[TommyK]

just got mine fixed 2 weekends ago and paid $480 with CA tax. indy shop.

you do slightly smell burnt oil if you raise the hood when the engine is hot. i didnt fix mine for 2 months and 2000 miles because the oil level didnt drop enough to send me into the shop.

as long as you watch your oil level your fine but you will have a bigger mess to clean up latter.

[bigdaddyf]

I noticed a leak in the gasket so I went to the dealer---parts and labor was around 600.00. Dealer also told me that broken bolts and valve cover gaskets are known issues My 325i had 4 broken bolts and its not easy to get those out normally. The total bill at the INDY was 768. but it included a new Micro filter, brake fluid flush and tank hose ....This would have cost me 1200 at the dealer. If you have broken VC bolts this is not a DIY

[guerilla twang]

Got mine done along with all bolts replaced and a new oil level sensor...CPO covered it though so I don't know how much the total was.

Edit: End of may, 54k on the odometer.

[Goodfella443]

Originally Posted by sl0westz

the n52 motor valve cover gasket is not a big job but its not an easy job, remove microfilter housing, remove engine cover, remove bolts, remove ignition coil, remove harness on oneside, but the key is to remove the valvetronic motor, even with the valvtronic removed, its not easy to get the valvecover off (you got to play around with it) because the valvetronic motor houshing takes alot space in the valvecover, once you have it of, makesure put some silicone on your new gasket so they stick to the valvecover, that way gasket wont fall off when u put everything back in, if you want the bmw repair instructions, sent me your email. i can sent it to you. good luck

I would like the repair instruction please email goodfella443@hotmail.com thank you please

[Dracon]

How did you guys unhook the crankcase breather hose? I'm having the damnest time getting that damn thing off the valve cover.

[Dracon]

Nevermind, I finally figured it out.... But is there an easy way to disconnect the wiring to the fuel injectors without removing the fuel injectors?

[Dracon]

After much cussing and gnashing of teeth, I finally managed to get the valve cover gasket replaced.

It's definitely one of those things I really don't want to do again if I don't have to. Getting the valve cover out alone made me want to start drinking, but at least it was 10x easier to get back in than it was to take off.

I would like to thank Matt at BMW of Nashville for some helpful tips on the injectors and doing the valve cover job in general.

[cinsere]

So, i have this issue too. Brought car into the Ottawa BMW dealership today for regular oil change and they said they did a 20 point check on the car and i have slight crack in the gasket and a small leak that should be looked at soon. Told it wasn't too serious yet but needs looked at and fixed in near future. They gave me a quote of:
Gasket. 26.48
Labor. 414.20 (3.8hours)
+tax = 507.01 total (canadian$).

Car is an 06 325xi with 77,000 km.

I thought the quote was high till i saw this thread!
Will call my independent bmw mechanic tomorrow and see what they quote for it... Wish i had the guts to try it myself!

[The_DDub]

I was informed that my valve cover is also leaking. Coming from a straight 6 Jeep, this is a common issue with straight 6 engines.

My solution is to add oil when it gets low and tighten the bolts if necessary. I wish BMW gave iron bolts for this application as I'm nervous about retightening aluminum bolts that have a history of snapping.

[Dracon]

Originally Posted by The_DDub

I was informed that my valve cover is also leaking. Coming from a straight 6 Jeep, this is a common issue with straight 6 engines.

My solution is to add oil when it gets low and tighten the bolts if necessary. I wish BMW gave iron bolts for this application as I'm nervous about retightening aluminum bolts that have a history of snapping.

Your sig says you have a 328i, you shouldn't have Aluminum bolts, you're should be steel.

Only the 2006 models with the original N52 motor have aluminum bolts as we have a magnesium valve cover. Yours should be plastic.

[e90pilot]

Originally Posted by The_DDub

I was informed that my valve cover is also leaking. Coming from a straight 6 Jeep, this is a common issue with straight 6 engines.

