Another Headgasket Bites the dust!

[cantfind1]

Yep its true!

Got it leak tested today and its leaking between cylinders 1 and 2 didn t bother testing the others as no need.

Will see what it looks like when it comes off.

So I had the same symptoms as Bromers and Shimmy, Replacing fuel Pump, Fuel relay and fuel filter did improve the rough running dramatically but something was still not right!

So while its off will have the injectors cleaned, new water pump, rads cleaned, water temp sensors, knock sensor, ARP head bolts, valves shimmed and have the valves re seated.

I can t wait for the Bill!!:banghead:

Moral of the story, seems that there are a lot of head gasket issues at the moment, if you are concerned about rough running get the engine leak tested.

Not sure what's causing these HG issues as my car has no history of running hot on oil or water temps, however I do believe it has been running lean due to the fuel pump pressure, will see what the report says about the injectors.:smokin:

[shane@mbtech]

Yep its true!

Got it leak tested today and its leaking between cylinders 1 and 2 didn t bother testing the others as no need.

Will see what it looks like when it comes off.

So I had the same symptoms as Bromers and Shimmy, Replacing fuel Pump, Fuel relay and fuel filter did improve the rough running dramatically but something was still not right!

So while its off will have the injectors cleaned, new water pump, rads cleaned, water temp sensors, knock sensor, and have the valves re seated.

I can t wait for the Bill!!:banghead:

Moral of the story, seems that there are a lot of head gasket issues at the moment, if you are concerned about rough running get the engine leak tested.

Not sure what's causing these HG issues as my car has no history of running hot on oil or water temps, however I do believe it has been running lean due to the fuel pump pressure, will see what the report says about the injectors.:smokin:


Sorry to hear this

A lot of cars with remaps seem to be having head gasket issues.
Possible link maybe, who knows. This is one reason I am reluctant to re-map, I just have a gut feeling.

Hope you sort it out and does not cost you the earth.

Are you fitting an uprated hg?

[XKaLiBaR]

Bad news mate! :bigcry:

Roughly how much will the bill be? Who is doing the work?

[cantfind1]

Hey Lawsy, I know what you are saying mate but I have had this problem before the remap I just didn t know it!

Car has been running badly for about a year, sort of started after I did the cams(had standard BMW software on then) so put the rough running down to the cams, then had airbox done and remap made it slightly better but then has started getting worse again. Various things replaced but to no avail except for fuel pump,relay and filter, but still not right, only just thought of doing leak test now after all the HG threads of recent.

So I think my HG is well and truly screwed now since it's been over a year and possibly the head, hopefully not the block as this means engine out!!:banghead:

I think a lot of guys with standard cars, in fact i know a few already, that are going to have HG probs, stealers and Indies are only just finding out about this as its a bit of a b!tch to diagnose and not the first thing you would think of.

[DuncanR]

Sorry to hear this

A lot of cars with remaps seem to be having head gasket issues.
Possible link maybe, who knows.

+ 1 here ref a remap and HG gone at 62k,
This is one reason I am reluctant to re-map, I just have a gut feeling.

+ 1 here again !

[shimmy]

Mine went at around 65k miles I think

been a couple maps on the car before the HG went for short periods but no signs of det or damage just HG worn out

my gut feeling is that it's accelerated wear and tear with regard to the HG issue. Both DR and my car gave done alot of track miles so some premature ageing no doubt.

[shimmy]

Sorry to hear this

A lot of cars with remaps seem to be having head gasket issues.
Possible link maybe, who knows. This is one reason I am reluctant to re-map, I just have a gut feeling.

?

easy to say Lawsy but you could equally of said;

alot of cars with Intrax seem to have HG problems
alot of cars with flaps removed seem to have HG problems
alot of cars with high track miles seem to have HG problems
alot of cars with Recaro front seats seem to have HG problems

if you know what I mean

[glendog74]

easy to say Lawsy but you could equally of said;

alot of cars with Intrax seem to have HG problems
alot of cars with flaps removed seem to have HG problems
alot of cars with high track miles seem to have HG problems
alot of cars with Recaro front seats seem to have HG problems

if you know what I mean

Or:

alot of cars with HG seem to have HG problems :hahaha:

[XKaLiBaR]

alot of cars with Recaro front seats seem to have HG problems


Oi :finga:

[shane@mbtech]

easy to say Lawsy but you could equally of said;

alot of cars with Intrax seem to have HG problems
alot of cars with flaps removed seem to have HG problems
alot of cars with high track miles seem to have HG problems
alot of cars with Recaro front seats seem to have HG problems

if you know what I mean

If you want to talk bollocks then Yes. ;)

Only one really relevant to HG issues on your list would be the high track miles. The pedant in you might already know this though;).

I know my reasons for being dubious about remaps.

I have been thinking about it a lot lately and to the consequences of such. As it is hard to tell "what caused what", I am merely thinking out loud. The remaps available may be perfectly safe, it still does not stop me being concerned.

It seems there has been a rise in the frequency of hg failures of late, whether that be age/"useage" related is unknown or whether there are external influences is unclear at present, but for the benefit of other csl register members and fellow enthusiasts I am merely bouncing thoughts around in the hope for some intelligent returns.

