Purchase of 325i with blown headgasket

[Reichart12]

Hey guys, through one of my neighbors I was given the chance to buy her 325i (90 or 91) one owner car that supposedly has a blown head gasket. And I don't know how bad its been overheated. Mileage between 100-150k I think. Its been sitting for a couple months now. She wasn't totally sure what all the problems were and I just had a few questions on what to do.

Are there different severity levels of a blown gasket? Like is it definite that everythings mixed in the cylinders. Im worried about potential rust that may have formed in the engine.

What kind of test might I be able to do to check for cracks in the head? I read a compression/leak down test would tell about the gasket but can it also do that?

And really any advice on the topic would be greatly appreciated.

[Gary Horneck]

Different types of HG failure. Some of them are not catastrophic. Head has to be checked at a machine shop for cracks. That thing has to come apart, a leak down will just tell you a couple cylinders are still doing ok. There's no way to tell how bad it is till you disassemble it.

[Reichart12]

Alright thanks, that's what I was thinking anyways. The cars a 4dr auto so it's not the most appealing model to me. I'm debating fix and resell (or just have 2 e30s) or maybe swapping the engine refreshed into my e or maybe just the top end of the engine. Ohh the choices

[jlevie]

Until the head is off, you can't predict what the extent of the damage is. If the body and interior are good, the car is worth fixing. The auto can pretty easily be swapped to a 5-speed.

[Reichart12]

Well I figured I wouldn't be out much if the engine is toast so why not take the gamble.

I'll be uploading pics somewhere soon. Thanks!

[goldenbb]

Call this place and price an engine: http://www.bavengine.com/about.html

And then you have the outside estimate on cost to fix, not that the car would necessarily require a complete rebuilt engine replacement, but it would help in your decision making to know.

[Reichart12]

Well heres an update now that I'm home from college and had some time to look at it.
I did a cylinder compression test and got readings from the radiator to the firewall of 145, 145, 150, 150, 120, 140.

They all seem good to me and makes sense since this engine was a donor that was rebuilt and put in the car in 2009. I'm not sure if this requires a rebuild now or not with these numbers. I might try to do a cooling system pressure check (might not be what its called) to see any possible leaks there that would explain the overheating the PO had.

[jlevie]

The compression test shows that cylinder 5 definitely has a problem. Whether that is the result of a head gasket leak, a valve problem, or a cylinder/ring problem can't be assessed without a leak down test and a high pressure variant of a leak down test.

[Reichart12]

The compression test shows that cylinder 5 definitely has a problem. Whether that is the result of a head gasket leak, a valve problem, or a cylinder/ring problem can't be assessed without a leak down test and a high pressure variant of a leak down test.

Yeah youre probably right. I do know one thing for sure, the spark plugs and wires definitely need to be changed. Theyre were covered in carbon grime and part of the wire had electrical tape around it and that plug looked like it had some damage to the base from it arching.