M30 head gasket replacement

[The Dark Side of Will]

So my 1992 535i needs a new headgasket.
It overheated and there was a plume of steam coming out of the back of the engine at the block/head interface.

Obviously I have to pull both intake and exhaust manifolds.

How do I take the timing drive loose?
Can I reuse the head bolts? Do I have to pull the rocker shafts to get to the head bolts?

What replacement head gasket should I go with? Is there a thin MLS replacement or do I need to stay stock?

[Grand525]

If it's stock N/A motor, i'd say replace the parts with new OEM ones.

[yert315]

Here is a write-up:

http://www.mye28.com/viewtopic.php?t=92208

[The Dark Side of Will]

If it's stock N/A motor, i'd say replace the parts with new OEM ones.

<yawn> ;)
Was figuring I could bump the compression up .1 ish and gain .06 mpg on the highway...

Here is a write-up:
http://www.mye28.com/viewtopic.php?t=92208

Cool! Thanks!

What's the deal with the head bolts? Why is it recommended to replace them?

[The Dark Side of Will]

What's the stock piston deck measurement for an M30 (in the hole? Out of the hole?)? Zero deck?

[yert315]

Stock head bolts are stretch bolts. They are one-time use only. New ones are $20-30.

[Lurker27]

Pretty sure they're not stretch on the M30, actually. I'd replace them or get ARPs on principle, though.

[The Dark Side of Will]

Yeah, I'm probably going to get a thinner MLS gasket and ARP's.

However, to get the right thickness of gasket, I need to know the stock piston deck. Anyone know that number?