318is head disaster.

Wed Feb 23, 2005 9:36 pm

Small disaster with '91 318is, could use some help. I've taken off the rocker cover and when i put it back on have discovered half the bolts holding it down refuse to tighten

Any ideas on how to fix would be appreciated as i don't want to buy a new head as this one has only done 3,000 miles. Please help :lol:

Wed Feb 23, 2005 9:39 pm

Wot do you mean by refuse to tighten? are they doing up halfway or somthing and then getting up to the torque on the wrench? Too much resistance. That sort of thing?

Wed Feb 23, 2005 10:03 pm

I got the same. Got to heli-coil it... head off job. It's a bitch!

Wed Feb 23, 2005 10:07 pm

yip, geeman's correct, if the threads are stripped then its got to be helicoiled. you can do this yourself but if your not good at delicate drilling, machining or don't have very competant handskills then i would recommend taking it to a machine shop, engineers to get it drilled and coiled properly otherwise you could more than easily screw the head totally.

Wed Feb 23, 2005 10:11 pm

If the threads are stripped you'll know about it. If it's somthing else you can get hydraulic lock if oil or water has got down the holes and it'll skrew up the torque readings.

Wed Feb 23, 2005 11:12 pm

Cheers for the advice

looks like it's screwed as one of the bolts can now be pushed in and pulled out with no resistance

Tried tapping it myself but looks like its goning to need replaced or machined by the pro's.
cherrs for the help folks.

Wed Feb 23, 2005 11:14 pm

what size was it originally and what size did you tap the new hole? did you use the correct size tapping drill?

Wed Feb 23, 2005 11:15 pm

MY old M40 head was the same but it didnt leak any oil, so i would not worry too much.

Andrew

Wed Feb 23, 2005 11:21 pm

Depends how many are like that. If it's only one the sod it leave it and do up the rest. If it's mor I'd get it sorted. I don't mean to be negative but that's what happens when you buy a four cylinder car :lol:

Wed Feb 23, 2005 11:23 pm

just leave it

half of them on my old car did that aswell and it didnt leak
the damn thing has so many bolts anyway

Karan

Wed Feb 23, 2005 11:26 pm

Karan wrote:just leave it

half of them on my old car did that aswell and it didnt leak
the damn thing has so many bolts anyway

Karan

hope its not the engine im buying!

Wed Feb 23, 2005 11:28 pm

i dunno bout that one....

Wed Feb 23, 2005 11:28 pm

u know me -i tend tyo get thru my m42s......

Wed Feb 23, 2005 11:38 pm

you tend yo get through most things you have qucker than the average person :lol:

Now i heard that, that head on that engine is cracked? if so then its not worth my while taking it off you.

Wed Feb 23, 2005 11:42 pm

i dunno

head has not been taken off yet.....
and i do not have x-ray vision....

but remember all the new goodies it has on it..

Wed Feb 23, 2005 11:43 pm

I know, but some one told me that the head was cracked and thats why it was in getting new chain and other water related parts done

I will need to come and take it appart then see what its like.

Wed Feb 23, 2005 11:46 pm

Like your attitude to car maintenance, karan. I'm in the middle of replacing the thermostat and belts think i'll put it back together and see what happens. Wish i'd left the damn cover alone. Should have learnt by now if it ain't broke don't fix it

Wed Feb 23, 2005 11:52 pm

it was losing water at a very very high rate
from profile gasket area

plus i decided to keep the car for a while so got chain and related parts done also... with a HUGE bill that makes me sick to this day!!

after this.. water usage stopped but it started using oil??????

hence the roundabout 6k rpm issue

as i didnt check oil for a bit and just drove it

dunno, but head may be cracked i guess, seeing as how all iS heads seem to be shagged these days (jimbob, simon13).

0

shame they arent as strong as other bmw engines like the ancient solid m20s, its hard to find an iS engine let alone a good one

the one i put in that car and sold (80k miles now in a green cab) was a very very good unit, and the one i have which is now sold, is even better. the older they get they worse they become, the fact that giles' car has 180k on it and has already needed 3 rebuilds speaks for itself really.

Karan

Wed Feb 23, 2005 11:55 pm

will just need to wait and see what the head looks like when we take it off.

Has that guy come for that other M42 yet?

Wed Feb 23, 2005 11:58 pm

in 2 weeks...

gotta remove that thing soon,

last time i did it, i split engine and box, u reckon i should take it out in one go this time??

Karan

Thu Feb 24, 2005 12:04 am

Thats what me and Jonb did and it was easy. Just take the exhaust manifold off and it pops right out.

Andrew

Thu Feb 24, 2005 8:07 am

It's very common for the cam cover bolts on the 3.2 Evo (and probably the 3.0L) M3 to strip. People do them up way too tight (dealers included). They are only supposed to be done to 10Nm, which is naff all really.

Most of the ones on my engine were stripped when I got it, but I was able to helicoil all of them without removing the head. I just covered the entire top of the engine with Duct tape to stop all the swarf falling inside the engine, and carefully drilled out the old threads, re-tapped and wound in the helicoils. Just take your time.

Ian.

Thu Feb 24, 2005 12:38 pm

Loks like i'm going to have to do this as a lot of mine only have a few threads left at the very bottom!

Thu Feb 24, 2005 6:16 pm

i have about 4-6 bolts on the head of my m42 that are loose and i aint worrying.they have been like that for months and have caused me no problems.

i also find that the m42 is very reliable if looked after.Ive had my car over 1 year now and all ive had to replace was the timing chain tensioner,and my car has 130k..