1995 BMW 318i -- CARNAGE PICS!! -- MAJOR UPDATE!!! w00t!!

[night4creeper]

the ecm will control the firing order. just hook the coil packs to the correct plug. i.e. 1 to 1, 2 to 2 etc.. the coil packs are labeled for a reason, to tell you what cylinder they goto.

Have you checked the compression on all cylinders? wet or dry? If you have low psi, what have you checked? Is there water in the oil?

On the bad cylinder, rotate it to the top of its compression stroke and blow air into the spark plug hole and see where it comes out. that will tell you what the problem is, weather it be a blown head gasket, bent valve(s), broken rings, etc.

[Nick_R_23]

Ive done a compression test on all 4 cylinders, if I remember right it was 130-0-0-130, in cylinders 1,2,3, and 4 respectively. Dry, I havent checked them with oil yet.

I remember checking the oil when I bought it, and it was nice and clear and the coolant was full. The guy said he never topped off the coolant, but Im only taking his word for it.

I personally think its the head gasket, Im 99.9% sure its not a bent valve since I took off the valve cover and the timing chain is spot on and if I didnt know any better Id say it was brand new, so I know the chain didnt skip. I think gasket would make more sense seeing that the 0 compression is on the 2 middle cylinders?? I will try blowing air into the cylinders though.

Biggest thing is that it just needs to be in the garage to do all the tests properly, and then have it torn apart, Im not really making any progress sitting here guessing what the problems might be!!

-Nick

[night4creeper]

I'd be ready to guess its the head gasket too from what you say. I bet if you get cyl. #2 to the top of the compression stroke and blow air in it will come out the spark plug hole of cyl #3.

I can't remember, but if that is a aluminum head be sure to check the trueness of the surface, it will probably have to be milled. if that is the case it might also require a shim along with the head gasket so the clearances stay within spec.

good luck.

[Nick_R_23]

Alright guys get ready for one hell of an update. I dragged this thing into the garage and started tearing into it mid-Saturday. Everything was coming off quick and easy and I really didnt have any problems until I got to taking the timing chain lower cover off, which was blocked by the A/C pump and bracket. Ask around for details.


Engine before disassembly


Throttle body removed


Throttle body/cruise control


Intake removed


Oh shiiiit....stuffs missing....


Found it a little further down the intake....but....wheres the rest of it???

-Nick

[Nick_R_23]

Heres a hint where it went.....










You can see how bad they really are from here


Piston damage




The two middle ones got it the worst


Current state of disrepair


Entire car


My inevitable tsunami of parts

Well it wasnt as good as I thought it was, but it couldve been a hell of a lot worse. The pistons will clean right up, mostly just pitting, and the cylinders are PERFECT, you can even still see the hone on them. The head will need all new valves and possibly seats.

On a good note, I found a few good things on the car that I didnt expect, but I think that all were on it from the factory. First it already had the Fan Delete Mod done, which means the stock engine driven fan is removed due to it tending to explode and take out the radiator, hoses, and hood. It is then replaced with an electric one mounted on the radiator, along with a lower temp thermostat. It also had an aluminum thermostat housing instead of the normal, brittle plastic one. Third, the one I really didnt expect, was the Limited Slip Differential. These usually have to be swapped out from a higher class BMW, since I believe the 318i was rare to have them stock, plus they cost a few hundred $$$. I was really happy to find out I had one!!!

The head is being taken to the shop tomorrow for examination. Ill post updates as I find out more!!

-Nick

[84honda200s]

that little round thing looks almost like a heat riser but it wouldnt be in the intake....could be a automatic choke. ??


pistons dont look too bad man but some of them valves are kinda rough lmao. anyway man keep me up to date on this. im interested in how it will come out.

[VenomRS4]

Ouch. Those pistons are pretty chewed up! Are you just replacing the valves or are you just going to get a replacement head?

Man, I cant wait to build my motor!

[Nick_R_23]

We're taking the head into the shop today. I plan on reusing the head unless some crack or something shows up that makes it useless, so just valves and guides if the guides are junk. Pistons arent really all that bad, just a lot of surface pitting, the camera makes things look way worse then they are.

-Nick

[RedRider_AK]

I love the crooked valves. Looks just like my 110 head from a few years ago.

[Dirtcrasher]

Nice BEEMER!! I love them things!!

[Nick_R_23]

Small update, the mechanic got a chance to look the head over, and I guess that the head itself is fine, same with all the valve guides and seats, but ALL 16 valves were bent. So hes gonna go ahead and replace all the valves and resurface the head and when its all said and done itll be about 700$. When I get the head back I can jump right back into putting the engine back together!!

-Nick

[Erics350x]

$700 for valves and plaining? Thats freakin way high!!

[longbedGTs]

Wow! So what happened? Did the PO over rev the motor or something? Detonation maybe? How did the HG look? Looks like a nice car!

[Erics350x]

a part got sucked through the intake and bent the valves

[Nick_R_23]

$700 for valves and plaining? Thats freakin way high!!

Yes and no...It needs all 16 valves replaced at about 20$ per valve...thats 320$ right there. The guy also has to pull both cams, all the valves, resurface the head, install new valves and seals, and put it all back together. If I was to pull the cams myself, the tool alone JUST for pulling the cams is 1400$. And the fact that its a foreign car makes the work harder to come by and more expensive. Overall, Ill only have about 1500-1600$ into a '95 BMW with a FULL top end rebuild on the motor. Not too bad I think.

-Nick