View Full Version : Head gasket and oil leak!!
Morning gents
I did a track day at Bedford on Monday and my water temp gauge was rising to near the red when at full throttle :bigcry: i backed off and made sure it didn't get too hot. After searching and reading on here it seems to point to the head gasket that could be the culprit. At the end of the day i also noticed and oil leak splashing down the NSF wheel arch and sill, although is not a massive leak and the oil level has not moved.
The car has warranty, however i am flapless and my concern is the warranty guys will notice this and reject it. The easy thing i hear you say is put it back in, but unfortunately the flap has gone missing during a house move and i cant find it anywhere!!:bigcry:
Thoughts gents please?
DazBlackCSL
03-08-2011, 12:59 PM
Morning gents
I did a track day at Bedford on Monday and my water temp gauge was rising to near the red when at full throttle :bigcry: i backed off and made sure it didn't get too hot. After searching and reading on here it seems to point to the head gasket that could be the culprit. At the end of the day i also noticed and oil leak splashing down the NSF wheel arch and sill, although is not a massive leak and the oil level has not moved.
The car has warranty, however i am flapless and my concern is the warranty guys will notice this and reject it. The easy thing i hear you say is put it back in, but unfortunately the flap has gone missing during a house move and i cant find it anywhere!!:bigcry:
Thoughts gents please?
Should not be an issue being flap less mate, mine wasn't as that has nothing to do with it.
Unless you have a very anal dealer of course
outnumbered
03-08-2011, 02:03 PM
These days, finding a dealer who actually knows there should be a flap there is going to be a rarity.
shimmy
03-08-2011, 02:16 PM
It's debateable of HG failure is a result of overheating (which it can be) or the cause, i am in two minds but get compression test and check just incase.
Did you notice oil temps rise first followed by water temps?
It's debateable of HG failure is a result of overheating (which it can be) or the cause, i am in two minds but get compression test and check just incase.
Did you notice oil temps rise first followed by water temps?
It was a very hot day, oil temp stayed at just below 2/3 most of the time
Can you open the expansion tank and give it at bit of a smell, if there is a right bad smell off it and if it is discoloured(darker than normal), it could be the head gasket. Also check under the oil cap, if there is cum looking stuff that also points to the possibility of a HG failure but in most cases not.
Do a coolant pressure test anyway. I'd say the mechanics will carry out more tests also unless they are slow.
northernjim
03-08-2011, 02:40 PM
HG failure does happen tho shim and its bound too ( IMO) with the tiny distance 'tween cylinders and years of heat cycling.... tracking just quickens it I think
Pazuzu
03-08-2011, 03:25 PM
The easy thing i hear you say is put it back in, but unfortunately the flap has gone missing during a house move and i cant find it anywhere!!:bigcry:
Thoughts gents please?
Hope you get it sorted ok.
I think I've got the flap for mine lurking somewhere in the garage so if they give you grief and you need one just give me a shout.
Cheers!
Phil
shimmy
03-08-2011, 09:04 PM
HG failure does happen tho shim and its bound too ( IMO) with the tiny distance 'tween cylinders and years of heat cycling.... tracking just quickens it I think
I know, I've had that already, and high temps on hot trackdays before, but just not convinced it is a sign of HG failure.
shimmy
03-08-2011, 09:05 PM
Can you open the expansion tank and give it at bit of a smell, if there is a right bad smell off it and if it is discoloured(darker than normal), it could be the head gasket. Also check under the oil cap, if there is cum looking stuff that also points to the possibility of a HG failure but in most cases not.
Do a coolant pressure test anyway. I'd say the mechanics will carry out more tests also unless they are slow.
HG failure on S54 is common between cylinders, not to coolant.
HG failure on S54 is common between cylinders, not to coolant.
Ah ok.
I wonder between having a better oil cooler and bigger radiator would it cool the engine enough on track days to prevent head gasket failure? Might be worth an investment to some folk.
shimmy
04-08-2011, 01:27 AM
Ah ok.
I wonder between having a better oil cooler and bigger radiator would it cool the engine enough on track days to prevent head gasket failure? Might be worth an investment to some folk.
I'm leaning towards oil cooler:smokin:
AlexGTT
04-08-2011, 02:02 AM
I'm leaning towards oil cooler:smokin:
:thumbs: Since mine had slight tendencies to rise water temps two years ago I've had no such issues since fitting improved oil cooler.
Not saying it'll solve everyone's issues, just giving my experiences.
As Shim mentioned, the OP should get compression checks asap.
I'm leaning towards oil cooler:smokin:
could be the answer to my oil leak perhaps?
