Two weekends ago I had all the parts in hand to begin replacing the valve cover gasket on the Sparkling Graphite car. I've had numerous challenges and am half way through the job at this point between "working on the car" (more like uncovering poor work by someone else), making matters worse myself, and waiting for new parts and tools to arrive. The combination of 15 year old brittle parts and someone previously playing world's strongest man with repairs has made this quite the adventure.
Ruined parts:
- Coil pack release pull
- Rounded VC torx bolt
- Crankcase breather hose
- Valvetronic gasket
- Valve cover gasket
My new under hood work light was nice, though!
Let's start with all the broken stuff:
Coilpack still works fine, no misfires, CEL, etc.. but someone physically manhandled the pull tab and snapped it off. Of course it was on the cylinder closest to the firewall which made it fun to remove.
Now to the bain of my existence for the last couple weeks, the bolt at the rear passenger side of the valve cover. Access is super tight. The torx bolt was rounded off and I made it even worse using a Harbor Freight T10. I really thought I was stuck at this point. I tried using a more snugly fitting BluePoint socket borrowed from a friend, an 8mm, various wrenches, locking pliers, and an easy out bit. All attempts were without success over the course of a week. I finally figured force was the answer and I attached an 8mm to a long wobbly extension and hammed the thing down onto the bolt. I was able to crank the bolt loose!
At this point I was able to wiggle valve cover free, 2 weeks after I started the job.
I used the hose clamp trick on the rear heater hose, however it was so brittle that it snapped AFTER I had it off of the valve cover. Sigh.
I'm really happy with how clean it is for 125k. It definitely looks like it's had frequent oil changes and quality gas through its entire life. Finally some good news
Next up, cleaning the valve cover and removing the old gaskets. The cover itself was replaced in 2015 and was in good condition with no cracks. The leak was coming from the middle 2 cylinder gasket and the valvetronic gasket.
New parts pile
New seals
Old junk
I just put in another parts order for the replacement breather tube, the correct replacement bolt on the VC (ordered the wrong one last week), and I decided to go ahead and replace the spark plugs while I'm in there. The plugs are only 30k old but 2 of them had fairly gunky tops from the leak, so why not replace. I also have a spare brand new Bosch N52 coil pack on hand that will go in.
I'm hoping I can remove the alternator and sneak the breather tube out and back in vs. removing the manifold. I'll buy a 3IM if I have to go down that rabbit hole.
All I can say halfway through this job is that I miss my S52!!! Clearances are super tight on this chassis and there is so much in the way. Wobble extensions and proper tools are your friend. I'm going to start investing in SnapOn or BluePoint sockets after this debacle. FCP Euro had a great DIY video that walks you through step by step and advises of all the perils. I would highly recommend watching for anyone looking to tackle the job. Luckily, we don't need the car to be up and running with the pandemic and WFH so I'm able to chip away at this project. It's been a pain but is still the preferred route over paying someone $500-750 in LABOR to do it. I'd much rather spend a few hundred bucks on some new tools and be ready for the job on the black car.
For the record I have pulled an engine in this very garage so I'm not a complete novice. E9X are just a bit of a pain in the butt to work on. In any case, it's still rewarding for me to work on cars.