My solution is to add oil when it gets low and tighten the bolts if necessary. I wish BMW gave iron bolts for this application as I'm nervous about retightening aluminum bolts that have a history of snapping.

Noooooo!!!! Don't do that! They snap because they were over tightened from the factory. If it's not gushing let it seep. It's not gonna blow up or anything. It's not quite like the Jeep 4.0L where you just keep adding oil and you eventually change it all of it every so often lol... Or not. It keeps going (the jeep that is).

Edit: ok, so you have steel bolts not aluminum ones. Even then, don't over torque them. The valve cover is plastic on your car.

[jnjn1980]

Originally Posted by sl0westz

the n52 motor valve cover gasket is not a big job but its not an easy job, remove microfilter housing, remove engine cover, remove bolts, remove ignition coil, remove harness on oneside, but the key is to remove the valvetronic motor, even with the valvtronic removed, its not easy to get the valvecover off (you got to play around with it) because the valvetronic motor houshing takes alot space in the valvecover, once you have it of, makesure put some silicone on your new gasket so they stick to the valvecover, that way gasket wont fall off when u put everything back in, if you want the bmw repair instructions, sent me your email. i can sent it to you. good luck

hey sl0westz id love instructions for this job. You can email them to me at jnjn1980@yahoo.com

it would be much appreciated.

[Me_Hi]

I wonder during what timeframe during production these bolts were not torqued properly.... I have a Dec 2005 production date and with 121 000 KM I don't have any of the common issues with the 2006 e90's.
No water pump replacement, engine head ticking or replacement, oil leaks, etc. I just had a coil replaced 1k ago but I do make the old school maintenance on the car though and I think that might have helped. I drive the car like a sport sedan should be driven but really don't abuse it very hard...

[jnjn1980]

Originally Posted by jhondas2

Just did mine today. Royal pain in the ass. Seriously. Dont have a DIY but here is the jist of what i did.

Tools:
3/8 rachet
reverse torx socket set. Need about 3 different sizes so buy a set.
torx socket set need 2 sizes
screwdriver
10mm socket
6 and 3 inch extentions
swivel attachment
valve cover gasket
new valve cover bolts
Beer

*plan for around 4 hours
*Remove bmw engine cover
*Remove all plastic by the microfilter including the base
*remove the passager side strut bar
*locate the 6 coils packs
*pull up on the black tabs on the coils to release the wires
*pull the coil packs out
*unbolt the black wire holder, then remove it completly from the wires and move the wires to the side.
*remember where the grounding strap goes, there is only 1
*you do not need to remove the spark plugs
*unbolt and remove the round valvetronic thing(lol) in the middle of the valve cover 2 bolts on top 1 bolt below
*unsnap the crackcase vent hose on the back side of the cover
*unbolt then unsnap all the fuel injector wiring and move to the side
*remove all the valve cover bolts..rear ones are a royal pain in the ass
*drink some beers and be proud you are almost there
*wiggle the valve cover out--another royal pain in the ass
*Drink more beers to cure frustration
*remove old gasket
*clean off the valve cover and the head where the valve cover sits
*put the 2 piece valve cover on
*put all the junk back together using 89 in tq
*job well done

Did you have any trouble putting the Valvetronic back on? Is there a chance to mess up the car by taking it off?

[BlackSheep343]

I love my SA at Freehold BMW... He saved me $400 on having the gasket replaced, also the oil return line was shot so i had that replaced too...

I did not buy my e90 from a BMW dealer, but do have a GE warranty, and they reimbursed everything!!!

Though, with that being said... Mr. LazyToolMan in the garage though it was funny to never really tighten the Strut Braces up completely, so every little bump on the road emitted nasty knocking under the bonnet..

[prototyp]

Sigh:


Contacting my SA, maybe BMW will do something, but likely going to do the one-bolt fix till more of them pop.

63,500 ish miles. April 2005 build.

[lux.sh]

another one bites the dust.......

sh*t i'm praying that my car holds up until I sell it later this year..