I'm leaning towards oil cooler:smokin:
HPF do a nice one, a bit expensive though. Fuck that though, maybe a new radiator along with the oil cooler will solve peoples problems? HG can be expensive:banghead:
glendog74
04-08-2011, 09:42 AM
HG can be expensive:banghead:
Try around £2k... :banghead:
I'll be having an uprated oil cooler fitted by Simpson soon :smokin:
shimmy
04-08-2011, 10:28 AM
Try around £2k... :banghead:
I'll be having an uprated oil cooler fitted by Simpson soon :smokin:
Rob
Julian was Looking At a £300 Solution when i spoke to him At Brands.
Let's get him to Finalise His Plans for The Budget fix AND do 2
shane@mbtech
04-08-2011, 10:30 AM
Fit a motorsport/tropical thermostat and see your water and oil temps run a lot cooler.
Far far cheaper than an oil cooler, but helps a great deal. :thumbs:
Running both will be even better still.
shimmy
04-08-2011, 10:34 AM
Fit a motorsport/tropical thermostat and see your water and oil temps run a lot cooler.
Far far cheaper than an oil cooler, but helps a great deal. :thumbs:
Running both will be even better still.
Gonna try first
glendog74
04-08-2011, 11:21 AM
Fit a motorsport/tropical thermostat and see your water and oil temps run a lot cooler.
I heard filling the expansion tank with this has the same effect?
glendog74
04-08-2011, 11:24 AM
Rob
Julian was Looking At a £300 Solution when i spoke to him At Brands.
Let's get him to Finalise His Plans for The Budget fix AND do 2
Sounds interesting mate. I'll be dropping the car off there next week so will have a chat. :thumbs:
Let us know how you get on lads with the cooling solutions been thinking about getting this done for a bit now.
Hope you get it sorted ok.
I think I've got the flap for mine lurking somewhere in the garage so if they give you grief and you need one just give me a shout.
Cheers!
Phil
Thanks very kind of you, i may well take you up the that offer if the need arises:thumbs: its booked in to BM this wednesday so will see what they say.
dealer saying that its the waterpump thermostat and fan....and get this not covered by warranty as the car has been used on the track!!...cheeky fookin so and so...i said no it hasn't and he says not covered because the car is heavily modified!! i said bollox..he said well i'm going to ask my manager..i said run along little boy..his attitude was unbelievable, he spoke to me like a child!
So the water pump, thermostat and fan all failed? Its possible but unlikely all three go like that. did he say anything else about the engine? Can you bring it to another garage, maybe a specialist?
So the water pump, thermostat and fan all failed? Its possible but unlikely all three go like that. did he say anything else about the engine? Can you bring it to another garage, maybe a specialist?
yeah seems strange to me also.
no mention of the engine being a problem.
I'm sure they cant refuse warranty just because the car 'looks' like its been on track, or because it has KW's and AP's on it. Surely the breaks ain't gonna make the engine get hot!
The service guy was so rude i feel like taking it elsewhere anyway.
outnumbered
10-08-2011, 05:21 PM
yeah seems strange to me also.
no mention of the engine being a problem.
I'm sure they cant refuse warranty just because the car 'looks' like its been on track, or because it has KW's and AP's on it. Surely the breaks ain't gonna make the engine get hot!
Strictly, then can do just that. If you read the warranty, the small print says it excludes track use and modified cars.
There are more sympathetic dealers out there though.
mickaldo
10-08-2011, 06:42 PM
dealer saying that its the waterpump thermostat and fan....and get this not covered by warranty as the car has been used on the track!!...cheeky fookin so and so...i said no it hasn't and he says not covered because the car is heavily modified!! i said bollox..he said well i'm going to ask my manager..i said run along little boy..his attitude was unbelievable, he spoke to me like a child!
ive had this sort of attitude when i had clutch issues said it was because i had tracked the car and spoke to me like i was a retard. fuckin wankers this was the williams group no such issues with blue bell who i now use for warranty work.
LeinsCSL
10-08-2011, 07:02 PM
ive had this sort of attitude when i had clutch issues said it was because i had tracked the car and spoke to me like i was a retard. fuckin wankers this was the williams group no such issues with blue bell who i now use for warranty work.
