500bhp Posted December 28, 2008 Share Posted December 28, 2008 Typical over christmas my head gasket has started to blow on my 96 diesel (bmw) engine. Has anyone tackled this at home as a repair? and would I need any specialist tools. I have not worked on this type of engine before, and any advice is really welcome. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Sparkes Posted December 28, 2008 Share Posted December 28, 2008 No I haven't done this repair. Regarding specialist tools, have you got a copy of the Workshop manual, via a RAVE CD? This will at least give you the official line. I would expect some special tools to be required for disconnecting and reconnecting the chain for the overhead camshaft, and possibly the high pressure Fuel Injection Pump. HTH Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TD5 power Posted December 30, 2008 Share Posted December 30, 2008 hi looking at the rave manual for your engine David is spot on with the need for special tools to lock the cam and crank in the correct locations and then to remove the timing chain. Also it advises an engine crane to lift the head off because of weight and its awkward location, head bolts can't be reused neither can the bolt that holds the camshaft sprocket on. i would have though it is possible to do it at home but might take a while and you might have trouble getting hold of the special tools. Matt Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Sparkes Posted December 30, 2008 Share Posted December 30, 2008 Reading the bit about the physical difficulty of lifting the head, don't forget that the bonnet hinges on the 38A are designed to secure the bonnet in the vertical condition. It's unbelievable how much more light this lets in, and also the improvement it makes in access to the rear of the engine bay. A couple of tips; Release the screen wash hose from the bulkhead clip before you reposition the bonnet, as the hose won't reach if you don't. Release the struts at the bonnet end, not the wing end, otherwise as you lower the bonnet afterwards the free end of the strut digs into the wing. If doing this on your own, raise the bonnet as normal, release the non locking strut (normally the RH side - as viewed from the drivers seat). Lower the strut, the bonnet will twist slightly, but stay up on the locking strut. Now release the LH strut and lay it on the wing. Lift the bonnet vertically, moving the spring clip on the LH hinge to hold it up. Go to the RH hinge and locate the spring clip on that hinge as well. The manual says don't do this if the car is outside, but I do, you just have to make a sensible assessment of the wind strength. From here on life gets more difficult :-) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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