[mainbearing]

If it is already leaking, then take it in. The valve gasket in Washington state should be covered by the SULEV 15 year 150K mile emissions warranty. Check that with your local dealership.

Originally Posted by StumptownRider

Apologies for my error of imprecise characterization; your point is well taken. What I meant to say is, I'm not yet experiencing noticeable symptoms of a PVC or vacuum leak. The valve cover is indeed leaking, mainly forward (thin film caked on the head at least), and a little on the forward-lower (passenger/right) side.

Most concerned of the accessory belt being ingested due to oil contamination to the belt/pulleys.

The belts aren't as of yet getting any oil contamination, but there were a couple drops on the back side of at least one pulley. Pressure washed the engine bay about 3k miles ago, and it's looking pretty gritty already on the front side of the engine below the valve cover.

Should I push it longer, just checking the engine bay more frequently? The (electronic) oil level doesn't appear to be noticeably dropping, but I do smell a little oil in the cabin when the engine reaches full temp on a 30+ minute drive.

Cheers!

[TriumphTim]

My thoughts since I just replaced the valve cover on my 2008 328ix a few weeks ago due to a cracked-off PVC nipple on the back, it had been epoxied on before by a PO.

The PCV 3 way pipe was very brittle. I found it easy to replace keeping the manifold in place, just have long reach pliers/screwdrivers/pick tools to work them off and back on.

Related note, the smaller hose that goes across the radiator crumbled in my hand, the hard center section becomes very brittle. I would definitely replace at this point.

[nsjames]

Originally Posted by mainbearing

This was exactly what happened to me. New gaskets alone were just a waste of time. I swapped the cover out for a Uro aftermarket one and used RTV on the new "football" valvetronic gasket.

I also used the uro cover, it's been fine now for three(?) years and 40K miles.

[nsjames]

Originally Posted by TriumphTim

My thoughts since I just replaced the valve cover on my 2008 328ix a few weeks ago due to a cracked-off PVC nipple on the back, it had been epoxied on before by a PO.

The PCV 3 way pipe was very brittle. I found it easy to replace keeping the manifold in place, just have long reach pliers/screwdrivers/pick tools to work them off and back on.

Related note, the smaller hose that goes across the radiator crumbled in my hand, the hard center section becomes very brittle. I would definitely replace at this point.

replace the plastic PCV hose with 3/4 hydraulic return hose.
find it at your local tractor dealer.

you cut the heatshrink at the quick connectors and they are basically barbed fittings underneath. slip hose over, clamp, never deal with it again.

[mainbearing]

On removing the breather hose, I will give that a try, now need to find some long reach pliers.

As for the smaller hose across the radiator, do you mean the coolant vent line between the reservoir and the top radiator hose?

I replaced that one with a 5/16" inner diameter rubber coolant hose by using one barb coupler near the reservoir side of the radiator. The other end I connected directly to the upper radiator hose nipple. (the picture below used a 1/4" hose and couplers)

I guess some BMW moron designed the nipple on the removable upper hose flange instead of on the radiator itself, and then half-ass'ed a cheap plastic tube over the radiator, connected to a rubber hose of increasing diameter. Two cast-in 5/16" or 1/4" nipples on both the reservoir and the radiator with a rubber hose in between would have been better. I say send those morons over to Honda for training.

Here is what another member did, looks like two barb couplers were used:


https://www.e90post.com/forums/showt...=935690&page=3

Originally Posted by TriumphTim

The PCV 3 way pipe was very brittle. I found it easy to replace keeping the manifold in place, just have long reach pliers/screwdrivers/pick tools to work them off and back on.

Related note, the smaller hose that goes across the radiator crumbled in my hand, the hard center section becomes very brittle. I would definitely replace at this point.

[mainbearing]

That is a great idea. When I was fixing the coolant vent line the connector on the reservoir was much bigger than the upper hose side, and I was not able to use the same 5/16" hose on that.

However, for the PCV breather that would be a much better solution!

I do not know what those BMW so-called engineers were thinking putting a plastic pipe there (or anywhere else like the vent line). BMW should fire the morons and hire Honda engineers instead, and we would not be wasting time on a lot of these things.

Originally Posted by nsjames

replace the plastic PCV hose with 3/4 hydraulic return hose.
find it at your local tractor dealer.

you cut the heatshrink at the quick connectors and they are basically barbed fittings underneath. slip hose over, clamp, never deal with it again.

