[najin23]

Originally Posted by ATLIEN

My valve cover gasket is bad and leaking onto the exhaust to the point that I am concerned about a fire hazard. I've got about 95k miles on my car and have been working from home for the past 6 months so I have not really driven it much in that time and it seems like the smoking problem has gotten worse with it being idle so often.

I am planning on doing the DIY as the cheapest I can get the gasket replaced is $1k. Not terrible I assume but for a topside repair I think I can give it a go. I am going to go ahead and replace the entire valve cover because with my bad luck it's cracked or i'll end up breaking something. My question for those that have replaced the valve cover- did you find any improvements with the car when you replaced the valve cover? Better idling, smoother acceleration, etc? Lastly, can anyone recommend a decent torque wrench for the job. I've got a cheap one but for this job I am not taking any chances.

Are you sure your cover was leaking? I guess it depends on your drive style or that of previous owner, but at 95k, I don't think it would be that terrible to notice any leak. I may be wrong.
Long story short, it wouldn't improve anything except the seal. I did replace injectors/plugs/coils while I did my cover, and that helped with idle and misfire issues. With that said, I don't think cover itself will improve anything significant. Plus, removing injectors made the cover job much easier especially the rear side of the engine. Any torque wrench should be ok, make sure you reference the Bentley manual for the job, and getting a whole new cover will make the job much easier also.
I am not a mechanic but a small home DIYer. Do it at your own RISK! One major procedure can always open can of worms small or big on this high mileage engine. Just troubleshoot one at a time. If this is your daily ride, I would recommend getting some sort of a reliable ride if you have to go to work most of the week. Mine is at 150k now, and just did a turbo swap with bunch of intake upgrade. During the process, I had run into many small to moderate issues mostly with failing coolant hoses and seals that caused various leakages. Just replaced pump/thermostat and those hoses(u shape one, one from front engine block to thermostat(with aluminum adapter upgrade sold by ebay), upper radiator hose that goes to OFH because the plastic nipple snapped, upper vent hose from reservoir to the upper radiator hose) and seals.

It's just another internal combustion engine that needs multiple part replacements because no material can last lifetime with that much amount of heat in an already poorly designed cooling system per amount of heat it generates. If you are upgrading performance with turbos/chip tunes/etc, def think about upgrading oil coolers/some sort of a high performance coolant(mix)/bigger intercooler/etc. I can't think of anything else. Extra radiator like PPK from BMW would be nice, but I am not sure how to install on early N54 platforms and program it.
Good luck.

[ATLIEN]

Originally Posted by najin23

Are you sure your cover was leaking? I guess it depends on your drive style or that of previous owner, but at 95k, I don't think it would be that terrible to notice any leak. I may be wrong.
Long story short, it wouldn't improve anything except the seal. I did replace injectors/plugs/coils while I did my cover, and that helped with idle and misfire issues. With that said, I don't think cover itself will improve anything significant. Plus, removing injectors made the cover job much easier especially the rear side of the engine. Any torque wrench should be ok, make sure you reference the Bentley manual for the job, and getting a whole new cover will make the job much easier also.
I am not a mechanic but a small home DIYer. Do it at your own RISK! One major procedure can always open can of worms small or big on this high mileage engine. Just troubleshoot one at a time. If this is your daily ride, I would recommend getting some sort of a reliable ride if you have to go to work most of the week. Mine is at 150k now, and just did a turbo swap with bunch of intake upgrade. During the process, I had run into many small to moderate issues mostly with failing coolant hoses and seals that caused various leakages. Just replaced pump/thermostat and those hoses(u shape one, one from front engine block to thermostat(with aluminum adapter upgrade sold by ebay), upper radiator hose that goes to OFH because the plastic nipple snapped, upper vent hose from reservoir to the upper radiator hose) and seals.

