Re: 635 Head removal in car (archive)

: After 140K, my beloved '87 635csi is starting to consume oil.
: I have fixed the common external leaks, oil pressure sensor etc.,but I think it's time to remove the head for service.
: Question is....How difficult is the head to remove and replace with the engine in the car. I know a lot of you guys have done this procedure, so where do I start.The front of the engine where the cam drive is looks awful crowded. Should I pull the radiator??????
: Thanks for all the past help,
: Tom in PA

I agree with most of what Bob had to say. I have an '85 and I replaced the head gasket at 240K. Mine was consumming a bit of oil too and it turned out to be the valve stem seals in the head. After I took the head off, I examined the cylinders for wear and found that even at 240K miles, the original machining marks were still in the cylinder bores... Amazing!

BTW, there is no problem with the rear 2 head bolts as Bob discussed and you should remove the head with the intake manifold attached. I took the manifold off of mine and it was a real pain!

There is no NEED to remove the radiator to get the head off but it makes the job a bit easier. The main problem is getting the distributor out from the front of the head. There is very little clearance to work in with the radiator in. It can be done (I did it that way) but it's not much work to take the radiator out and it will make the distributor and front cam chain cover easier to work on.

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