I take on board the heavy track useage as a major factor though

[shane@mbtech]

Or:

alot of cars with HG seem to have HG problems :hahaha:


At least someone else is talking sense:thumbs:

[XKaLiBaR]

Could it be oil starvation caused by doing very fast cornering whilst accelerating? The drifting lot, put extra oil in their engine because of this.

[cantfind1]

True Lawsy you should be wary of remaps, most of them are a load of crap that have been copied and passed around from tuner to tuner and fiddled with by some inept bloke who thinks he knows how to change the code and in which tables to change it. Good luck I say!

Find a good one though and you have nothing to worry about.

There are loads of cars without maps on them that have had HG fail, It's just the design of this engine. The cylinder walls are very thin in between cylinders hence the gasket is thin, added to this the head and block are alloy so they flex and stretch, they are bolted together using BMW crap Head bolts which stretch as well, so the gasket is not held tightly.

Mark my words every body's gaskets are probably on the way out shortly especially if it's over 60000 miles and driven hard.

Hey if I am wrong then we have nothing to worry about! :thumbs:

[shane@mbtech]

Could it be oil starvation caused by doing very fast cornering whilst accelerating? The drifting lot, put extra oil in their engine because of this.

If an engine knock developed or a rod through the block then engine starvation could be blamed, but not likely causing hg failure.

I always run my engine at max for this reason when on track :thumbs:
Slightly high would probably be ok too. ,

[mattCSLnut]

True Lawsy you should be wary of remaps, most of them are a load of crap that have been copied and passed around from tuner to tuner and fiddled with by some inept bloke who thinks he knows how to change the code and in which tables to change it. Good luck I say!

Find a good one though and you have nothing to worry about.

There are loads of cars without maps on them that have had HG fail,

Good thing then that Rob @ DMS writes his remap programs from scratch and guarantees his work :thumbs: and the cars that they are applied to :beer:

I wonder if I'm next in line for a NEW H.G. :smt087 as I'm past 75K now, tracking the car extensively and have no evidence of a replacement H.G as yet, in the extensive history file :smt100 Good thing the BMW extended warranty covers the H.G. though :whistle:
Bad luck about your one letting go :smt085

[bromers]

Yep its true!

Got it leak tested today and its leaking between cylinders 1 and 2 didn t bother testing the others as no need.

Will see what it looks like when it comes off.

So I had the same symptoms as Bromers and Shimmy, Replacing fuel Pump, Fuel relay and fuel filter did improve the rough running dramatically but something was still not right!

So while its off will have the injectors cleaned, new water pump, rads cleaned, water temp sensors, knock sensor, ARP head bolts, valves shimmed and have the valves re seated.

I can t wait for the Bill!!:banghead:

Moral of the story, seems that there are a lot of head gasket issues at the moment, if you are concerned about rough running get the engine leak tested.

Not sure what's causing these HG issues as my car has no history of running hot on oil or water temps, however I do believe it has been running lean due to the fuel pump pressure, will see what the report says about the injectors.:smokin:

Feel for you mate.

I've still got 'people' looking at mine - could be a new engine, they think the piston has hit spark plug so not technically a head gasket failure but maybe a HG failure could of caused it ?

Mine's on 28k and has been used mainly as a commuter.

9 weeks and counting and still no remedy.

There definately seems something with age/mileage causing this to happen. Does the standard M3 suffer from the same ?

[shimmy]

I wonder if I'm next in line for a NEW H.G. :smt087 as I'm past 75K now, tracking the car extensively and have no evidence of a replacement H.G as yet, in the extensive history file :smt100 Good thing the BMW extended warranty covers the H.G. though :whistle:
Bad luck about your one letting go :smt085

technically it covers HG but just make sure you don't tell anyone on a public forum about the remap :thumbs:

I think you've got another 20k miles of driving yours half throttle around the Ring before you'll need a new HG Matt ;)

[mattCSLnut]

technically it covers HG but just make sure you don't tell anyone on a public forum about the remap :thumbs:

I think you've got another 20k miles of driving yours half throttle around the Ring before you'll need a new HG Matt ;)


I'll make sure I don't :whistle:

... and there was me thinking half throttle was the way to preserve the H.G. :banghead:.
Maybe I should take a leaf out of your book and not do any Ring laps at all :gayfight: :blalalala:

[shimmy]

Maybe I should take a leaf out of your book and not do any Ring laps at all :gayfight: :blalalala:



Oh thoust may mock today ........

[mattCSLnut]

Oh thoust may mock today ........

Going all Tudor on us ? all of the sudden :whistle:

[cantfind1]

Feel for you mate.

I've still got 'people' looking at mine - could be a new engine, they think the piston has hit spark plug so not technically a head gasket failure but maybe a HG failure could of caused it ?

Mine's on 28k and has been used mainly as a commuter.

9 weeks and counting and still no remedy.

There definately seems something with age/mileage causing this to happen. Does the standard M3 suffer from the same ?