F***ing Williams Group!!!! AAAARRRRRGGGGHHHHHH!!! I've tried every single one in the North West at some stage or another and they were all sh1te! And don't get me started on Halliwell Jones :banghead:
Found Blue Bell in Wilmslow OK, and quite liked the crowd in Stockport until they got taken over by Williams
Bought a couple of cars from Woodmans in Blackpool and got on well with them until I moved further south and it was a bit too far to go
Sorry, North West BMW dealer rant over now! Don't know what came over me there :bigcry:
Bounce
10-08-2011, 07:24 PM
Why dont you use Dealers that you know are CSL and warranty friendly,i travel over 300 miles for servicing and warranty and not had any hassle.I dont want to drive this far, but it pays everytime.;)
LeinsCSL
10-08-2011, 08:27 PM
Why dont you use Dealers that you know are CSL and warranty friendly,i travel over 300 miles for servicing and warranty and not had any hassle.I dont want to drive this far, but it pays everytime.;)
Sorry, just doing a bit of venting over previous experiences, the memory of which made the blood boil again
Not in the NW anymore, but in general I found the level of service (customer, sales, after-sales) over a 10 year period far superior in indepedent, family-owned dealerships than with the chains. Only to be expected maybe. Unfortunately, many of these family-owned ones seem to be getting taken over
Well the dealer finally came though and did it under warranty car back this afternoon :supz: so its had..water pump, thermostat and the fan housing/coupling. Ill do another track day soon and see if it happens again..i bet it does!
The oil leak turned out to be the dip stick had come out slightly - so thats all good, done, and nothing to pay at all!
again god bless extended zero excess warranty its saved me over 3k in the past 6 weeks alone :thumbs:
Bounce
11-08-2011, 08:14 PM
Well the dealer finally came though and did it under warranty car back this afternoon :supz: so its had..water pump, thermostat and the fan housing/coupling. Ill do another track day soon and see if it happens again..i bet it does!
The oil leak turned out to be the dip stick had come out slightly - so thats all good, done, and nothing to pay at all!
again god bless extended zero excess warranty its saved me over 3k in the past 6 weeks alone :thumbs:Nice one matey,told you your dealer would come good:hahaha::thumbs:
shane@mbtech
12-08-2011, 12:04 AM
Well the dealer finally came though and did it under warranty car back this afternoon :supz: so its had..water pump, thermostat and the fan housing/coupling. Ill do another track day soon and see if it happens again..i bet it does!
The oil leak turned out to be the dip stick had come out slightly - so thats all good, done, and nothing to pay at all!
again god bless extended zero excess warranty its saved me over 3k in the past 6 weeks alone :thumbs:
It will return, unfortunately so, but it will return.
You have to ask how oil could get from dipstick area to wheel arch? and why did it blow out in the first place, blocked crankcase breather?
It will return, unfortunately so, but it will return.
You have to ask how oil could get from dipstick area to wheel arch? and why did it blow out in the first place, blocked crankcase breather?
Could a fooked head gasket, make it blow out? need to find a warranty friendly dealer, I'm not taking it back there again.
mattCSLnut
12-08-2011, 06:27 PM
Get a full engine cylinder head compression & leak off test done asap :thumbs: Any half decent Indy should be able to do that.
Get a full engine cylinder head compression & leak off test done asap :thumbs: Any half decent Indy should be able to do that.
:thumbs: thanks yes i will. i'd rather bmw paid for it, might try that one local to you, bit of a drive but must be worth it:thumbs:
Bounce
12-08-2011, 08:07 PM
:thumbs: thanks yes i will. i'd rather bmw paid for it, might try that one local to you, bit of a drive but must be worth it:thumbs:When you give Elms a ring ask for Ant on the service desk,tell him your from the Register.;)
billyboysm3
12-08-2011, 10:38 PM
When you give Elms a ring ask for Ant on the service desk,tell him your from the Register.;)
I found out a couple of days ago Ant has left
If I were you Id ring service and speak to Emma Speechley
on 01954 784500 or email Emma.Speechley@ElmsCambridge.co.uk as she is who Ive been speaking to.
As Bounce said say your part of the csl register, say when you drop it off can you have a chat with Gareth (formally Murketts) and tell him the crack.
Billy
mattCSLnut
12-08-2011, 10:53 PM
I found out a couple of days ago Ant has left
If I were you Id ring service and speak to Emma Speechley
on 01954 784500 or email Emma.Speechley@ElmsCambridge.co.uk as she is who Ive been speaking to.
As Bounce said say your part of the csl register, say when you drop it off can you have a chat with Gareth (formally Murketts) and tell him the crack.
Billy
Wow wow... back it up a little Billy ... Ant has left ?!?! it's only been a few weeks since he joined. That's not good. What happened ?
Bounce
13-08-2011, 12:09 AM
I found out a couple of days ago Ant has left
If I were you Id ring service and speak to Emma Speechley
on 01954 784500 or email Emma.Speechley@ElmsCambridge.co.uk as she is who Ive been speaking to.
