Can anyone recommend a good head gasket kit?

Op are you getting oil and coolant mixing? Heavy smoke coming out the
tail pipe? Mr. Mango recommended some head gasket pour in sealants.
The Blue Devil works best on oil in the coolant type of head gasket leaks.
The best way to repair a head gasket is too replace the actual head gasket
of course. But if you are on a severe tight budget, what do you have to lose
with one of those head gasket sealers other than the price of the sealant.

 

You bet, BMW. I used BMW's head gasket kit that includes everything you need except the exhaust manifold gaskets (because they are not flat and easy to package with the rest of the kit) and VCG nut grommets. I think the kit was under $400

 

I actually like the NAPA master kits. they use Felpro gaskets and not Victor Reinz in most of them.

The catch to the cheap fixes, is that the core has value, UNLESS they find evidence of stop leak type
additives, then the value of the core drops. Its a SOB to get out of the block and increases time in the soaking tank.

Plus when the stop leak fails the engine takes another beating.

I'd be pretty confident in a < 100K motor lasting a long time if I replaced all the hoses and
cooling system parts while I did the motor swap.

 

Just buy the Head Gasket by itself. Kits are overpriced and include more than you will change out.


After getting your head reworked, find out how much was skimmed off to determine if you need stock or oversized HG thickness.



.

 

I see that most kits come with a new valve cover gasket, which I just replaced.
Ok good I will just get the head gasket alone.

Using the cheaper head gasket sealants will cause clogging issues, but the Blue
Devil and Steel Seal are in a liquid form and are not supposed to clog even though they are water glass based. According to them, lol. The Dura Seal is
The only one, according to them, that is not water glass based and will not
clog the cooling system.

 

i have seen those stop leak products, the expensive ones, work. i have yet to see anyone try it on a BMW or anything similar, though. They were all (3 that i know of) domestic V8s.

 

I have used the Blue Devil on 2 e36s I had. They both were 1997s and had the
Oil and coolant mixing and heavy smoke out the tail pipe. I followed the instructions, drained and flushed the cooling system, replaced with water,
changed the oil, took out the tstat. I think one had a bad water pump, I put
in a new pump. The other one I replaced the water pump and fan clutch.
Anyway I was shocked it worked. I kept the car for another year and sold it
cheap. Over 10/k in miles and no issues. :thumbsup:

 

I developed a problem in a brand new very very high dollar race motor several years ago, this also happened at a critical time in the season. I bought Moroso Ceramic Engine Seal & installed it, my race motor then performed perfectly for 2 race seasons until I replaced it with a fresh build. I'd recommend this in a heartbeat but this particular sealer does not work with Antifreeze.

http://www.amazon.com/Moroso-35500-Ceramic-Engine-Seal/dp/B000COU1TE




Rob43

 

I was curious so I put in the info for a 02 330i and it says "won't fit your vehicle"
Huh?

 

What was the issue with the engine?

 

It overheated when almost brand new (just a few hours on it) & developed a crack somewhere in it. I was in a time crunch & Needed a fix, the ceramic sealer did its job because that motor was subjected to the Harshest racing environment for the next 2 seasons. It was like the damage never happened.



Rob43

 

Damn, tough luck. The reason I ask is I'm curious as to if the product would work with something as large as a busted head gasket or something smaller like a crack.

 

Amazon,....go figure.

But understand that this particular formula Doesn't work with antifreeze.



Rob43

 

Any update on what you did to fix your HG?

 

original engine and it drives great

 

You can easily fix the HG on your current motor. It is easy for the folks that have the skills to do it.

The folks that dont have the skills will diss you for even thinking about it and will drum up false facts to justify their position.

A used motor can come with a warranty, but ask them if they will pay your labor to reinstall the replacement motor under their warranty. All will not.

I would take my know motor over a used motor any day.

You have to look at your options. Your skills and your costs.


.

 

I'm working on an E46 for a friend right now that had a blown head gasket. When I got the head off, I also found that the head was cracked in 3 different areas. The problem is, you don't really know what you are going to get until you actually get the head off. Anything from stripped threads on the head studs, to cracked or warped heads. Once these engines over heat, all bets are off. In most cases I would just say replace the head gasket, especially since the kit can be had for around $250 for everything. But you still never know until you get in there.

This is my patient. And she doesn't look good...

<a href="http://imgur.com/cSqhoI5"><img src="http://i.imgur.com/cSqhoI5l.jpg" title="source: imgur.com" /></a>

<a href="http://imgur.com/I3EMuML"><img src="http://i.imgur.com/I3EMuMLl.jpg" title="source: imgur.com" /></a>

<a href="http://imgur.com/FAnoALB"><img src="http://i.imgur.com/FAnoALBl.jpg" title="source: imgur.com" /></a>

<a href="http://imgur.com/9IkegOH"><img src="http://i.imgur.com/9IkegOHl.jpg" title="source: imgur.com" /></a>

 

I'm working on an E46 for a friend right now that had a blown head gasket. When I got the head off, I also found that the head was cracked in 3 different areas. The problem is, you don't really know what you are going to get until you actually get the head off. Anything from stripped threads on the head studs, to cracked or warped heads. Once these engines over heat, all bets are off.

Head gasket never fail on these engines, it is multi layer steel gasket. Your friend never had blown head gasket.