It's just another internal combustion engine that needs multiple part replacements because no material can last lifetime with that much amount of heat in an already poorly designed cooling system per amount of heat it generates. If you are upgrading performance with turbos/chip tunes/etc, def think about upgrading oil coolers/some sort of a high performance coolant(mix)/bigger intercooler/etc. I can't think of anything else. Extra radiator like PPK from BMW would be nice, but I am not sure how to install on early N54 platforms and program it.
Good luck.

Thanks for the information. I've got a back-up third car and work from home so I am in a good position to take my time and do the job right. I'm very tempted to simply get the gasket and give it a go but something tells me otherwise and just get the entire thing and have some semblance of knowing it's good for another 95k miles.

I've already done a lot of major repairs on this car such as the water pump and thermostat, upgraded inter cooler, coils, plugs, crank position sensor, power window regulator, brakes and rotors, brake fluid flush, battery, coolant return hose and transmission sport mode wiring fix. Whew, that's just what I did personally.

While it was under CPO it got VANOS, Coils, Mechtronics sleeve, o2 sensors, window washer bladder and water pump, oil filter housing gasket. I need to also have the oil pan gasket replaced because it's leaking too. I've never owned a more unreliable yet fun car in my life.

[najin23]

Originally Posted by ATLIEN

Thanks for the information. I've got a back-up third car and work from home so I am in a good position to take my time and do the job right. I'm very tempted to simply get the gasket and give it a go but something tells me otherwise and just get the entire thing and have some semblance of knowing it's good for another 95k miles.

I've already done a lot of major repairs on this car such as the water pump and thermostat, upgraded inter cooler, coils, plugs, crank position sensor, power window regulator, brakes and rotors, brake fluid flush, battery, coolant return hose and transmission sport mode wiring fix. Whew, that's just what I did personally.

While it was under CPO it got VANOS, Coils, Mechtronics sleeve, o2 sensors, window washer bladder and water pump, oil filter housing gasket. I need to also have the oil pan gasket replaced because it's leaking too. I've never owned a more unreliable yet fun car in my life.

Gotcha my friend. Just keep it up and enjoy the car.

[ATLIEN]

Originally Posted by najin23

Gotcha my friend. Just keep it up and enjoy the car.

Thanks for the encouragement! Btw, my Indy was the one that advised me of the valve cover leak.

[thatg]

Hey guys did this. Everything went well apart from stripping a ground bolt so im missing a ground and i think i may have gotten some dirt in an injector. Now car wont start and i get a P30BB error injector, power level 2.

Has anyone gotten this code before? Any ideas? Thanks.

[TRAVii199]

Hello my torque wrench only goes down to 10 ft lbs will that be too much or will it be fine

[AndyW]

Originally Posted by TRAVii199

Hello my torque wrench only goes down to 10 ft lbs will that be too much or will it be fine

I personally wouldn't risk it since the cover is plastic and the wrench is likely inaccurate at the end of the scale. Get an inch-lb torque wrench for like $20.

[TRAVii199]

Originally Posted by AndyW

I personally wouldn't risk it since the coer is plastic and the wrench is likely inaccurate at the end of the scale. Get an inch-lb torque wrench for like $20.

The lowest it goes is 120 in lbs. But I'll trade it for another one

[TRAVii199]

Okay so I was not able to find a single torque wrench that goes to 84 inlbs (7 ftlbs) but I did find one that goes to 80 inlbs will that be adequate? But if not what can I do?

[Maniac0908]

Originally Posted by TRAVii199

Okay so I was not able to find a single torque wrench that goes to 84 inlbs (7 ftlbs) but I did find one that goes to 80 inlbs will that be adequate? But if not what can I do?

Your fine......i dont even use a torque wrench. No issues. Go to 80inlbs and then give it a hair more.

[trbizwiz]

Originally Posted by thatg

Hey guys did this. Everything went well apart from stripping a ground bolt so im missing a ground and i think i may have gotten some dirt in an injector. Now car wont start and i get a P30BB error injector, power level 2.

Has anyone gotten this code before? Any ideas? Thanks.

