I just changed my oil today at my ususal 3000 mile interval and noticed a frothy brownish reddish color bunch of bubbles sitting on top of the oil that I had just taken out of the car. The BMW 525i had just turned 162,000 miles and has been running just fine. I checked the E34 website re: headgasket problems but the site mentioned a whitish color residue that would be on the oil cap or dipstick. I didn't see any of that. However, I did notice that my coolannt level was down in the radiator and I refilled that with a 50/50 mix of BMW coolant and water. Here are my questions:

1. How can I know for sure whether I have a headgasket problem?

2. If it is not a headgasket, what else could it be?

3. If it is a headgasket how long and how bad is this job? Should I tackle
it myself or take it to a mechanic? What is the approximate cost?

Any and all help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks guys.


Best regards,

Al Gray