[nsjames]

I have temp patched that vent line across the radiator with brake line.

give it half a bubble flare to put a ridge on the end, clamp.
the larger problem is that the barb breaks off the upper radiator hose when you monkey with it.

I just had my intake off to deal with DISA failure, and you can see the rubber hydraulic hose still attached to the manifold on the floor.

do not use heater hose, it will collapse under the vacuum. hydraulic return hose is reinforced and will not collapse under suction, it's also obviously pretty much impervious to oil.

cost you about $10 for 3 feet of bulk hose.

[StumptownRider]

Originally Posted by mainbearing

If it is already leaking, then take it in. The valve gasket in Washington state should be covered by the SULEV 15 year 150K mile emissions warranty. Check that with your local dealership.

I'm 99% sure my vehicle has the N52N, not the N51. I'm the 4th owner and it was originally sold in Florida. Does SULEV warranty cover vehicles that don't have the SULEV engine?

RealOEM shows my VIN FX15936 as having N52N.

[StumptownRider]

Originally Posted by nsjames

I just had my intake off to deal with DISA failure, and you can see the rubber hydraulic hose still attached to the manifold on the floor.

Should I be checking my DISA as well while I'm in there? I've come across note of various revisions, TSBs, and repair kits; haven't had the time to look deeply into how this might affect my specific vehicle (one of two fulltime WFH parents of a newborn).

I was thinking of upgrading to the 3-stage manifold, just have some difficulty tracking one down, and afterward, confidence what's involved in making sure DISA's are properly refreshed.

I've still got a week before the teardown, any leads for getting a 3-stage setup good to go shipped in that timeframe?

[E92William]

Does your car have disa valves? If not you don't have to worry about them, however you do wanna make sure the ones you buy are not some early revision stuff and that they work fine and have no play. If your car is n52n just buy a generic valve cover online and change it with a felpro gasket. Shouldn't be too expensive to diy at all. However that job doesn't really have much to do with the intake swap. They're pretty different, working on two opposite sides of the engine so it's not like you'll save much more time on the intake swap except for taking off the pcv hose at the back of the valve cover

[nsjames]

Originally Posted by StumptownRider

Should I be checking my DISA as well while I'm in there? I've come across note of various revisions, TSBs, and repair kits; haven't had the time to look deeply into how this might affect my specific vehicle (one of two fulltime WFH parents of a newborn).

I was thinking of upgrading to the 3-stage manifold, just have some difficulty tracking one down, and afterward, confidence what's involved in making sure DISA's are properly refreshed.

I've still got a week before the teardown, any leads for getting a 3-stage setup good to go shipped in that timeframe?

if you don't have a 3 stage manifold you don't have DISA valves now.

the jobs are separate. You can remove the valve cover without touching the manifold.

If I were to do the manifold again, I'd go ahead and just spend the money to replace the large upper valve when i installed it for piece of mind.
i'd check the small one and if it didn't suck I'd send it. it's not nearly as liekly to try and kill your motor.

If you don't want to deal with the manifold job while doing the valve cover and PCV hose, buy new alternator bolts and just pop the alternator off so you can get under the manifold to the hose connector. Takes 10 minutes to pop the alternator and belt off.

[mainbearing]

Good point!

Originally Posted by nsjames

hydraulic return hose is reinforced and will not collapse under suction, it's also obviously pretty much impervious to oil.

cost you about $10 for 3 feet of bulk hose.

[mainbearing]

In that case probably not. Florida is not one of the CARB states but Washington is.

I used an aftermarket Uro and RTV'ed the valvetronic gasket and that worked for me.

Originally Posted by StumptownRider

I'm 99% sure my vehicle has the N52N, not the N51. I'm the 4th owner and it was originally sold in Florida. Does SULEV warranty cover vehicles that don't have the SULEV engine?

RealOEM shows my VIN FX15936 as having N52N.

[StumptownRider]

Update: FedEx screwed up and rerouted my FCP order in transit to my house, when I had registered for Delivery Manager on something else. The funniest part is the tractor semi drove it right past my Father-In-Law's shop where I've been planning to do the work.

Ended up just replacing the OFHG, as well as a coolant flush and oil change, to limit the mess. Noticed there must be some iron in the REIN bolts from FCP, because I was able to grab them with a magnet; ended up dabbing some anti-seize because it was feeling like the existing bolts were near breaking in attempt to crack them loose.

After spending a bunch of time trying to find the right E-Torx socket, extensions, and swivel adapters, turns out an 8mm ratcheting box wrench was best for the 3rd bolt under the intake manifold.

