Author Topic: Profile Gasket (Read 5000 times)

M42boy · « **on:** April 10, 2006, 10:10:36 PM »

Okay, so... I've read up on this A LOT. But, I'm still confused and have many questions. Amazingly, I never see any coorespondence on this obvious M42 "achille's heel" on any of the forums.

For those of you that don't know what I'm talking about, read here:
http://www.unofficialbmw.com/all/engine/all_m42_profile_gasket_faq.html

I bought a used 318is off Ebay. No records. Car runs great and no signs of this problem. 125K on the clock. People have told me that this problem was much of a topic a few years back and that this repair has surely been made on my vehicle with the milage I have now and I should not worry.

However, a week ago, I talked to another E30 318is owner with 135K on his motor and has never done such repair. He is the original owner of the car; bought it new in 1992.

This makes me wonder, what milage did these go bad? How can I be sure this repair has been made to my vehicle? Are there any signs to look for?

Reading what the repair entails, it seems like the head has to come off. This is where it get expensive. New head gasket, new head studs, labor, etc. But, looking at Real OEM, it looks like if you pull off the valve cover and the timing case covers... it should be right there. See Item #10 in the following link:

http://www.realoem.com/bmw/showparts.do?model=AF93&mospid=47305&btnr=11_0156&hg=11&fg=10

Am I looking at this wrong? Is this not the famed and feared profile gasket which the article talks about? It appears from this image that the head does not have to come off. Am I missing something here?

Am I really safe from this issue with the milage I have? The reason for my questions is not to create more work or worry for myself, but as the motor sits out of the car, and I'm about to tear into the timming case, now seems like the most appropriate time to make such repair. But, I in no way, want to repair something that doesn't need repairing. I have enough work to do on this car at the moment.

Sorry for the lengthy banter. Any input and reccomendations would be greatly appreciated.

Zoso · « **Reply #1 on:** April 11, 2006, 04:04:43 PM »

I agree with what you've been told before. The engine is at 125K, most likely the gasket has been replaced at 30K or under, and it really isn't much of an issue.

My car has 190K miles on it and I have no idea if the gasket was replaced or not. I'm not worried about it.

The profile gasket problem comes up a lot on E30 forums. 99.9% of the time when it is brought up, it isn't because it has failed.

Febi Guibo · « **Reply #2 on:** April 11, 2006, 04:11:01 PM »

hamann318is may (?) have had an issue with his... I would send him a PM... but I agree with mike... it's very rare on our cars.

m42 fan · « **Reply #3 on:** April 11, 2006, 05:41:51 PM »

I'm still relatively new to the e30 scene, but in the whole time I've been reading about this issue, I've yet to hear one first hand account of someone's profile gasket going out on them.

This was a big problem about ten years ago, now all that's left is a bad memory. Bad enough that it's still scaring people ten years later!

Bottom line, if yours is somehow still on the origional, I wouldn't worry about it. It's already lasted double what it was supposed to. It'll be fine.

Brian

Choking Hazard · « **Reply #4 on:** April 11, 2006, 08:56:48 PM »

If the individual that owned the car had it serviced at the dealer it would have surely recieved this fix. One telltale sign (I understand from the trustworthy internet) that the gasket has been replaced is an apparently sloppy looking -too much sealant on it- gasket up there at the front where it meets the head and timing case. I saw mine before i read about the profile gasket and thought some moron had substituted a whole tube of RTV for the gasket. I later read that the BMW service bulletin calls for copious amounts of sealant during the gasket replacement. So if it looks like Bubba already fixed it in the front yaard, it was more likely Boris at the BMW dealer.

M42boy · « **Reply #5 on:** April 12, 2006, 09:04:49 PM »

Quote from: Choking Hazard

If the individual that owned the car had it serviced at the dealer it would have surely recieved this fix.

Well, I called BMW Customer Service in New Jersey to do a search on all dealer service performed on my car by VIN, which they can do.

They pulled up many services, but nothing relating to the cam profile gasket. That may not mean a lot, however, as the last record of a dealer service on this car was somewhere in the mid 30,000 mile range. Basically, only general warranty work had been performed up to that point.

What makes me nervous is the lack of ANY maintenance of any kind to this vehicle up till I bought it (which left me with a whole host of problems to fix).

I don't remember seeing any gasket sealant oozing out of the head or timing case cover, but I'll examine it closely soon. I just wish there were some way of knowing besides the "if it ain't broke, don't fix it" answer. :confused:

Anyone else here have a high milage E30 M42 that they KNOW has never had this service?

Febi Guibo · « **Reply #6 on:** April 12, 2006, 09:25:21 PM »

I'll phone mine in tomorrow and let you know... I'm at about 175k miles

dave45056 · « **Reply #7 on:** May 17, 2006, 10:49:17 PM »

Not sure if you are still following this... but on the realoem site, item #10 is indeed under the head. It is time consuming to replace it.

M42boy · « **Reply #8 on:** May 18, 2006, 12:51:02 AM »

Yeah, after I had the engine out of the car and the timing case torn apart I "got it". I see exactly where it was. Head definately has to come off to replace it.

Mine wasn't acting up, but I didn't notice any evidence mine's ever been replaced either.

dude8383 · « **Reply #9 on:** May 18, 2006, 01:16:50 AM »

The original owner may have bought that 318is with the profile gasket already done. You said that he bought it new in 1992, its possible that the BMW dealership did the repair before the car was ever purchased.

Also, our cars came here in 1991, who's to say they didn't start selling them earlier in 1990 as a 1991 model. Whats the production date on your car btw?

silverblades181 · « **Reply #10 on:** May 18, 2006, 09:31:36 PM »

I suspect the owner of the 1992 318is has the updated profile gasket. At your mileage it should of been changed already but I had mine fail not too long ago at around 212 000 km (or around 131 440 miles). My coolant level was going down significantly, the coolant was a light brown (like coffee with cream) and my oil has white fuss in it. My friend replaced it because I didn't have the experience or tools to do it. The entire engine was pretty dirty and it was evident coolant had mixed with the oil. Weirdly my gasket had not completly failed (it was not cracked or anything) I've heard if the gasket really fails, then you lose all your coolant at once and, if your driving say on the highway, then your engine has a good chance of overheating. The best way to see if your gasket is okay would be to test the density of your coolant and check your levels regularly...in my opinion.