BMW makes their cylinder heads from aluminum. While this is beneficial for many reason, they do not react well to overheating. Especially prevalent on older BMW engines, and over-temp situation has been known to cause the head to warp. Turner Motorsport carries Genuine BMW replacement heads and parts to make your next rebuild a success.
Upgrade your BMW engine's performance with the Athena Cut Ring Head Gasket. This gasket replaces BMW part # 11121726619 and 11121726617 and is specifically designed for M50 & M52 iron block inline 6-cylinder engines found in E34/E36 chassis. Standard OEM & MLS gaskets can only handle a certain amount of cylinder pressure before they start to leak, making the Athena Cut Ring Head Gasket the recommended choice for applications making 16+ psi. A compression leak passing the head gasket can cause a range of issues, including engine overheating, loss of power, misfires, and in severe cases, catastrophic engine failure. Athena's gasket is crafted with premium quality reinforced M0115, an asbestos-free material that's original equipment approved and renowned for its superior quality. The AISI 304 stainless steel Cooper Rings bite into the aluminum head, providing maximum sealing capabilities around the cylinder bore and optimizing engine performance, even on engines with nitrous and/or turbo applications that exceed 2-bar boost. Before installation, it is crucial to have the mating surfaces of the cylinder head and block professionally cleaned and resurfaced to ensure they are completely flat. Please be aware that the gasket should have a size that is 0.5mm to 1mm larger than the piston. For example, if the piston measures 84mm, then the gasket should be the next size up, either 84.5mm or 85mm. Installation instructions: Make sure that the engine block and cylinder head surfaces are clean, flat, and free from any debris, oil, or coolant. Install the Cut Ring gasket on the engine block and ensure that it is properly aligned. Avoid twisting or bending the gasket during installation. Place the cylinder head on top of the gasket and install the head bolts or studs in their correct positions. Follow the manufacturer's recommended torque specifications and tighten the bolts or studs in the proper sequence to ensure even clamping force across the gasket. After the initial tightening, re-torque the head bolts or studs after the engine has been started and then allowed to cool to room temperature. This will ensure that the gasket is properly seated and compressed. It is recommended to not use any additional sealant on the MLS gasket, as it is already coated with a Viton rubber sealant. Using additional sealant can hinder the performance of the gasket.
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One major hurdle for a track-only car is the limitation of the hydraulic valve lifters in the M50, S50-US, M52, S52-US, M52TU, and M54 engines. These effectively limit your revs to 7200-7300 RPM as the valves 'float' at higher revs, leading to piston-valve contact. By converting to a machined solid lifter, and upgrading other areas of the engine, you can configure the valve train to withstand high RPM running. Not only can you tune for more power, you can help prevent damage during a mild mechanical over-rev.
This kit includes the mechanical spacers to convert hydraulic lifter tappets to solid lifters. The lifter bucket remains in place with the Schrick solid tappet replacing the original. These work on all M50, M52, S50, S52 and M54 engines and were proven in normally aspirated as well as supercharged engines. A custom camshaft is required.
Professional installation and setup is mandatory as these require complete assembly of the head, checking valve lash, then dis-assembly and machining of the Schrick tappet to spec. This kit includes enough spacers for 24 valves. We also carry individual parts, if you are looking for single pieces. This price is for a full set of 24.
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