just for the repair and weld and a complete valve job it was a total of $638 ... Gasket kit for $335 all this didnt cost as much as i would only go buy a used head.
This is good information for the tribal-knowledge comparing options when an engine has been overheated!
I'm sure there is no way a cracked block can cost less than what you've done it for (essentially $1,000) since you seem to have done all the hard work yourself, right?
You're the first to post about making the fix with a weld. ... let the forum know how this works for you later down the road.
I was wondering about that.
I've been gathering all the overheated-engine stories for the past couple of months so as to create a linked paragraph of the costs & solutions available.
- Summary advice to provide users who suspect a major engine repair due to overheating (
1) & how to test an engine for blown head gasket, cracked heads, a warped block, cam seizures, contaminated bearings, coolant hydrolock, or piston, ring, or valve damage (
1) (
2) & a well researched reusable response to a particular user with a blown engine (
1) & what questions to ask when severe heating-related damage is initially suspected (
1) & what E39 engine swaps are most recommended (
1) (
2) (
3) & how to lift & remove the engine (
1) & where to obtain a new or rebuilt replacement short block or long block (
1) (
2) & why the E39 engines are so prone to heat-related damage in the first place (
1) & real-world results from people faced with similar blown engine problems from which this advice came from (
1) (
2) (
3) (
4) (
5) (
6) (
7) (
8) (
9) (
10) (
11) (
12) (
13) (
14) (
15) (
16) (
17) (
18) (
19) (
20) (
21) (
22) (
23) (
24) (
25).
The OP seems to have kept the costs low by removing the engine himself and he seems to have done a fix (welding) that nobody else has reported trying ... so I too implore the OP to keep us informed (if for nothing else, to improve the tribal knowledge on options available to the next guy).
Only here, on this forum, is it new
Interesting observation, Frank. I've been collecting the sad stories (see the long list above) so that others have a starting point if this happens to them ... and most of the sad stories just stop. They drop off a cliff. We never find out 'how' they solved the problem.
- They often start with a question about a persistent overheating
- Then, as the responses flow in, it slowly dawns on them that the engine is toast
- When they compare costs (all high) of their options, they just drop off the face of the earth
So, it's hard to tell 'what' most folks did when they suspected engine damage from overheating.
At least here, we know what approach was taken; now we just need to get a longer-term trip report from the OP (who I hope doesn't drop off the face of the earth himself!).
the majority of members here are more interested in bling than in mechanical substance.
Another interesting observation. I guess what you're saying is, for those members, new M-par wheels, M badges, shadowline tape, M steering wheels, bright angel eyes, LED taillights, loud CAI's, M bumpers, clear turnsignal lenses, etc., is more what they're tuned to (most of which seem, to me, to be trying to 'emulate' the astute marketing of the M series).
I'm somewhere in between, so there is at least a third category of users here:
- bling
- scared (need a better description for this type)
- mechanical substance
See also:
- Bimmerfest member's personality profile (
1)
I, for one, am uninterested in 'bling'; but still, I would be downright petrified of engine-removal tasks the OP seems to have performed with aplomb.