Etwenty1 45 Report post Posted September 18, 2017 (edited) My sisters E39 540i was dropping a small amount of coolant then oil appeared in the coolant, but no coolant in the oil. I did a compression test and cylinder #7 was low. The rest were all ok and even. After mulling over parting or fixing I decided to pull that head. No I did not do a leak down test. Noticed that head bolts were fairly easy to undo, and that 3 of the ex manifold bolts were only finger tight. Looks like a steel gasket (same on other side) which when removed has left traces of a black film on both surfaces. There's no obvious breach or crack so I plan to take both the head and the gasket to a machine shop for checking. Are these gaskets common/any good? Can they be re-used? To fix depending on how the head checks out I presume I will need another gasket the same thickness or adjusted for any skimming? Any advice/comments appreciated. Pic 1 shows gasket sitting on upturned head. Edited September 18, 2017 by Etwenty1 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
aja540i 1895 Report post Posted September 18, 2017 No, you cannot re-use head gaskets, you should be able to just put a new gasket and new bolts in and re-torque everything if the head turns out to be ok, you don't usually need to allow a thicker gasket for skimming the head but whoever checks it for you should be able to give you more info. You weren't tempted to do the other one while you are in there as preventative maintenance? 1 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
zero 1160 Report post Posted September 18, 2017 You cannot reuse the head gasket or the head bolts. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Etwenty1 45 Report post Posted September 18, 2017 Thanks guys, I know you can't reuse normal head gaskets and stretch bolts. Thought this may be different. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
