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Old 03-22-2015, 10:45 AM
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$1400 for new head gasket - Seeking advice?

Here's the background... 2005 3.0L E53 98K miles (stop & go, plus we live in hilly area)

Few days ago the X5 starting running rough and threw a P301 code. We pulled plug #1 and it was pretty much soaked in oil. Cleaned up as much oil as possible and inserted a fresh plug and that cleared the problem temporarily. No code and the engine runs fine.

Yesterday we pulled all 6 plugs. #1 came out clean. Of the remaining 5, 3 came out soaked in oil and 2 came out with slight caked on dry oil residue. We replaced with a set of 6 fresh plugs. The plan is to pull the plugs in a few days and inspect for oil.

He says the head gasket is leaking. He replaced the valve cover gasket approx 2-3 years ago. He says if the VCG was leaking we would see more oil in the spark plug tube before we pull the plugs and we'd see oil higher up on the spark plugs.

Does his diagnosis sound correct? If so, is $1400 a fair price?

TIA for your advice.
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Old 03-22-2015, 10:54 AM
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There are tests to determine if the head gasket is leaking. You can check for combustion gases in the radiator, the kit to perform this test can be brought at some auto parts. There are several Youtube video on how to perform this test.

You can also pressurize the cooling system and see if it holds pressure or leaks out quickly.

Oil on the plugs would indicate that the intake manifold is sucking oil from the crankcase probably due to a blocked ccv valve. Since you do a lot of short distance driving and stop and go driving that is probably the reason why you have the "Mayo" problem.
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Old 03-22-2015, 11:16 AM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by upallnight View Post
There are tests to determine if the head gasket is leaking. You can check for combustion gases in the radiator, the kit to perform this test can be brought at some auto parts. There are several Youtube video on how to perform this test.

You can also pressurize the cooling system and see if it holds pressure or leaks out quickly.

Oil on the plugs would indicate that the intake manifold is sucking oil from the crankcase probably due to a blocked ccv valve. Since you do a lot of short distance driving and stop and go driving that is probably the reason why you have the "Mayo" problem.
Thanks! will definitely check out your suggestions. We never had the mayo problem since it doesn't get cold enough here in LA.
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Old 03-22-2015, 11:55 AM
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You need to perform a compression test, and given the results run a leak down test.
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Old 03-22-2015, 12:10 PM
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That doesn't sound like a hg to me. Any smoke while driving? Usually coolant will be burnt if a bad head gasket. I may be wrong but I don't think the oil is pressurized running down those channels while the coolant would be. I think the gasket would be totally gone and head warped for oil to be seeping in.

From the vc gasket the oil wouldn't necessarily cover the whole plug. Just depends on how much it's leaking. I would run for a bit and pull them out again. If the plug is wet soaked on the electrode that cylinder wouldn't fire. I bet it's picking up the oil when you remove the plug. Ccv as others have said is Likely too.
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Old 03-22-2015, 03:17 PM
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I don't think we ever changed the CCV, and based on what I read, that might be the likely culprit.

Generally no smoke or smell. We did have smoke after replacing the plugs, but it burnt off quickly and we concluded that was the oil that dripped into the cylinders when we replaced the plugs.

Replacing the CCV doesn't look like a DIY job for me. I have read some DIY, and looked at some videos on youtube. Unless it's much easier to do on a 3.0 E53 than the other models I found, I will either take it to an indy or have my mobile mechanic do it. What have others paid for CCV replacement on E53 3.0?
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Old 03-22-2015, 03:32 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by E53inLA View Post
I don't think we ever changed the CCV, and based on what I read, that might be the likely culprit.

Generally no smoke or smell. We did have smoke after replacing the plugs, but it burnt off quickly and we concluded that was the oil that dripped into the cylinders when we replaced the plugs.

Replacing the CCV doesn't look like a DIY job for me. I have read some DIY, and looked at some videos on youtube. Unless it's much easier to do on a 3.0 E53 than the other models I found, I will either take it to an indy or have my mobile mechanic do it. What have others paid for CCV replacement on E53 3.0?
Fwiw, I wouldn't have the person who claimed it to be the HG replace the CCV system.
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Old 03-22-2015, 03:40 PM
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So if there was smoke on startup that was from the oil dripping down which aslo means the vc is leaking. I would start there. Your ccv might be just fine especially considering your climate. It's not a bad job though. I have done it in around 2.5 hrs.
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Old 03-22-2015, 05:04 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Brads2002 View Post
That doesn't sound like a hg to me. Any smoke while driving? Usually coolant will be burnt if a bad head gasket. I may be wrong but I don't think the oil is pressurized running down those channels while the coolant would be. I think the gasket would be totally gone and head warped for oil to be seeping in.

From the vc gasket the oil wouldn't necessarily cover the whole plug. Just depends on how much it's leaking. I would run for a bit and pull them out again. If the plug is wet soaked on the electrode that cylinder wouldn't fire. I bet it's picking up the oil when you remove the plug. Ccv as others have said is Likely too.
Coolant system pressure is between 10-15 PSI. Any thing above that and the radiator cap will normally bleed of the excess pressure.

Oil pressure is anywhere between 5 to 40 PSI depending on the engine speed. Anything above that will be bleed off by the relief valve in the pump.

Peak cylinder pressures near TDC (where spark occurs) will be in the range of 300 psi for engine's at light loads, to 1000 psi for production engines at full power to 1500 psi or greater for race engines. This is where the engine's power comes from, as it forces the piston down. As the piston goes down, the cylinder volume increases which reduces the cylinder pressure. When the piston gets to the bottom on the cylinder (BDC) there may only be 100 to 500 psi in the cylinder. With that type of pressure a leak in the head gasket will allow combustion gas to enter the water jacket that surround the cylinder as air bubbles. That is why you can determine if you have a head gasket leak by the presence of combustion gas in the radiator.
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Lotus Europa 1970 S2 Renault Powered
Lotus Type 52 1970 Twincam Webers Powered
PORSCHE 911 Targa 1982 The Garage Queen
Audi Avant donated to Kars for Kids
BMW 525IT Sold
Audi 4000CS Quattro Sold
Jensen Healey Lotus Powered Sold
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Triumph Spitfire 1971 Sold
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Old 03-22-2015, 05:13 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Brads2002 View Post
So if there was smoke on startup that was from the oil dripping down which aslo means the vc is leaking. I would start there. Your ccv might be just fine especially considering your climate. It's not a bad job though. I have done it in around 2.5 hrs.
I tried to get some good photos. I hope they are helpful.
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