Need some advice, please!
 

My daughter is down in San Angelo, Tx with a '99 318ti. It's developed major issues and is in the shop with the usual head gasket problems. IF the block turns out to be cracked also, what would be the best replacement to go with as far as used drivetrains go?

Thanks.

My experience on my 1998 ti about a year and a half ago was: I was going down the freeway at 70 mph or so and pow! Silence.... Car coasted to a stop. Water everywhere on ground. AAA card out. Tow truck took my car to my house. I removed head, replaced head gasket ($85 cost), had head checked for straightness, had valve job done ($200), and put all back together. Runs great now.

The good news is that the block/head are probably not cracked. More likely the head gasket is blown. Same thing happened to me here in Wichita Falls, Texas. If that is the case I would definitely recommend replacing the head gasket rather than an engine swap. Try to find an independent mechanic to do the work. Any BMW dealership will ask about 4K for the job. That was my experience anyway. These motors are very dependable as long as you don't allow them to overheat. Good luck.

Thanks. She's got the care at an indy shop in San Angelo. The part that sucks the most is, she left SoCal and drove to Florida for school with cooling issues all the way (after getting a green light for a long road trip by an indy in Dago). Left Florida to go to school in San Angelo for a few months (yes, she's military) and dropped the ti off at BMW in San Antonio and they kept it for a week and told her they could find any problems with the car. Well, she turned it in to a mechanic in San Angelo and had the thermostat and water pump replaced but the guy started to nickel and dime her. Now she's got it at the other place and they're actually knowledgable. Head gasket is shot and so far, it's a $1500 job. Not bad I guess. So far, no news that the block has issues. I'm keeping my fingers crossed.

Thank your daughter for me for her service to her country. Sounds like she is TDY to Goodfellow AFB. I'm glad that she found a good mechanic in San Angelo. She really needs to make sure that the cooling system is in good shape as insurance against another overheating episode. Ti engines are very reliable as long as you don't overheat them. As long as the head is off anyway, have the mechanic replace the two plastic coolant pipes on the block, one on the back on the block next to the firewall and the other underneath the intake manifold. These often fail above 100,000 miles, and have resulted in many a blown head gasket. One other tip: tell you daughter to stop and get the car's cooling system checked out anytime the hand of the heat guage goes past the twelve o'clock position. Good luck. John Adkins, Lt Col, USAF, Ret