blown head gasket ? 86 535i

[Brian 865351]

has any1 ever had this prob.? if so did u need a new motor ? this car only has 74,000 miles. thanks brian

[witeshark]

If the head isn't warped or cracked, a new gasket should do fine. If there are issues with the head, a rebuilt unit works fine. But it would also need to be broken in like a new engine.

[keeb25]

This may be a problem but sometimes you can fix it chemicaly. this will run you about $100.00 first get all these products. (1) 5 quarts oil and one quart of lucas this will help bring the motor back to life. (2) If there is water and oil mix, then you need a good engine flush this is only like $10.00 this will clean all oil water mix. (3) now the important, part pick the best head gasket repare fluid.(you want to get one that looks good because the crappy ones won't work) (4) you need to get all new coolant and if available a additive called ..water wetter.. it makes the car run cooler. (5) you need a oil filter. All this stuff should be around $100.000 to $150.00 tops dependimg on you local prices. Now that you have all the stuff it will take like 24 hours because you will have to use all the stuff you got in this order (1) flush the antifreeze out of your rariator and engine thougherly (dont forget toturn the heater on high to get the antifreeze out of the whole system) because the blocksealer will mix with it and stick to it and clog your radiater so flush till clear or as good as posible. (2) run the engine flush through the oil and the car has to run at idle speed for like 5 minutes with no reving (the car starts to ping and sound like hell this is normal for a flush). (3) now drain the oil and take out the oil filter and flush the radiater again if it looks like it got dirty. (4) now make sure radiater is almost full (with water only for the rest of this job untill very end so you don't clog radiater but don't forget if you live somewhere that gets cold) or if full you may need to drain a small amount so you can add the head gasket/block sealer and then replace the new oil filter, add oil, and Lucus. (5) now your almost done most of the good block sealers tell you to find the spark plug that has a missfire ant to remove it and then the block sealer kit should tell you to run the car for 5 minutes w/out the plug in then turn the car off put plug back in and top off the radiater and then you have to run the car for like 45 minutes at like 1500rpm with the heater on high and then you turn the car off and park it for 16 to 24 hours with the radiater cap off so theres no preasure back on the system (let the car cool a little bit befor removing cap). (6) the next day flush the radiater and don't forget to turn the heater on high to get the sealer all out and then fill with water and antifreeze and if available water wetter its made by redline and I live in Florida trust me it keeps the car running cooler. This is a backyard way of saving your motor but if you follow the directions it will hold forever but the real problem is what caused the head gasket to go out because this is a part that doesn't just go bad.(good luck it will work if you make it work) Plus its cheaper than a $1,000.00 dollar repair or a $3,800.00 dollar motor swap.

[AlpineSixAndSeven]

^ dont do this! fix it right Any thing that with blug the leak in the gasket WILL blug everything else!

How bad is it blown? oil in water? water in oil? burning coolant?

[Brian 865351]

hi thanks for your time ! my 86 535i has water in the oil for sure! i will check the water to see if oil is present. im also blowing water out the tail pipe. please help!!!!!!!!! thanks brian

[emiliomax]

witeshark is right. Its a common problem on the 3.5L. Luckily, the bottom end on the engine is really tough. Also, the block is strong. Remove the head and take it to a good machine shop and get it looked at. You might get lucky and all you'll need is the head gasket. If the head is cracked or warped, then you'll definitely need a new head. A good rebuilt unit should do the trick. Also, don't forget to change your head bolts while your at it and buy the best gasket. It will save you some later grief. Best of luck

[emiliomax]

Also, don't forget to flush out your cooling system and your oil. You might want to upgrade to a better water pump. A lot of those water pumps came with plastic fins inside. The new ones are metal. That might have caused the failure to begin with(engine overheating)