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West you scare me )) but I totally get what you are saying about the fire rings, I have so far tried to avoid the area as there was no gasket there anyway, and it would be a true shame since I had near-perfect compression before pulling the head ..
So .. I have stopped, actually stopped a few days ago, this is a project car, it can take months or years, the garage is dedicated to her too. Now question, what would be the good way about cleaning the surface ? except for pulling the block and having it decked
And I thought the copper spray may be exactly good around those water ports, where the pitting is
I think if it was mine I would take a good straight edge and lay it across the block. Take a .001 thick feeler gauge and search for any spots where the feeler gauge could slip in. If it goes in someplace you know it is low there. If .001 goes in try a 2, 3 or 4 to find out how much needs to be done to fix it. You might also determine if that area showing some rust damage is critical to cylinder head fit or operation. It may just be dead space and not a true concern.
If you decide to sand I would wet sand using something like WD40, the liquid will help hold the sanding material so you can clean it out as you work and the lubrication helps your sand paper last much longer while taking material off faster. I bet it would take 20 to 30 strokes with good near new sand paper to remove even .001 material from the block. Using a piece of machine steel you won’t hurt the block and it will stay straight or even help straighten or flatten high and low spots, just don’t concentrate on one area or that are will have a dip in it. It is an all or nothing situation. If you know you need to remove a lot of material you can start with a 400 grit and then finish with 600. As I think more this is a composite gasket and it might seal just fine on the 400 grit. 600 would be fine for MLS gaskets.
Last edited by Westlotorn; Jun 26, 2023 at 05:44 PM.
I think if it was mine I would take a good straight edge and lay it across the block. Take a .001 thick feeler gauge and search for any spots where the feeler gauge could slip in. If it goes in someplace you know it is low there. If .001 goes in try a 2, 3 or 4 to find out how much needs to be done to fix it. You might also determine if that area showing some rust damage is critical to cylinder head fit or operation. It may just be dead space and not a true concern.
If you decide to sand I would wet sand using something like WD40, the liquid will help hold the sanding material so you can clean it out as you work and the lubrication helps your sand paper last much longer while taking material off faster. I bet it would take 20 to 30 strokes with good near new sand paper to remove even .001 material from the block. Using a piece of machine steel you won’t hurt the block and it will stay straight or even help straighten or flatten high and low spots, just don’t concentrate on one area or that are will have a dip in it. It is an all or nothing situation. If you know you need to remove a lot of material you can start with a 400 grit and then finish with 600. As I think more this is a composite gasket and it might seal just fine on the 400 grit. 600 would be fine for MLS gaskets.
Ya, need to find a good straight edge, believe it or not its a difficult item to locate around here ..
Been WD-sanding all along btw, and got big sheets of sand-paper and replacing often, same thought process )
How about a good carpenters square, nearly every garage has one and they are 24" on the long side.
course, I even have one, used it while building the house for walls )) but hardly very exact, I could look for a better quality one but I still doubt its straightness
Having been raised by an engineer, I think Westlotorn and Dolucassi are both making good points. My advise to dan190 is that the head gasket replacement job really isn't a job for a novice. Getting the block just right to accept the new gasket should be done by an experienced professional . An experienced professional can determine if there is any block warpage, how severe it might be and then can properly prepare the top of the block to accept the new gasket without any block shavings getting into the engine and causing so much more trouble that can be really expensive to correct. Just my 2 cents.
Figured Id update )
so I got the head back from the machine shop looking like new (well as new as possible for a 30yo ) and I decided Id put it all back together
This is cleaned, checked and milled
I also replaced the stock springs with Dbilas hardended 13lift springs, new valve seals, even new valve guides
This is the block in the final state, I stopped sanding after our talks here and on advice of a friend I just used a gasket scraper + a nylon brush on a dremel to cleanup and leave it be
One warning, gasoline does not store well anymore. If the car has been parked a long time, say more than 8 mos I would not want to run the gasoline. It can gum up your fuel system, it turns into more of a gel than a fuel. The top of the pistons will get a clear sticky coating on them, pretty to look at but bad. The really bad part is the valves get this clear sticky coating and stick in your brand new head casing engine failure.
It is a pain to pump out old gas but not worth the risk to try running it on old gasoline. Maybe in your country the gasoline is better. The fuel sold in the USA no longer has a long shelf life. Much more than 6-8 months and it goes bad. Have seen many engines damaged by it. If you do not know ask your machine shop. They will have local experience. The gas in the USA lasted for years in the past but about 20 years ago that feature went away.
One warning, gasoline does not store well anymore. If the car has been parked a long time, say more than 8 mos I would not want to run the gasoline. It can gum up your fuel system, it turns into more of a gel than a fuel. The top of the pistons will get a clear sticky coating on them, pretty to look at but bad. The really bad part is the valves get this clear sticky coating and stick in your brand new head casing engine failure.
It is a pain to pump out old gas but not worth the risk to try running it on old gasoline. Maybe in your country the gasoline is better. The fuel sold in the USA no longer has a long shelf life. Much more than 6-8 months and it goes bad. Have seen many engines damaged by it. If you do not know ask your machine shop. They will have local experience. The gas in the USA lasted for years in the past but about 20 years ago that feature went away.
Thank you West !
Yes, I know old gas is bad, already refilled half the tank, its been on the road for a few weeks now, just a bit late with the update here
btw thought, maybe add a can of cleaner to the tank ?
190E 2.6L 1989, 190E 2.6L 1988, BMW 535dXdrive 2014, BMW 428i 2015
Would like to echo West's comment on stale gas. My car sat for 7 months as I had the transmision + clutch out for rebuilding beginning of this year.
I took my time with the rebuild and even though it was quality Chevron gas in it and I had put some stabil in the tank it would not start at all. I did not properly mix in the stabil though in the beginning. So the fuel in all the lines from tank to injectors were starting to tarnish.
Long story short I was also due for a new set of fuel pumps and such, so I replaced those and flushed out the fuel from all the fuel lines with an air compressor. The fuel had already turned yellow and was not combusting properly.
So I emptied the tank and put in new gas.
Started right up.
So I would advise the same for anyone who lets the car sit for more than 4-5 months these days.
When using Stabil, it's very important to run your car for 5 minutes after you put in the Stabil. That allows the Stabil to mix in with the fuel. I use Stabil and the other day, I just got my car out of its hot summer hibernation of almost 7 months and it started right up the first time.
Thanks guys, yep sitting is bad, but it was a long job + having 3 cars, I dont get to drive em all as often as Id like, my wagon is currently also in works, had lifter ticking, pulled both covers off, found half the lifters in sad condition, will be replacing all + spark plugs + oil cooler + gaskets and hoses while at it ) then the coupe is up for a overhaul, already in the garage jelling up the fuel ))
I will mix in a can of fuel cleaner, I actually always drive off after dropping the can in, so its getting mixed for sure )
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) and I decided Id put it all back together
