Changing head gaskets

[photomd]

I'm stuck and need a little help. I've pulled my left cylinder head and I'm ready to button it back up, but I've got a problem. I was sent 4 O-rings that according to Bob's BMW catalog you need two per side on the cylinder studs. My problem is there weren't any there and the Haynes manual doesn't tell ya where to put 'em. Ideas? TIA. :Beer:

[dickybeau]

I think that the O rings fit into a small recess around the dowel on the cylinder. My ETK shows 4 'o' rings but only shows them on the UNDERSIDE of the cylinder.
Check the head where it fits against the cylinder, the 'o' ring may also fit around the hole that the dowel fits in to.

Good luck

Ricky

[TREE]

Looks like it is O ring part # 11 11 1 342 242 which only gets used if you pull the cyl off the crankcase.

It lives at the bottom of the cyl on a dowel rod part # ending in 726 238

Here is MaxBMW fiche drawing:

http://tinyurl.com/3r6ny


I don't remember any O rings when I replaced my head gasket except the oil filler plug ones for the valve cover.

[photomd]

Now that's a cool site. THANKS! :Bow:

[Rando]

Hey, I need to do the same thing this winter, any other suggestions/issues that you found while doing the head gasket? Thanks, Randy.

[photomd]

Randy,
I followed the Haynes manual and the procedure is pretty straight forward. The only thing that seemed vague was marking the cam chain and sprocket before removal. I followed someone else's suggestion: zip tie the sprocket to the chain so it can't move. This is pretty easy to do and takes most of the guess work out of it.
The only other difficult part was getting the cam chain tensioner back in the left side. It is just under the pivot point for the front swingarm and it juuuusssstttttt barely fits. I couldn't do it when I was tired. So I did first thing one morning and with a little patience and a lot of squeezing, it slid into place.
Also the new gaskets seem to be made of a more pliable, rubbery material. I hope this means they last longer. Anyway, it's nice to have a dry engine. Good luck. :Beer:

[AntonL]

The fiche shows the O-rings applicable only from 6/95 onwards. Two per side; they might go on the oilways and not actually on the studs.