[john_rdy]

hey guys, i have just purchased my first bmw, and think i have bought a lemon. it drives beautifly, doesnt over heat but the heater inside doesnt work, it only gets very slightly warm on the passengers side and cold on the drivers, it has the twin climate control thing for passenger and driver. bmw 318 on a p reg. and as i went to put oil in it, i noticed a creamy paste on the filler cap! head gasket time! my question is how hard is it to change the head gaskets on a 1.8 8v? or as it doesnt over heat is there anything else that might mix oil with water? some sort of oil cooler or am i just looking for excuses not to do it?
any help on any of these will be very helpful
cheers
john

 

[DSK]

From experience, worn rocler cover gaskets can cause mayonaise like residue on the filler cap.

As for your cooling system, try bleeding it out first and monitoring your heat and coolant level. It costs nothing and usually helps cure many symptoms. BMWs are notorious for developing air locks in their cooling systems.

As for your headgasket, if in doubt, get a 'sniff test', head gasket leak test carried out.

 

[john_rdy]

cheers for that i was just thinking of investing in one of those to solve the is it isnt it problem

 

[spiderrm]

Same thing happened to my 316i. Due to the rocker cover not being tight enough due to some of the threads going, under the cover it developed the mayonaise like residue. Once I sorted them and tightened it down properly it was OK. The head gasket was always OK.
The cooling system is easy enough to bleed. Small bleed screw next to the radiator filling cap.

 

[Ronnie]

Mayo is really common on the oil cap and inside the cam cover from doing too many short journeys, you only need worry if the dipstick gets all creamy and mayo covered

Bleeding
How to bleed the cooling system.
1.Jack the front of the vehicle up onto stands as high as possible,
2.Turn the ignition on,engine off,heater on fan setting 1 and temperature fully hot,
3.Remove the rad cap/expansion cap,remove the bleed screw from the rad and IF you have them the bleed screw(s) from the thermostat housing/top hose, return pipe or EGR thermostat.
4.Fill the radiator up and keep pouring till there are no more air bubbles coming out from the bleeds, when good then install bleeds and tighten down(don't snap them),ensure the rubber O-rings/seals are still on the screws/on the bleed holes.
5.Suck some water out so it's not full to the brim, replace the cap and then start the car. Run her up and check for heat from the vents when warm and check if over heating still persists.
6.If good then check the water level again in the morning when cool.

 

[shanemorel]

Make sure u get ur water pump checked cos if tht does go then that will cause nothing but problems as i know. Could be either the pollen filter blocked or heater matrix clogged, needs tobe flushed through but could be broke. but as all others have said def get head checked ASAP.