It probably will give you trouble if that ground is not well grounded. I read that they are very fussy about that. I did not have the issue myself, so no first hand experience. But I tediously poured every bit of info I could find prior to mine. That one stuck in my memory banks.

[trbizwiz]

Originally Posted by TRAVii199

The lowest it goes is 120 in lbs. But I'll trade it for another one

I bought the harbor freight torque wrench with the appropriate scale on it. It was utter garbage. I could not feel any click, so I did not end up using a torque wrench either.
I just really took my time torqueing. I went around the thing 3 times, and I visually inspected the o-ring gasket each time. If you go with a standard ratchet, use the 1/4 inch (small rachet), and just go a bit past easy tight. Visually inspect the entire mating surface for a consistent compression of that o ring. Better to be under tight and retorque. I left my engine plastics off for well over 1000 miles. In fact they are still off. but I inspected that o-ring gasket every couple hundred miles for leak's and inconsistent compression. I suspect consistent pressure is most important. For instance if 99% of your bolts are to spec and 1% of the 30 plus bolts are too high or too low, you will get a leak, because the plastic cover is not in plane with the cylinder head.
Disclosure, I am not a mechanic, so YMMV. But I did have a successful install the first time. Though I did pull off and replace 3 times, because I did not like the looks of one thing or another.

[ATLIEN]

I've finally gotten around to ordering the parts for this repair. I found a shop that was willing to replace the valve cover gasket for $500 plus tax which was a great deal. I decided to do it myself and have purchased the OEM BMW valve cover, blow by vent hose and upgraded PVC valve and do it myself. I was able to get those parts for about $450 and figured at 95k miles that it's better insurance to replace the cover vs trying to fool around with old brittle parts that with my luck I would end breaking.

[jwh335i]

Your list of repairs is actually fairly typical: Under CPO warranty, my 2007 335i had both turbos replaced (not just the waste gates), the mechatronics sleeve, all 6 injectors, 3 window regulators, both chromic mirrors, the stereo amplifier, the stereo head unit (display was pixelated), the oil housing filter gasket (twice), and the water pump.

Since the CPO warranty, I have replaced all 6 injectors again, all 6 coils, the washer fluid hose, radiator, radiator hoses, the drivers side lock actuator, and the coolant overflow container. It also needs a oil pan gasket but I bought a plastic tray to put under the car for $10, I just keep the plastic pans off the bottom so the drips are consistent.

Love the car but you need to have a pretty big tool box or a pretty bit wallet to cover the inevitable mountain of repairs.

[trbizwiz]

So far my repair with new replacement valve cover form ECS tunning is holding up perfectly. I have not lost a drip of oil on my driveway. I may finally replace the plastics on top of the engine this month. I have kept them off for periodic inspections.

[ATLIEN]

Originally Posted by trbizwiz

So far my repair with new replacement valve cover form ECS tunning is holding up perfectly. I have not lost a drip of oil on my driveway. I may finally replace the plastics on top of the engine this month. I have kept them off for periodic inspections.

Good deal. I'm going to buy a decent 1/4 inch torque wrench and give it a go.

[jskin1510]

Just did this the other day. overall not super difficult or anything but definitely time consuming. Checked with a friend who said book time is about 5.9 hrs. My dad and I did it in about 6.5 but with limited tools a lot of the time we were taking turns doing the work. Not too bad for my first time on this car.

We struggled the most, with the sleeves in the well where the coil packs come out of. I would highly recommend having some sort of snap ring tool or something like pliers but the end having tips that are skinny and angled (not sure what these things are called) My dad had one he never used with different attachments and it kept falling apart attachment coming off, spring clip popping out then trying to make due with different tools. spent probably 45 mins on a step that would have taken 5 mins with the right tool.

[ATLIEN]

Originally Posted by ATLIEN

Good deal. I'm going to buy a decent 1/4 inch torque wrench and give it a go.

Well I started the valve cover job and so far so good. I went ahead and bought a new valve cover but the one that came off was really ok. The only things that I broke and this is truly my vault was the nipple off of the boost cansister. I should have stopped and got a razor and sliced the tubing from around the nipple. I was able to get a replacement from the dealer for $50.

