Headgasket on a 320...

[Ceej]

I've got quite a big oil leak on my 320 that has developed over the past 2 weeks, took it to a garage who said its most likely the head gasket, although there is no mayo in the oil.... i've heard cracked heads are common could this be the cause or would that result in mayo which i don't have?

Theres oil all down the side of the engine block....

He quoted Ԛ£550-600 to do the head gasket which seems a bit excessive to me? is that the usual price?

[straight6]

my girlfriends pug 306 TD..blow its head the other day and is the garage....getting fixed...Ԛ£752.00...with new rad..whiched had caused the prob...600-700 is about right..big job

[Sooty]

Main signs of a cracked head / blown head gasket are the mayo in the oil as you've mentioned + regular water loss.
From the sounds of it you may just have an oil leak (a common occurence). Which side of the engine is it & whereabouts?
Try cleaning all the oil off as best you can (steam cleaning?) then go for a short run. You should be able to see the source of the leak.
If it's any consolation, my 320 has had a leak from the front, right of the engine for the past two years!! Just never got round to fixing it.

[GavinJ]

OOOps was on my bro's account before and didn't realise!!

I'll get it steam cleaned this week and take some piccies....

Its lost about 2 litres of oil in 2-3 weeks

[GavinJ]

I'm seriously considering doing the job myself with the help of my dad as he's done headgaskets before and is quite keen that we take on the task ourselves!

My dads only ever done 4 pots before though, is there any major issues when doing one?

[Sooty]

Not had the pleasure of doing an M20 6 pot yet but I'm not aware of any issues.
Best advice would be to get hold of a manual.
Bentley (American) is the best to go for. It's a bit pricey & it only covers the 318 & 325, but trust me, it's far superior to Haynes.
HTH
Iain

[E30Adam]

Heads are easy on the M20, nothing much to worry about, just make sure you get it timed up correctly and the gasket surfaces and bolt holes are squeaky clean.

[android]

Well, it could also, or instead, possibly be the front oil seal of the camshaft. Mine was leaking badly, but I also had a leak from the right hand side of the gasket too.
This is very common I believe. The front oil seal is very simple to change.

Check in the radiator header tank too. The water may be clear but there might be oily gobs in there, or stuck to its roof. That would be a head gasket for sure.

If cleaning it doesn't show up the leak, better to take the head off and have a look. It's not cheap mind. Gaskets and head bolts alone are the best part of Ԛ£100, and whilst it's off it's best to get it checked for cracks and skimmed, another Ԛ£200 or so.

I changed lots of hoses whilst my head was off, as well as a water pump, distributor cap, and also all the belts. It turned into a big job. Everything is pretty simple though, there are no nasty surprises.

[Project_E30]

Heads are easy on the M20, nothing much to worry about, just make sure you get it timed up correctly and the gasket surfaces and bolt holes are squeaky clean.

Adam I thought that the six pots set their own timing. Thats why it has a crank position sensor and a sensor over number one HT lead?

Maybe wrong but please confirm.

Cheers

[cabrio327i]

Yes thats true has far as the ignition timing is concerned, but the valve timing has still got to be set to the reference points, marks on crank pulley and marks on head and camshaft have to correspond with each other, cheers Dave