cover off and you would not believe how clean it is in there!

So does this mean that the oil has got into the water and as water is not yet in the oil that the head is saleable? the car doesnt over-heat and I am not losing water.

I just dont want to sell a head if its duff
e30 related ebay auctions + shop(MY Stuff for Sale), http://tinyurl.com/64aufr
My Feedback on the e30zone: http://tinyurl.com/dobbie82feedback
User avatar
Brianmoooore
E30 Zone Team Member
E30 Zone Team Member
Posts: 49360
Joined: Mon Jan 10, 2005 11:00 pm

Post Wed Jun 28, 2006 9:27 am

If the engine was rebuilt two years ago brcause of oil and water mixing, then the oil scum could just be left over from that.
dobbie82
E30 Zone Addict
E30 Zone Addict
Posts: 4125
Joined: Thu May 05, 2005 11:00 pm
Location: Dolgellau, Wales (NOT A TRADER,broken a car,got lots of bits)

Post Wed Jun 28, 2006 9:43 am

thanks for the reply, yeah I was thinking that too. its done about 10k since the rebuild, and its had about 2 or 3 coolant changes in that time but guess its nearly impossible to get it all out.

It seems a shame to scrap a clean rebuilt head if there's nothing wrong with it.
e30 related ebay auctions + shop(MY Stuff for Sale), http://tinyurl.com/64aufr
My Feedback on the e30zone: http://tinyurl.com/dobbie82feedback
User avatar
Brianmoooore
E30 Zone Team Member
E30 Zone Team Member
Posts: 49360
Joined: Mon Jan 10, 2005 11:00 pm

Post Wed Jun 28, 2006 9:58 am

Bought a written off 325 a couple of years ago without seeing it first, mainly for the head.
Picked it up in the pouring rain, but had a quick look under the bonnet before I set off on the return journey. Coolant bottle was full of sludge.
Was well pi**ed off on the journey home.
Next day, I found a sheaf of invoices in the glovebox for all sorts of mainly dealer work, including all sorts of nearly new parts. Last invoice I came to was for a £1500 + new cylinder head and top end rebuild!
From the dates, the poor sod must have virtually written it off on the way home from the garage.