[exclusivo]

be careful when tightening the bolts, they are very small and light and dont require much torque. My dealer changed by gasket during my last service under warranty, a few months later when my water pump went, the indy shop informed me I also had an oil leak from the valve cover, I told them to fix that too. They called me to ask who was the last person to work on the car, I said the dealer, why? They said, the gasket was not the problem, the dealer over torqued the bolts and left them broken in the holes, causing oil to leak through. Shop had to spend hours drilling the bolts out.

[motosport3]

I got the same issue reported back at 56,181 miles. I'm now about to hit 61k miles.

2006 330i. The amount of oil seeping looks about the same and I haven't needed to add any oil.

What do you guys think?

One San Francisco shop has quoted me $725 for the repair. Anyone know of a shop w/ a better price? Thanks.

[striderg3]

Originally Posted by motosport3

I got the same issue reported back at 56,181 miles. I'm now about to hit 61k miles.

2006 330i. The amount of oil seeping looks about the same and I haven't needed to add any oil.

What do you guys think?

One San Francisco shop has quoted me $725 for the repair. Anyone know of a shop w/ a better price? Thanks.

hey, ive got the same crap going on with my car. recently purchased it and it had that deposit of oil along side the engine visible but i thought it was probably oil that had spilled over from a refill perhaps. but i guess not. my car is drinking gasoline like its nothing. even on short drives. this is the only symptom i have. the other problem was a rough start but that was fixed today after i installed a fresh battery. almost felt like a misfire but it was the car struggling to start off the battery. still have to get that registered ?? its rated: 910CCA/760CA

anyways. your pictures are not as bad as my 06 325i is with 142,000kms - i went to get my safety certificate today and was told that that valve cover gasket needs changing as the mechanic knew this was common with bmw straight 6s. anyways - i got quoted 220$ for the job and am thinking ill get a set of spark plugs installed while mechanic is under the hood. another $100. so hopefully once i get this stuff changed "Profile-gasket, set of aluminum?? screws, gasket." i should be back to getting normal gas mileage? right now comp shows 11L/100kms - its drinking gas worse than my w211 e500 was.. its quite crap

please advise. ive got the front screws that are visible full of oil. its even dripping oil from time to time in the garage. very slowly though and only after a hard drive i guess. yeah and i guess i cant drive it hard until she's fixed anymore. until this morning i was giving her a beating down the straights. sigh. damn these german cars and their weird issues

[xxxjecxxx]

I did it myself last year. . No DIY but make sure to get new screws because they can only be used once. Some tips:

Do not use any sealant it's not needed. If your leak is due to broken aluminum screws you can turn them out with the tip of a flat screw driver. Should take about 4 hours. Make sure to do an oil change the next day so if you are leaking oil, you won't leak the new one. Total parts for me was about $150. No special tool required. You will have to remove a hose on the valve cover that you will most likely break and BMW dealership won't have in stock since their techs break it all the time so I suggest you order that and return it if you don't need it. If you do break it, you will need to remove the intake manifold to take off the other end so be careful not to break it. There is absolutely no order to anything i just wrote but i hope it helps. Here are some pics:



broken bolt causing leak






Look directly under the end of the wiper, that's the hose you have to be careful with and will most likely break (it's already broke there). Aslo in that last picture you can see that I pushed the coil wires all the way down to have some working space.

Oh yea. You don't have to remove the injectors but it's a lot easier if you do. Also you will need some swivel because the screws closer to the firewall are a pain to get to. (Only two of them the rest are easy)



Don't be afraid to try it it's a lot easier than it looks and I'm no mechanic. Start Early and don't forget to have the extra hose in case it break. If you run the car without it, oil will fly everywhere. Hope this helps.

[queensfield]

Very helpful pictures. Wow you got down to it. I can see the chain and camshaft rotaries. Two questions- (i) confused on the hose you are talking about (the one that breaks easily)- where exactly it is? (ii) any tips on removing and then reattaching the valvetronic motor? Thank you.