A number of years ago, I bought a high end spec 730i off eBay sight unseen, the guy couldnt sell it, cos it was overheating and several garages declared cracked head, blown gasket, needs xraying etc. offered him £200 which he accepted, got a one way train ticket from Manchester to Exeter for £15, with some sandwiches and a new £30 viscous fan couplings in my rucksack, did the deal without even seeing the car. Popped the bonnet, coupling was doing nothing, swapped it out, drove back home with no issues and drove it for another 3 years with no issues.
This is why I always fit a brand new waterpump/viscous/stat/rad/coolant to a new car - I know it might 'not' be one of those things, but it eliminates it from the ball ache, as I'm sure you can understand... Considering a viscious iirc last time i did it on my m52b28 was like £36 at trade with a 2-3 year warranty, it's WAY cheaper/less hassle than replacing a headgasket. I know you were in a rush, but it just isn't worth the risk. Anyway, love what you do bro. Don't let it sour your opinion on the e34, at worst fit a m30/m52 ;) Oh don't forget, with a courtesy car, you have to return it with the fuel it came with ;) that fuel aint free, they love that scam!
Just for future info, viscous does almost nothing without the cowling 👍 made a huge difference on my e36 when I actually fitted the cowling, and I’ve got a digital temp gauge to read the temp and the cowling did wonders for temps
Looks like you broke down just round the corner from me on the A3 exit to Guildford centre could have come and towed you! That queue to exit the M25 to A3 is always there and with no cooling fan not surprised it boiled up there as takes ages to get off the m25.
Good Evening Josh. Oh dear, this is what can happen to Engines, they are so Complicated, it is very Hard to make sure the Engine is running well, and just can have no problems. You did very Well with the Amount of Hardwork and Determination to get your Beautiful E34 up and running. At least you got Roadside Recovery and a Courtesy car to use for a few days. Do Not worry Josh, just have a Good think about what You want to do next. I really Enjoyed the Footage of the very Famous Goodwood Festival of Speed. Loved the Incredible Unique Shiny Vehicles to i saw, lots very Friendly and Welcoming people, Great Atmosphere. It got you away from the Situation and just spent some time with Your Incredible Friends Josh. There is really No hurry to get the E34 back on the road again. Just take your time and Chill Out my Friend. Take Great Care of Yourself Josh. Jonathan.
even though everything didn't work out perfectly it all still made for an interesting video many of us can relate to, plus the fact you're willing to just go for it & roll the dice every time is inspiring 👍🏻
Hey...thats a Bimmer/Bummer...Though keep smiling,, that extra £5 was worth all the heartache...Someone will have a cheap engine to swap in now the word is out...Keep the faith the car gods will see you right. She looked sooo good so they know you have the right Idea. Maybe go on the forums and see what been swapped you'd be surprised what fits without too much messing. The guy you got them from will have something to chuck in there...;D
Looks great and you worked really hard but shame about the problem still I would have that head checked and see if it needs a skim and put a better or a up grade head gasket and brand new head bolts but I don't know BMW engines to be fair you will get it sorted out doing it on a rush is not good as easy to make a mistake if you do get it done put a good rear box as it will sound great
Looks like you used a bga branded head gasket kit. I was always warned away from them by my engine builder friend. Elring or victor reinz are the ones you want to use in future. Hopefully it hasn’t cracked the head and you can get it all back together and sorted. Looks mint on them wheels I must say, tad to low for me but looks cool.
As a fellow E34 owner I feel your pain Josh. A few weeks ago I fitted a new water pump and timing belt to my son's Audi A4 diesel, the old water pump impeller had completely disintegrated, a common fault I gather. I know I torqued everything up correctly, but the timing belt tensioner slackened itself off, last week, belt has jumped, I now have a wrecked interference engine. I feel both gutted and responsible. Shit definitely happens with cars! As others say, you'll get over it but I know that sick feeling all too well.
Was that the Guildford junction where the BMW gave up? Shame I wasn’t passing as would of happily given you a lift to Goodwood. The car looks great by the way the wheels make it 😍
when you take the head off do a light teat with a good perfectly straight edge ruler if you shine light at the back of the rule and you should not see any light an the mating surface. May need block skim but the car look brill would love it cheers steve
Gutted for ya Josh been there mate and it's always gutting but you have to move on brother and make it better and put some positive vibes on it. Do an engine swap for a newer better engine less issues then
Damit that sucks.. But on the tiny plus side ripping it apart and fixing it a second time is atleast a bit more easy when you have done it before. And a light skim of the block and head is probably a good idea for futute proofing the engine. Keep up the good work!
I dont know if it's the same with M20, but for M30 the repair manual says, "engine must be fully assembled and run for 25min before tightening the headbolts to their final torque, 25 degrees".
overheating kills all old bmws, the cooling system is VERY importent. one of my old beemers had a blown headgasket with previous owner I think, a shop changed it, but the block had cracks in the holes for the headbolts, or the shop did not clean them. ,
I don't think you need a new engine, you need a new head. I would have said get it skimmed (£75-£125 assuming you do the strip down yourself) but your last video worried me, those water jackets look gnarly and finding an engineering company who would be able to add matierial and refinish it would probably be cost prohibitive. First things first, get the head off and check it for warping, check the block too but its iron I don't think you'll find an issue with it. If the rest of the engine is sound then I'd try and find a replacement head (checking that too before purchase!). Probably the cheapest option and it also allows you to keep the original engine number which going forward might be worth something. Other people here talking about the importance of the viscous fan and shrouding. I'm no BMW expert but it sounds like that is a must too. It all comes down to what you think of the block / crankshaft / piston rings & crowns etc. If you think that all has plenty of life in it then I'd go for a new head ... otherwise find a second hand engine and do the swap. Maybe I can turn the old block in to a table for you lol.
Ahhh Josh what a shame! The car looks amazing as well! I had a 1990 E34 525i with the same engine myself and I wish I hadn’t sold it! It ran a dream (sorry) 😅
1:00 Watch Derek on VGG he has a good way, tried and tested to set rocker gaps. Works every time... Sorry for the engine letting go mate. I hope there was not too much damage! Easy way to check the block. Metal ruler across the face. You see a gap, its fucked...
Although it's Sad you didn't make it in the Beemer, all things are not lost. You've now got time now to investigate and to save money. Good luck and don't be to hard on yourself.
BGA: Best Get Another. It's shite. Reinz, Payen or BMW only. The block will be fine, the head will quite likely be buggered. If it hasn't cracked it will be a miracle. These cars just cannot be driven without a good fan coupling. Soz.
this engine does not like overheating, driving without good cooling is stupid. why did you pour water there? Water boils at a lower temperature and is not suitable for cooling!