Coolant flush involved drain, fill with distilled water and citric acid cleaner and run the car at temp over two days, flush with the garden hose, then fill 50/50 Prestone (no G05/G48 available near me currently). I realize there's still some regular water in the system, and it's more like 38% Antifreeze, but I'm going to drain it again within a couple months, and the temps aren't dipping below 30F anytime soon.

Regarding the flush, how effective is it if the thermostat doesn't open? Engine running for 15 mins while I ran water through the hose (radiator drain plug removed), but with cold water going in doubt the thermostat would've opened.

Still a week before we leave the grandparents, and then gotta find another free weekend to take the car to our local DIY garage (Stew's Garage in Kirkland, for those in the Seattle metro it's a great resource).

Will post some updates as soon as I get time, but it'll probably be two months out at this point.

[PhaseP]

turns out an 8mm ratcheting box wrench was best for the 3rd bolt under the intake manifold.

First time I had done the OFH I had used an 8 mm "universal" wrench from craftsman, which is glorified 8 mm hex wrench.

Later I bought this set and it has been very useful on couple jobs, one is the OFH gasket, the other removing the starter bolt that goes from firewall side into the starter flange. Good quality wrench set.

https://www.amazon.com/Vim-Tools-WTC...725648&sr=8-10

[PhaseP]

Originally Posted by StumptownRider

Noticed there must be some iron in the REIN bolts from FCP, because I was able to grab them with a magnet;

The OFH bolts are steel, not aluminum. That is because OFH bolts onto the cylinder head, which is aluminum, not magnesium.

[StumptownRider]

[QUOTE]The OFH bolts are steel, not aluminum. That is because OFH bolts onto the cylinder head, which is aluminum, not magnesium./QUOTE]

Makes sense, took a bit to reason through it since I'm hearing/reading about so many "special" bolts, and my first time working in the engine bay on a modern BMW.

Are these OFH bolts torque-to-yield as well, or can they be reused? I went ahead and replaced just to be safe.

[StumptownRider]

Originally Posted by PhaseP

The OFH bolts are steel, not aluminum. That is because OFH bolts onto the cylinder head, which is aluminum, not magnesium.

Thanks for validating my reasoning Makes sense, took a bit to work out since I'm hearing/reading about so many "special" bolts, and my first time working in the engine bay on a modern BMW, getting a sense of what I'm looking at.

Are these OFH bolts torque-to-yield as well, or can they be reused? To be safe, I went ahead and replaced.

[PhaseP]

Oil filter housing bolts are not torque to yield bolts. The torque spec I could google on them says 22 Nm (16 ft-lbs) I had tried to find at the Bentley manual I have, couldn't.

[Jesda]

I've been working on my valve cover gasket and eccentric shaft sensor replacement this week.

In 2017, 110k ago (now at 165k), I kept the cover and just replaced the gaskets. It seeped slightly and slowly got bad enough to drip on to the exhaust and spew smoke. Also, the plastic bolt loop at the passenger side corner furthest back toward the firewall was broken, not clamping down properly, contributing to leaks.

I consider the valve cover a disposable item. Aftermarket VCs, even the $95 cheapos from China (Mostplus brand), have been positively reviewed on this forum and come with gaskets and bolts installed and ready to go. I don't think these were widely available four years ago.

[StumptownRider]

Originally Posted by Jesda

I consider the valve cover a disposable item. Aftermarket VCs, even the $95 cheapos from China (Mostplus brand), have been positively reviewed on this forum and come with gaskets and bolts installed and ready to go. I don't think these were widely available four years ago.

Wow, that's a steal even if it just lives a few years. Got a link for the cheapo valve cover? I ordered one from FCP, but really doubt I'm going to keep the car long enough need another replacement.

[Jesda]

Originally Posted by StumptownRider

Wow, that's a steal even if it just lives a few years. Got a link for the cheapo valve cover? I ordered one from FCP, but really doubt I'm going to keep the car long enough need another replacement.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I also recommend replacing your oil filler cap at the same time. The old one can be annoying to remove and by now the seal will have degraded. Get the newer design -- it's round instead of square and no longer says Castrol.

After I replaced my VC I spent 10 days chasing what I thought were leaks from the gasket, rechecking all of the bolts over and over until today I discovered it was the filler cap allowing oil to pool over. Oil would hide under the valvetronic motor, slowly seeping over the valve cover and on to the exhaust manifold. The size of the pool also explains why it took so long to show symptoms.