[bimmerquick43321]

all I can say that all of the cars I had either came with a leaky valve cover gasket or started to leak 2-3 months after lol, this one no exception, it came with the leak, but as it wasn't that bad, I've waited and waited, and now 2 years later lol, doesn't leak more than before, so crossing my fingers, but yeah I'll have to replace it pretty soon haha, I usually don't let things like that just be, but I freaking hate valve cover gaskets, every freaking car! I had it !


Edit: And btw., it shouldn't be that expensive, meaning gasket + bolts <100$ + 2.5 hours of work, so even at 100$ that's 250$, 350$ with material, I don't change it because it pisses me off, but I don't get it how people are getting quoted 1000$ lol

[Bme30]

Just changed mine. Took about 3hrs taking my time. Totally not a $1000 job. What a joke lol.
Just follow one of the DIY and do it yourself.

[TheSt|G]

Yeah, that price is just insane, plain and simple.

[QUiKSR20]

Have to attempt this on a friends 328xi next week 2007 w/65k miles, Just surprised at these basic issues that go wrong on these cars..
For superior engineering they have a ton of issues that alot of the other basic cars dont have to well over 100k miles.

You would think over the years they would have this crap figured out.

[bmwfixr]

Originally Posted by QUiKSR20

Have to attempt this on a friends 328xi next week 2007 w/65k miles, Just surprised at these basic issues that go wrong on these cars..
For superior engineering they have a ton of issues that alot of the other basic cars dont have to well over 100k miles.

You would think over the years they would have this crap figured out.

So I've been the lucky recipient of a whole bunch of work everyone has put up here. I have a pre April 2006 E90 330i, and wish to thank you all. In comparison, an old Toyota with a 20R engine has 4 nuts holding the VC on with a reusable rubber gasket that takes all of 4 minutes to remove, versus the 4 hours so far surgery required for this particular model.

I'll be posting a specific DIY for this model as I put it back together, since there are a number of variances in this model to accomplish this task as compared to all the DIYs I've read. As an FYI - the VCG was leaking due to 2 broken bolts and 3 loose ones, so the entire front of the VCG was essentially "free". No wonder it started leaking.

Happily the engine itself looks reasonably clean for 100K, and hopefully if I do this again it will be at 200K.

[TheSt|G]

I used to be annoyed by this kind of stuff, but now I appreciate that at least they are consistent with their issues every generation. I know purchasing any BMW from the E90 era back to the 2002 that I'm going to have to do regular cooling system swaps every 80k and oil gaskets here and there.

[bmwfixr]

Originally Posted by TheSt|G

I used to be annoyed by this kind of stuff, but now I appreciate that at least they are consistent with their issues every generation. I know purchasing any BMW from the E90 era back to the 2002 that I'm going to have to do regular cooling system swaps every 80k and oil gaskets here and there.

Don't get me wrong - having to replace the VCG at roughly 100K is perfectly acceptable. Times nicely with the spark plugs and any other work you'd like to look at under the valve cover. Since the rest seems to be fine, I'm only replacing gaskets, spark plugs, and a coil. It would have been easier if I'd had an exact DIY for this particular car. As I mentioned, there's a few gotchas, including disconnecting and moving the O2 wire sensors, the fuel injector wiring, and having to remove the cross brace. Even after all that, the VC won't come off without some force to flex the back wall, which appears to be plastic. I have not confirmed it other than it seemed to flex too easily to be metal and there was no massive squeal as I pulled it off.

On the cooling system, exactly what are you finding you need to swap? Just coolant? That's not a big deal and probably happening here anyways after I get the VCG back together if the oil filter housing is actually leaking. It will probably happen anyways, as I have the coolant in house and I doubt that the dealership did a real flush. They tried doing a brake fluid flush via the turkey baster method, IMNSHO.

[TheSt|G]

Originally Posted by bmwfixr

Don't get me wrong - having to replace the VCG at roughly 100K is perfectly acceptable. Times nicely with the spark plugs and any other work you'd like to look at under the valve cover. Since the rest seems to be fine, I'm only replacing gaskets, spark plugs, and a coil.

On the cooling system, exactly what are you finding you need to swap? Just coolant? That's not a big deal and probably happening here anyways after I get the VCG back together if the oil filter housing is actually leaking.

Coolant swaps are every 2 years or 30,000 miles, whichever comes first.

Cooling systems on BMWs need a complete replacement every 80k(safe interval), including but not limited to the water pump, thermostat, radiator, expansion tank, and all assorted hosing. Good idea to do belts and tensioners while you are in there.

[bimmerquick43321]

Originally Posted by TheSt|G

Coolant swaps are every 2 years or 30,000 miles, whichever comes first.

Cooling systems on BMWs need a complete replacement every 80k(safe interval), including but not limited to the water pump, thermostat, radiator, expansion tank, and all assorted hosing. Good idea to do belts and tensioners while you are in there.

why not, while you're there might as well rebuild the rest of the engine or why not just the whole car lol...

just kidding, just that it was too easy.

on a more serious note, mine is starting to get annoying, so thinking of actually replacing it, I just don't feel like doing it again a year later, anyone know of any good valve cover gasket make? there are all kind of companies that make them, I want to put all chances on my side and get the best quality one (and yes I know install is as or more important than the gasket it's self)

Originally Posted by TheSt|G

Coolant swaps are every 2 years or 30,000 miles, whichever comes first.

Cooling systems on BMWs need a complete replacement every 80k(safe interval), including but not limited to the water pump, thermostat, radiator, expansion tank, and all assorted hosing. Good idea to do belts and tensioners while you are in there.