Someone correct me if I am wrong but I am not sure that the piston hitting the spark plug is possible on this engine as I think it s non interference ie even if your cam chain went the valves would not hit the piston, so I ve heard never actually checked though? any one know for certain?

HG failure would not cause that any way.

Well perhaps its that you are not driving it hard enough you really need to get these engines hot and rev them occasionally to get rid of the carbon build up, it can be quite severe! maybe enough carbon to soak up some of the fuel mixture on initial start up making it run a little rough? Just a thought. Really depends how rough it is though. keep us informed!

[XKaLiBaR]

Would changing the oil very frequently help the HG from not failing?

[shane@mbtech]

Would changing the oil very frequently help the HG from not failing?

Any routine maintenance will prevent engine issues Yes.

I change my oil after every track day.

I have done 4k in my CSL and oil changed by me 5 times and murketts have just done it last month FOC. It certainly does no harm and the oil temps the cars see when driven hard I think its needed.

That said its very easy for me to change the oil:thumbs:

[_Nathan_]

I used to just stick to the normal service intervals when I was doing a lot of track days, mainly becuase I couldn't be arsed to do anything more :D

[northernjim]

Any routine maintenance will prevent engine issues Yes.

I change my oil after every track day.

I have done 4k in my CSL and oil changed by me 5 times and murketts have just done it last month FOC. It certainly does no harm and the oil temps the cars see when driven hard I think its needed.

That said its very easy for me to change the oil:thumbs:

? Do you get Mick to do it then or something?:whistle:

[northernjim]

I think you've got another 20k miles of driving yours half throttle around the Ring before you'll need a new HG Matt ;)

I can vouch for that too :blalalala::whistle:

[thegingerninja]

Feel for you mate.

I've still got 'people' looking at mine - could be a new engine, they think the piston has hit spark plug so not technically a head gasket failure but maybe a HG failure could of caused it ?

Mine's on 28k and has been used mainly as a commuter.

9 weeks and counting and still no remedy.

There definately seems something with age/mileage causing this to happen. Does the standard M3 suffer from the same ?

I doubt the piston would have hit the spark plug - it is probably detonation on the crown of the piston (which can look like physical contact, but only to the untrained eye - which should make you even more concerned about the people taking your engine apart!)

If the coolant isn't changed on time you can get an accelerated rate of corrosion around the block (as it is cast iron) which can weaken the clamping pressure on the gasket between the cylinders. I'm not entirely convinced that just hot running alone can shorten the life of a head gasket - it is more to do with the rate of change of temperature, not the extremes of temperature. It is very important to let an engine warm up gently and allow the different metals to heatsoak during warm up - but just as important is to allow them to cool down. If you do a lap of the Nerdring on a baking hot day and drive flat out all the way to the gantry with your aircon on full and then park it up, you will probably shorten the life of your head gasket (amoungst other things).

[XKaLiBaR]

You dont like the Nerdring? :blalalala:

Isnt the long straight after the gantry enough to let the car cool down? I do agree with you, as i see so many people pull into a pit lane after hot laps, and just park up.

[NZ_M3]

It is very important to let an engine warm up gently and allow the different metals to heatsoak during warm up - but just as important is to allow them to cool down. If you do a lap of the Nerdring on a baking hot day and drive flat out all the way to the gantry with your aircon on full and then park it up, you will probably shorten the life of your head gasket (amoungst other things).

I agree completely ... cool down laps are a must (although I gather harder to do at the ring), if you can't do the cool down laps, at least let it idle with the bonnet up after the hard laps.

And ALWAYS let the thing warm up gradually.

[shane@mbtech]

I agree completely ... cool down laps are a must (although I gather harder to do at the ring), if you can't do the cool down laps, at least let it idle with the bonnet up after the hard laps.

And ALWAYS let the thing warm up gradually.


I try to put my heaters on full heat with the windows down to get a bit of heat out the engine on my cool down lap, works a treat and the oil temp drops down far quicker too. Gets you a bit hot though;)

[shimmy]

i tend to drive in hot, no cool down and jump out into the aircon race truck asap

makes me feel much better :thumbs:

[shane@mbtech]

i tend to drive in hot, no cool down and jump out into the aircon race truck asap

makes me feel much better :thumbs:

Has Hazy hijacked your account Shim:hahaha:

[shimmy]

Has Hazy hijacked your account Shim:hahaha:

He must have knabbed my password......bloody pillow talk!

[Bounce]

He must have knabbed my password......bloody pillow talk!:gayfight::hahaha:

[mole]

Be interested to see the state of your HG when it's apart - wonder if you can beat 5 cyls all joined up :hahaha:

[thegingerninja]

You dont like the Nerdring? :blalalala:

.

Don't be daft, I love the place - just taking the piss out of ourselves who do go.

[Dan]

Be interested to see the state of your HG when it's apart - wonder if you can beat 5 cyls all joined up :hahaha:

Show off! :bigcry: :bigcry: ;)

How's your coming along mate?

[mole]

Show off! :bigcry: :bigcry: ;)

How's your coming along mate?

:hahaha: Been away mate, back in the office today and will give them a call later for an update. :whistle:

[Dan]

Ahh, best of luck then! Fingers crossed for you! ;)