Expert: Josh Fields - 11/8/2006

Question
how to take the head off bmw.is there anything that i should look for and do i have to replace head boults.and can i put head gasket on with out shaving head.have some knowledge wiht car engines

Answer
James,
 I'm not sure what car/engine you are working on, but for the most part you "can" reuse head bolts.  Most rebuild manuals will tell you to buy new ones, but unless you are making a high HP engine the standards should be fine.  I do know that one of the BMW engines had trouble with the tops of the bolts popping off.  Most people pull these out and replace them with higher grade bolts.

 Yes, you can replace the headgasket without shaving the head or block.  Make sure you clean everything VERY good though, try not to gouge and metal when cleaning it, but do get all the old gasket material off the metal surface.

 Good luck,
 Josh