Opinion on M50 head lifetime

[ktteoh]

i have a manual transmission e34 520i 24v on a m50 non-vanos engine.the car is now touching 221,000 km ~ 131,000 miles.questions then:1. for this particular m50 non-vanos head, what are the frequent problems/fixes ?2. what coolant besides bmw blue coolant would be best (phosphate free etc) - would regular shell/esso coolant do ? what about distilled water?3. any other issues with related this particular engine head ?

 

[E34EuroTouring]

Originally posted by ktteoh@Oct 6 2005, 09:49 PM

the car is now touching 221,000 km ~ 131,000 miles.

questions then:
1. for this particular m50 non-vanos head, what are the frequent problems/fixes ?
2. what coolant besides bmw blue coolant would be best (phosphate free etc) - would regular shell/esso coolant do ? what about distilled water?
3. any other issues with related this particular engine head ?

The M50 head is pretty strong and could easily last to 350K km if taken care off easily. First thing to make sure is that it was not cracked before due to severe overheating!.
If you do frequent oil change and feed it decent petrol, it will last a very long time, and age probably kills the "wearable" components rather than the head, valves, valve spring, cams etc.

Coolant should be BMW original coolant (Green in colour, not blue!). 50% coolant, 50% distilled water. A good mix should last 2 years or a little more. Check level monthly, top up with either distilled water or coolant , I alternate. Each month, one small cup of each.

Ensure your engine oil is the right grade and change oil PLUS Oil filter at 15,000 km or 20K km max. Less would be better but will cost you more. Make sure the engine oil level is enough. Not too full!. 3/4 of the top mark is a good indication. If you follow these simple rule, it will last a long time. I owned my 89 car for 4 years now without much problem and it drives like new.
Good luck.

 

[ktteoh]

besides regular bmw coolant, would regular coolant sold by major
oil companies (esso, shell) qualify (ie are they phosphate free) ?

anyway how would you know if the coolant is phosphate-free - color ?

 

[E34EuroTouring]

Don't know about coolants in Shell Esso. If you get a german made coolant, it should list cars that are compatible. Normal the ones for Mercedes, Porsche, VW will fit BMW as well.
Don't use coolant that are made for Japanese cars!. Those are NOT compatible as they have incompatible additives which will harm your engine. The the original coolant from any BMW dealer or parts distributor. I dont think they are so expensive and it will last a good 2 years or 3 provided you dont blow any hoses, have coolant leaks or blow head gasket!.

My motto: You have a BMW, the least you can do is to feel it original fluids and they do last, so its worth it.

 

[ktteoh]

what is the reason for a phosphate-free coolant ? and how do one identify a phosphate-free coolant if it is not stated on the label ? by color (blue?) ?