885 Head Swap

[Tibboy12]

I'm getting ready to swap a refreshed 885 cylinder head onto my B27 bottom end. My question to those who all performed the swap is what other while you're in the items did you replace?

I will be using new head bolts, installing new coolant hoses, new power steering lines/reservoir/yellow tag steering rack, new CPS, new belts, head gasket, and rebuilt injectors.

Valve cover, intake, fuel rail and coolant cross over pipe will get some fresh paint.

Itching to get this done before the 2023 picnic in Seattle!

[82eye]

I'm getting ready to swap a refreshed 885 cylinder head onto my B27 bottom end. My question to those who all performed the swap is what other while you're in the items did you replace?

I will be using new head bolts, installing new coolant hoses, new power steering lines/reservoir/yellow tag steering rack, new CPS, new belts, head gasket, and rebuilt injectors.

Valve cover, intake, fuel rail and coolant cross over pipe will get some fresh paint.

Itching to get this done before the 2023 picnic in Seattle!

change over from motronic 1.0 to 1.3. trigger wheel, dme, cps sensor, cps bracket, and wiring harness.

[Tibboy12]

change over from motronic 1.0 to 1.3. trigger wheel, dme, cps sensor, cps bracket, and wiring harness.

Yup I'll be doing all of that!

What do you recommend using to clean the cylinder walls and mounting surface for the new headgasket?

[zaq123]

Yup I'll be doing all of that!

What do you recommend using to clean the cylinder walls and mounting surface for the new headgasket?

if you are not planning to wash your block completely with water (bottom end is still assembled) DO NOT use scotch brite pads as you will never be able to get its silicone carbide out of the block. Use a razor blade with its corners filed of so slightly (so corners do't dig into the metal, although it's more of an issue with the aluminium)

[Tibboy12]

if you are not planning to wash your block completely with water (bottom end is still assembled) DO NOT use scotch brite pads as you will never be able to get its silicone carbide out of the block. Use a razor blade with its corners filed of so slightly (so corners do't dig into the metal, although it's more of an issue with the aluminium)

Shit.. after I took the head gasket off (bmw gasket) I used some steel wool to clean the surface of the block.. none of the gasket remains on the block, is this sufficient enough to place the head back on? I’ve seen people wire wheel the entire block but that sounds a little extreme. What are your thoughts?

[zaq123]

Shit.. after I took the head gasket off (bmw gasket) I used some steel wool to clean the surface of the block.. none of the gasket remains on the block, is this sufficient enough to place the head back on? I’ve seen people wire wheel the entire block but that sounds a little extreme. What are your thoughts?

steel wool is obviously safer than a sand paper or a scotch brite as it has no highly abresive particles imbedded into it which will slush up and travel everywhere .....I would be still paranoid about little wool pieces braking off and going down into the oil gallery, traveling into crank/rod bearings, being stuck somewhere in piston rings etc (although it's not as bad as the oil gallery.). Basically the same concern as with the silicone carbide particles but the damage shouldn't be as severe.

If keeping the block assembled, I'd use nothing but the razor blade, as long as old gasket material is gone, you will be good. That discolouration of the block that everyone tries to clean off, won't affect gasket's sealing properties. It's just a discoloration and nothing more.
No need to clean cylinder walls...maybe some shop towels with carbon cleaner if pistons/upper parts of cyl. walls are really that dirty.

[Tibboy12]

steel wool is obviously safer than a sand paper or a scotch brite as it has no highly abresive particles imbedded into it which will slush up and travel everywhere .....I would be still paranoid about little wool pieces braking off and going down into the oil gallery, traveling into crank/rod bearings, being stuck somewhere in piston rings etc (although it's not as bad as the oil gallery.). Basically the same concern as with the silicone carbide particles but the damage shouldn't be as severe.

If keeping the block assembled, I'd use nothing but the razor blade, as long as old gasket material is gone, you will be good. That discolouration of the block that everyone tries to clean off, won't affect gasket's sealing properties. It's just a discoloration and nothing more.
No need to clean cylinder walls...maybe some shop towels with carbon cleaner if pistons/upper parts of cyl. walls are really that dirty.

Well.. atleast I didn’t spend too much time going over it with steel wool. I vacuumed up around the cylinder walls and oil galleries as well.

Yeah I see alot of the discoloration, so it’s good to know that doesn’t affect the head gasket sealing. I’ve cleaned out each of the cylinder walls with some intake cleaner and have put the engine back at top dead center.

Where do the two dowel pins go for the head allignment? One of them came out but I think I put it back in the correct spot towards the back of the block.

[packratbimmer]

Be sure to suck any oil or coolant out of the head bolt bores with a Mity vac or something.

[zaq123]

there are only two holes on the block where one is able to fit those dowels in....look at those holes, you can't miss it

[Tibboy12]

Yup, I plan to do that before I slap the head back on. Dowels are in the correct locations. Tuesday, I’m dropping my head back off at the machine shop for them to swap out to a different camshaft that isn’t rusted at the end of it. I can run it as is, but want to play it safe. Im hoping to get it back before the weekend to get everything reassembled. Will report back with any issues haha!

[Tibboy12]

So I have everything button up, went for a first start and all I'm currently getting is the starter trying to turn over. I can also hear the ICV buzzing. I've changed over the main relay from my E to a white style main relay. I don't hear the fuel pump with the key on the 2nd position. Anyone have pointers on what I should look for? I swapped over the CPS sensor and the reference sensor from the plug wires and that didn't do anything. CPS is new from BMW.

[Tibboy12]

Made it to the picnic and back in one peace.. well for the most part. The issue I was dealing in the previous post was the little black wire was on the wrong post on the starter, was suppose to be on the bottom. However, I’m now dealing with some sort of power issue to the starter. Sometimes the car will start on first crank, sometimes I’ll just get a click and other times it’s very slow to crank over. That’s one problem I’m dealing with.. the other one that we noticed on the drive to the picnic was an intermittent misfire when giving throttle. It’s very noticeable at idle, idles low around 450-500. I also noticed that I can’t blip the throttle anymore so no fun downshifts. All in all, the car does feel really good ands sounds even better with the Ireland Engineering racing headers!

Next up is fixing those two issues, raising my car up because the down pipe hits the driveway, and refreshing the braking system with new lines, rotors and pads even a new caliper.

[packratbimmer]

If you had starter wire issues, I would take a look at the fusible link in the trunk and think about relays as well. I had to pull a random relay from a unneeded circuit once, and pop it into either the fuel pump or main relay spot - luckily I figured that out while alongside the road.

[Tibboy12]

If you had starter wire issues, I would take a look at the fusible link in the trunk and think about relays as well. I had to pull a random relay from an unneeded circuit once, and pop it into either the fuel pump or main relay spot - luckily I figured that out while alongside the road.

No starter issues before the swap! The starter is also fairly new as well was replaced during the manual swap of this car. I will look for random relays and see if that does anything!

[Tibboy12]

Swapping in a new starter has fixed my starting issue lol.. I think after trying to crank it over a bunch before moving the little black wire to the bottom post and hitting the starter with a hammer somehow damaged the internals.

My AFM is currently with Greg at Bavrest getting a service, I hope that’ll make an improvement to my idle. It currently idles at about 500rpm but fluctuates between 450 and 550 sounding like it’s cammed. Overall the car feels really good even though it’s only about 20hp difference the extra room in RPM makes it fun! If the AFM doesn’t fix it, I’ll look into doing a vac test. If that doesn’t go well I’ll test the ICV or get a used one from a member on here.