I took the opportunity to upgrade the PCV valve with one from ECS.

At this point I am ready to reinstall the new valve cover. I am confused as to if I should use RTV or not? Any thoughts on this?

[seccsc]

Originally Posted by ATLIEN

Well I started the valve cover job and so far so good. I went ahead and bought a new valve cover but the one that came off was really ok. The only things that I broke and this is truly my vault was the nipple off of the boost cansister. I should have stopped and got a razor and sliced the tubing from around the nipple. I was able to get a replacement from the dealer for $50.

I took the opportunity to upgrade the PCV valve with one from ECS.

At this point I am ready to reinstall the new valve cover. I am confused as to if I should use RTV or not? Any thoughts on this?

I did. In my opinion this will ensure longevity and low probability of leakage.

[ATLIEN]

Originally Posted by seccsc

I did. In my opinion this will ensure longevity and low probability of leakage.

I ended up doing so as well.

[ATLIEN]

Originally Posted by ATLIEN

Well I started the valve cover job and so far so good. I went ahead and bought a new valve cover but the one that came off was really ok. The only things that I broke and this is truly my vault was the nipple off of the boost cansister. I should have stopped and got a razor and sliced the tubing from around the nipple. I was able to get a replacement from the dealer for $50.

I took the opportunity to upgrade the PCV valve with one from ECS.

At this point I am ready to reinstall the new valve cover. I am confused as to if I should use RTV or not? Any thoughts on this?

I finished the job and all is well. There was a satisfying feeling putting everything back together. The install also gave me confidence to add a catch can if need be. One tip that needs to be added to this DIY is when you disconnect the battery to keep the trunk up or at least propped because you can't open the trunk without power. I ended up simply connecting jumper cables to another car (no need to start the other car) and it gave enough power to open the trunk.

My final thoughts on the install are that this is a finesse job in that you don't need to strong arm the bolts on anything that touches the VC or fuel line. Snug is the name of the game. Against better judgement I bought the harbor freight torque wrench. Don't bother as it was useless. It didn't even click when I tested it out on a bolt on an old bike.

Another tip is to make sure that you have all of the tools to do the job. I wasted so much time trying to find an E18 socket, long 10 mm socket that was not indexed so that I could get the ground studs loose. Also, do yourself a favor and just buy a new blow by vent hose especially if speed is an issue on this install. Maybe my hands are just big and fingers were sore but I couldn't finesse it off and simply cut it out and added a new one. Here's to happy motoring!

[seccsc]

Originally Posted by ATLIEN

I finished the job and all is well. There was a satisfying feeling putting everything back together. The install also gave me confidence to add a catch can if need be. One tip that needs to be added to this DIY is when you disconnect the battery to keep the trunk up or at least propped because you can't open the trunk without power. I ended up simply connecting jumper cables to another car (no need to start the other car) and it gave enough power to open the trunk.

My final thoughts on the install are that this is a finesse job in that you don't need to strong arm the bolts on anything that touches the VC or fuel line. Snug is the name of the game. Against better judgement I bought the harbor freight torque wrench. Don't bother as it was useless. It didn't even click when I tested it out on a bolt on an old bike.

Another tip is to make sure that you have all of the tools to do the job. I wasted so much time trying to find an E18 socket, long 10 mm socket that was not indexed so that I could get the ground studs loose. Also, do yourself a favor and just buy a new blow by vent hose especially if speed is an issue on this install. Maybe my hands are just big and fingers were sore but I couldn't finesse it off and simply cut it out and added a new one. Here's to happy motoring!

And I agree on the torque wrench. There are multiple documented instances of leakage with these valve covers. After I torqued everything with my in-lbs torque-wrench, I was not satisfied with the final product. I then used a 1/4" ratchet and snugged all fasteners. For perspective did not use the full arm length of the ratchet to snug(nominal torque) the fasteners.