need help deciding what to do with my 318 and its (now) cracked cylinder head

[2.5-12]

my 91' 318i is a great little car, or at least it was till' I lent it to my brother for use in the winter (bad ass snow tires, LSD) and he ran it into a snow bank, while it was in there, he let it idle, not knowing that the fan clutch on the car was not at all up to the task of cooling that M42 at idle for long periods of time. the rad blew, so I hoped that it blew up the radiator before it did damage to the head.

I got it home, replaced the mangled tie rods, replaced a torn brake line(?!) and got a new used radiator from a 96 Ti. started her up, bled the system -- ran up to temp, started like a champ -- nothing unusual. exhaust had no coolant burning, coolant had no oil, but on the top of the dipstick and under the oil cap after running for 30 minutes. there is milk. FUCK.

so, the head on this M42 is cooked. I need help deciding exactly what to do with the car now, and thats where I want your input.

do i:
a.) try and track down a rather illusive M42 cylinder head (probably not super expensive if I can find one)
b) track down a full M42 (or M44, even?) to swap in (again, not out of the price leauge, but VERY hard to come by.)
c.) swap in a M50B25NV (by far the most rewarding, more reliable but piecing together one of these swaps on the cheap isnt easy.)
d.) swap in a M20B25/B27?
e.) part out the car and scrap it come spring.
f.) other (please note in reply).

the car, really impressed me so I want to save it -- the 5MT is butter smooth, LSD, no real problems, just put all new suspension and brakes on it, etc. etc.

thanks for your input, guys and if you happen to know of a M42 local, do let me know

[Zach]

I saw a few M42s on eBay, but none are local. There are a few heads online too; this one could be a good option since it's cheap and the guy accepts returns for 7 days.

Good luck!

[Average Jetta]

I woudlnt jump to conclusions.. It doesnt necessarily mean your head is cracked unless you physically found where it is cracked..

Could just be the head gasket, thats the leading cause of the milky dipstick.

But as for it being on the cap, that is usually cause by not letting the car get to full temp before shutting it off.

[2.5-12]

I saw a few M42s on eBay, but none are local. There are a few heads online too; this one could be a good option since it's cheap and the guy accepts returns for 7 days.

Good luck!

good find

[2.5-12]

I woudlnt jump to conclusions.. It doesnt necessarily mean your head is cracked unless you physically found where it is cracked..

Could just be the head gasket, thats the leading cause of the milky dipstick.

But as for it being on the cap, that is usually cause by not letting the car get to full temp before shutting it off.

normally I'd agree, but the M42 is a particular case, they like to crack.

I ran it for 30 minutes, so it should have been up to temp.. I think?

either way, I'd pull the old head before ordering another to check, but a full engine would be easier to do.

[Average Jetta]

If that's the case then yeah, it wouldnt be a bad idea to at least check it first.

I had a similar issue with my 850, had some white stuff on the dipstick but after I changed the oil it has been fine. Takes about 20 minutes to warm up too, really doesnt seem that bad considering its been -10 degrees each morning for the past week here in St. Cloud

Could it be a thermostat issue?

idk, just throwin out ideas before you decided to pull the motor

[2.5-12]

I replaced the tstat 3 months ago or so, the car starts right up and gets to operating temp -- and stays there just as well as before it was overheated. perhaps I should run it for an hour and see if that gets rid of the milky stuff on the cap. if it does, then it may just be the winter doing this, but if it accumulates a lot more cappucino, then its föked.

[Average Jetta]

If it reaches temp just fine I would take it for a spin. The winter definitely has something do with it, I work at the Valvoline in St. Cloud and most cars that come in have the milky stuff on the cap, and the ones that come in that arent even warm yet seem to have some on the stick as well.

[2.5-12]

interesting. I shall let her run for bit and see whats what.

[alpineE30]

I vote C unless you are able to repair or replace the cutter M42. Now I can't offer much, but if you ever need another set of eyes or hands, let me know. I'd love to help get this thing going.

[2.5-12]

thanks for the offer of help, I'm sure I'll need assistance, no matter the path I chose to go with it!

theres a NV E36 motor on CL for 225, I can get an E34 pan/pickup/pump. I have never wired a M50 harness for an E30 (even though I have a M50E30)

also, I dont know if the G240 needs a different support with a M50 bolted to it or not... etc.

its just looking like a head is $300, a HG kit is $125, bolts are $35ish... the inline six, if I can get one out of an E34 anyway is the same price...

[ejohnson]

Let me know if you plan to part it... I want to build a trailer from a a late model 318i (lighter than 325)

[2.5-12]

will do Erik (one rear wheel bearing makes a shit load of noise, fyi)

[hamradio]

F) sell me the shell if it's cleanish.

[2.5-12]

the shell is solid. offers on it? if I can get $300 for the shell, I'll strip out the drive line this spring. also, snow tires, gauge cluster, arm rest and brand new VDO fuel pump, I'm keeping with the drive line.