Hi I have a 1985 245ti and I'm starting to suspect that the head gasket is going bad. The car seems to have trouble cooling, one of the cylinders is not compressing right, in the place where the head joins the block there seems to be oil on it, it is loosing coolant but not leaking it, loosing oil but not leaking it, and in the intake piping there is oil mixed with gas in pools. I have tried many thing to fix these problems and nothing seems to work. Only one thin helps, replacing the spark plug on the cylinder that doesn't compress right every month. It keeps it under control but I need to fix the problem. My first question is are these symptoms of a bad gasket. Also I want to know how hard is it to replace it.

I looked in the bentley manual and it looks like you don't have to take off the camshaft. I would say that I'm in between a novice and a intermediate DIY. I have replaced my warm up regulator, overdrive solenoid, vaccum hoses, changed my oil, changed spark plugs and wires, and replaced brake pads. I look at the procedures and feel kind of sure I can do it. What do you guys think?

I want to know are there any tricks, things to watch out for , or special tools that I would need for the job. Thanks a lot. I know there must be a reason repair shops charge a lot. The part only costs $60.

Charles 1985 245ti 134K