Not even close to being true, the hoses alone with run you nearly 1K.

Pump and thermostat when they go out, replace the expansion tank when it leaks or when you do the radiator (when it leaks).

Theres a member on here 260k with the original radiator.

I do suggest replacing the belt belt tensioner and idler pulley at the same time 100k.

[bmwfixr]

Originally Posted by index1489

Not even close to being true, the hoses alone with run you nearly 1K.

Pump and thermostat when they go out, replace the expansion tank when it leaks or when you do the radiator (when it leaks).

Theres a member on here 260k with the original radiator.

I do suggest replacing the belt belt tensioner and idler pulley at the same time 100k.

I'd agree with the thermostat/water pump - if either goes, replace them both, but unless you're tracking, I wouldn't replace them just because. (yes, I'm aware this is electric and the normal forewarning is minuscule, no turbo so it shouldn't be bad) I wouldn't expect the radiator to leak, but if it does, it would likely be a full set of hoses at that time. Otherwise, inspect hoses regularly and replace as necessary. 1K for just hoses sounds like highway robbery! Are they lined with gold?

I'm planning on the belt/pulleys next month, after this process is done and tested. I had some running issues which I've tracked down and once everything is back together, I'll verify they're gone. Figured I only wanted to bite off half the elephant in one go.

[bmwfixr]

Originally Posted by mecbain

anyone know of any good valve cover gasket make? there are all kind of companies that make them

Gaskets are something I just buy at the dealer, unless you have a known superior supplier. I normally don't do them often enough to really make a difference.

Originally Posted by bmwfixr

I'd agree with the thermostat/water pump - if either goes, replace them both, but unless you're tracking, I wouldn't replace them just because. (yes, I'm aware this is electric and the normal forewarning is minuscule, no turbo so it shouldn't be bad) I wouldn't expect the radiator to leak, but if it does, it would likely be a full set of hoses at that time. Otherwise, inspect hoses regularly and replace as necessary. 1K for just hoses sounds like highway robbery! Are they lined with gold?

I'm planning on the belt/pulleys next month, after this process is done and tested. I had some running issues which I've tracked down and once everything is back together, I'll verify they're gone. Figured I only wanted to bite off half the elephant in one go.

Have you seen how many hoses there are on these cars? Not just a couple like on a domestic car, go on realoem.com

[bimmerquick43321]

Originally Posted by bmwfixr

Gaskets are something I just buy at the dealer, unless you have a known superior supplier. I normally don't do them often enough to really make a difference.

That's the thing if it's the same that came on the car I rather not lol

[bmwfixr]

Originally Posted by mecbain

That's the thing if it's the same that came on the car I rather not lol

In my case, with Al bolts, it's most likely a failure to properly torque them, or just a backing out over time. The gasket itself did not fail (coated metal gasket).

[bmwfixr]

Originally Posted by index1489

Have you seen how many hoses there are on these cars? Not just a couple like on a domestic car, go on realoem.com

I did, the maximum price comes in around $300 for hoses alone for my particular vehicle, unless I missed something.

[TheSt|G]

Originally Posted by index1489

Not even close to being true, the hoses alone with run you nearly 1K.

Pump and thermostat when they go out, replace the expansion tank when it leaks or when you do the radiator (when it leaks).

Theres a member on here 260k with the original radiator.

I do suggest replacing the belt belt tensioner and idler pulley at the same time 100k.

So to be clear, you want the water pump to fail while in use. On a car with an engine made from aluminum and magnesium.

Originally Posted by TheSt|G

So to be clear, you want the water pump to fail while in use. On a car with an engine made from aluminum and magnesium.

Mine failed @ 127k, I pulled off the freeway and shut the car off before the fan even kicked in, didn't even boil the coolant. The pump failed but I didn't overheat, if your wife is driving the car I could see changing it early.

AAA back to the garage, had it replaced the same day along with the tstat and was good to go.

If your aware of the situation its not a big deal, the problem is people who drive the car 10 miles after the pump has failed.

[TheSt|G]

Originally Posted by index1489

Mine failed @ 127k, I pulled off the freeway and shut the car off before the fan even kicked in, didn't even boil the coolant. The pump failed but I didn't overheat, if your wife is driving the car I could see changing it early.

AAA back to the garage, had it replaced the same day along with the tstat and was good to go.

If your aware of the situation its not a big deal, the problem is people who drive the car 10 miles after the pump has failed.

Shrug, whichever way you want to do it. Ultimately it is your car. I prefer to have mine down for service on my schedule instead of catching me out on the freeway with a situation that can easily damage our highly heat sensitive engines.

[hassmaschine]

what I would like to do is figure out how to get some of the warning codes for the pump to trigger the MIL so you can get an earlier warning (reduced speed, overcurrent, etc).

[TheSt|G]

Originally Posted by hassmaschine

what I would like to do is figure out how to get some of the warning codes for the pump to trigger the MIL so you can get an earlier warning (reduced speed, overcurrent, etc).

Theoretically, the pump is supposed to do that. But because it is the seal protecting the electronics that fails, it never sends that warning. Yup, back to faulty BMW gasket tech.

[hassmaschine]

does the pump communicate over CAN? I'd think the DME should know if the pump isn't running at the right speed or if it's drawing too much current, since the DME is what drives the pump.

anyway, there are error codes in the DME but I don't think they are set to trigger any light. the only way to see them is through INPA or a scanner, but I could be wrong about that.

also there is a warning light threshold (yellow and red) for coolant temp that could be lowered to trigger sooner, but that could be tough since there is such a huge range of operating temps. I suspect BMW has already been through that exercise and the current thresholds are about right.