Eta-to-M50: Build thread

[CorvallisBMW]

ACE ftw, they even have metric nylocks for the suspension bits.

[nando]

all the bolts I see are not coated like factory bolts. They tend to rust. and thats if they are high grade..

[CorvallisBMW]

ACE usually has SS metric bolts

[nando]

yeah, but stainless steel bolts are $$$$

[Jand3rson]

yeah, but stainless steel bolts are $$$$

They look good and don't rust, that's what all the hardware I've been buying/replacing is. ACE has everything, I'm not kidding.

[scabzzzz]

Man you should have totally done an M30 swap bro. M50? Really?

[Matt-B]

o ring is on outside

[Jand3rson]

Ok, the reason Matt posted this pic is because I have a very WTF moment going on right now. When I first put the thermostat back in, I put the new o-ring on the outside of it, like it's shown there, where it was when I pulled it out. So I put the new o-ring on, put on the gasket and put the housing back on, it smashed the gasket out because it was sitting on the o-ring.

So I got a new gasket today, and when I test-fitted the gasket, it still sits on top of the o-ring, and the same thing would have happened again if I had bolted the housing down on top of it. So I pulled the thermostat back out, and put the o-ring behind it, the thermostat on top of that, the gasket in place, and bolted the housing down. Everything fit perfectly. So... WTF???

Is the o-ring SUPPOSED to go into the opening in the head first, then the thermostat, then the gasket, then the housing? Because if I do it the other way, the gasket does not fit, and the housing will just smash the gasket out again, because it's sitting on the o-ring and not flush against the head. Will it leak, or be otherwise affected if I leave it installed as it is now?

[motors4me]

The o-ring does go on the outside, like is shown here:

[Jand3rson]

I can't install the gasket when the o-ring is on the outside of the thermostat. The housing smashes it off when I tighten the bolts down.

[Matt-B]

post a pic of the carnage, gasket should not hit it

[Jand3rson]

So I think what's wrong is the o-ring that came with the new gasket kit is thicker than the existing one that was on the thermostat. So I found the old one, it's still perfectly good. So I took it all back apart, put them together in the order shown in the pic, and it worked fine.

[AndrewBird]

Maybe the wrong o-ring? Were there any others in the kit, or did you buy it separately? Any other o-rings you replaced that it might of gotten mixed up with?

[Jand3rson]

Maybe the wrong o-ring? Were there any others in the kit, or did you buy it separately? Any other o-rings you replaced that it might of gotten mixed up with?

I can't think of any other o-rings that I changed that were that same size, and all the pics of gasket kits I can find only show one o-ring that size included. Doesn't really matter too much, I guess. The old one is still perfectly good, no cracks or anything, so I just re-used it.

[Matt-B]

maybe water pump o ring mix up?