As Bounce said say your part of the csl register, say when you drop it off can you have a chat with Gareth (formally Murketts) and tell him the crack.
BillyReally, didnt know that.:bigcry:
giraffe
23-08-2011, 11:57 PM
Ant reason for leaving was he found it too busy , to be fair total of 16 techs it does get busy at times . I have been talking to the dealer principle to sort you guys with some good customer service , Matt gave me some pointers such as the 6+ labour rate which they said yes to :thumbs: also they will have a direct line for you guys to book car in to avoid the normal pain in the arse booking in proceedure , with me (Gareth) or Dan ( also former Murketts Tech ) able to come to phone or talk to you front of house if needed . At some point they will be aranging a open day for all you guys to come have a look around meet and greet us all , hopefully get the workshop full of csl's for some pics ( as suggested by Matt :) ) . Please be patient as with Ant leaving so soon they short staffed at moment so will be few weeks until this all up and running but i have been asured this will all happen .:thumbs:
Regards Gareth
shimmy
24-08-2011, 12:11 AM
Ant reason for leaving was he found it too busy , to be fair total of 16 techs it does get busy at times . I have been talking to the dealer principle to sort you guys with some good customer service , Matt gave me some pointers such as the 6+ labour rate which they said yes to :thumbs: also they will have a direct line for you guys to book car in to avoid the normal pain in the arse booking in proceedure , with me (Gareth) or Dan ( also former Murketts Tech ) able to come to phone or talk to you front of house if needed . At some point they will be aranging a open day for all you guys to come have a look around meet and greet us all , hopefully get the workshop full of csl's for some pics ( as suggested by Matt :) ) . Please be patient as with Ant leaving so soon they short staffed at moment so will be few weeks until this all up and running but i have been asured this will all happen .:thumbs:
Regards Gareth
Thanks Gareth, nice to know what's happening.
I'll need an oil service soon........In that nice new engine you kindly fitted
mattCSLnut
24-08-2011, 12:29 AM
Ant reason for leaving was he found it too busy , to be fair total of 16 techs it does get busy at times . I have been talking to the dealer principle to sort you guys with some good customer service , Matt gave me some pointers such as the 6+ labour rate which they said yes to :thumbs: also they will have a direct line for you guys to book car in to avoid the normal pain in the arse booking in proceedure , with me (Gareth) or Dan ( also former Murketts Tech ) able to come to phone or talk to you front of house if needed . At some point they will be aranging a open day for all you guys to come have a look around meet and greet us all , hopefully get the workshop full of csl's for some pics ( as suggested by Matt :) ) . Please be patient as with Ant leaving so soon they short staffed at moment so will be few weeks until this all up and running but i have been asured this will all happen .:thumbs:
Regards Gareth
Thanks goes to Gareth for turning my little ideas :whistle: into reality :thumbs:
BTW, shame about Ant leaving like this :sad: he was very good at his job and a nice, helpful chap to boot.
Ant reason for leaving was he found it too busy , to be fair total of 16 techs it does get busy at times . I have been talking to the dealer principle to sort you guys with some good customer service , Matt gave me some pointers such as the 6+ labour rate which they said yes to :thumbs: also they will have a direct line for you guys to book car in to avoid the normal pain in the arse booking in proceedure , with me (Gareth) or Dan ( also former Murketts Tech ) able to come to phone or talk to you front of house if needed . At some point they will be aranging a open day for all you guys to come have a look around meet and greet us all , hopefully get the workshop full of csl's for some pics ( as suggested by Matt :) ) . Please be patient as with Ant leaving so soon they short staffed at moment so will be few weeks until this all up and running but i have been asured this will all happen .:thumbs:
Regards Gareth
Top chap thanks for the update...:thumbs: ill be using you guys from now on.
pkumarm3
24-08-2011, 07:38 AM
why would u pinpoint it to an head gasket?
have u changed the water pump recently? or the radiator or the radiator hoses?
AlexGTT
24-08-2011, 01:58 PM
why would u pinpoint it to an head gasket?
have u changed the water pump recently? or the radiator or the radiator hoses?
Cylinder compression and leak down tests.
giraffe
25-08-2011, 12:25 AM
Ah Shimmy the nice new engine i remember it well had to really fight to get warranty to pay for that but got there in the end :smt065 :thumbs:will be good to see it again . Good to hear some of you guys will be using Elms especially as i only been with the company a short time , and have to say nice change to work for a company that listen to your ideas and act on them ,it is a shame Ant went so soon as could have put plans into action straight away but hay ho work with what we got and look forward to when the plans in full action .:thumbs:
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