DIY E90 N54 Valve Cover Gasket

MalcolmV8 · 09-09-2014, 03:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by musclesmarinara

Strut brace to chassis
stage 1 - 74 ft-lb
stage 2 - + additional 100*

Strut brace to strut tower
stage 1 - 30 ft-lb
stage 2 - + additional 60*

Can anyone explain the stage 2? Does that mean an additional 100/60 ft-lbs after already torquing to stage 1 value?

No stage 2 is how many degrees rotation you do. Essentially stretching the bolt hence why you don't reuse the bolts.

So tighten with torque wrench to 30 ft/lb and then turn the bolt and additional 60 degrees.

robc1976 · 09-09-2014, 03:54 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by musclesmarinara

Strut brace to chassis
stage 1 - 74 ft-lb
stage 2 - + additional 100*

Strut brace to strut tower
stage 1 - 30 ft-lb
stage 2 - + additional 60*

Can anyone explain the stage 2? Does that mean an additional 100/60 ft-lbs after already torquing to stage 1 value?[/QUOTE]

100 degree turn

kel335i · 09-09-2014, 08:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by musclesmarinara

Quote:

Originally Posted by kel335i

Maybe it was mentioned already, but, is the torque spec in INCH-LBS or FT-LBS?

Just stick with NM and you will never be in doubt.

Well to know what the Nm equivalent is I would need to know whether or not it's inch pounds or foot pounds…

aekdBMW · 09-13-2014, 04:41 PM

I just finished replacing my VC gasket using this DIY. Thanks for taking the time to post this. Took me 5 hours start to finish. I spent a good 45 minutes cleaning every last bit of the old gasket off and swapped the plugs while I was in there. The car fired right up and no more smell.

robc1976 · 09-13-2014, 05:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by aekdBMW

I just finished replacing my VC gasket using this DIY. Thanks for taking the time to post this. Took me 5 hours start to finish. I spent a good 45 minutes cleaning every last bit of the old gasket off and swapped the plugs while I was in there. The car fired right up and no more smell.

Awesome!

ladoo · 09-26-2014, 09:58 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by adevangel84

Same issues with my car. I changed the valve cover gasket and i still get oil accumulating in that same area. No visible crack on valve cover and can't seem to trace where the oil is coming from. Any one here have any idea?

THANK YOU FOR THIS DIY! Just finished doing this on my car. Ended up changing the valve cover itself because we found a crack. I am however, having oil still build up on the heat shield/tray. I don't see any leaks around the housing or filler cap. Any ideas?

splitsecond · 11-15-2014, 03:17 PM

Hey guys, I'm getting a multi-cylinder misfire after doing this job... cylinders 1, 5, and 6. Tried moving the coils around, and the misfire didn't move. Any thoughts?

taz2ko0 · 12-23-2014, 02:52 PM

Just finished this Job this weekend. PITA but it is doable. Also when I fired the baby up I notice a small drip of oil. I re-verified the torque on the 30 bolts and they were a little off after the car got warm. Re-torqued and everything was fine. No more dripping and burning oil. Nice write up. I also replace the OFH gasket as well because it was also leaking.
07 e92 90k miles

najin23 · 12-23-2014, 04:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by taz2ko0

Just finished this Job this weekend. PITA but it is doable. Also when I fired the baby up I notice a small drip of oil. I re-verified the torque on the 30 bolts and they were a little off after the car got warm. Re-torqued and everything was fine. No more dripping and burning oil. Nice write up. I also replace the OFH gasket as well because it was also leaking.
07 e92 90k miles

Great job. Did u have to remove the intake manifold and the coolant hose under the front side of the OFH? As lOng as it doesn't require a lift anythings doable. Now....that water pump was a bit of PITA but follow Otto's instruction to get the job done.

2turboz · 12-26-2014, 09:12 PM

The plastic that makes the channel on the inner side of the cover has broken off. im not sure how this happens but is it safe to use high temp JB weld to recreate a seal around the gasket?

taz2ko0 · 12-29-2014, 04:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by najin23

Quote:

Originally Posted by taz2ko0

Just finished this Job this weekend. PITA but it is doable. Also when I fired the baby up I notice a small drip of oil. I re-verified the torque on the 30 bolts and they were a little off after the car got warm. Re-torqued and everything was fine. No more dripping and burning oil. Nice write up. I also replace the OFH gasket as well because it was also leaking.
07 e92 90k miles

Great job. Did u have to remove the intake manifold and the coolant hose under the front side of the OFH? As lOng as it doesn't require a lift anythings doable. Now....that water pump was a bit of PITA but follow Otto's instruction to get the job done.

I took the coolant line from the ofh instead. I put a lot of rags to catch all the coolant that comes out.

skatz1922 · 01-02-2015, 11:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by allan

After replacing the cracked valve cover (compl set) I have the following phenomenon - see below pictures -
After every drive I can see oil accumulating on the heat shield/tray on top of the turbos. I checked the Valve Cover / Gasket. All is dry.
Now I realized that the oil "bubbles" out of the fold of the heat shield/tray. The shield is bolted on only. Where the heck is the oil coming from ??? Any idea?

Picture 1:

.
Picture 2:

.

Heat shield - pos. 3 - part # 13717649693
http://www.realoem.com/bmw/showparts...75&hg=11&fg=45

Having similar issue. Were you able to figure out the cause of that leak? I changed the VCG thinking this was causing the leak but I guess not.

stormtrooper7 · 01-03-2015, 04:37 PM

I'm in the middle of this right now for my 2006 330i and I cannot for the life of me get the valve cover out! Are there any other tricks? It seems to not be able to clear the wiring harness towards the back.

Deep_Blue · 01-04-2015, 09:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by stormtrooper7

I'm in the middle of this right now for my 2006 330i and I cannot for the life of me get the valve cover out! Are there any other tricks? It seems to not be able to clear the wiring harness towards the back.

You have to unclip the wires from the back of the cover. If you're talking about the loom that holds the wires for the coils, make sure you detached the two aluminum bolts that hold the cable loom to the cover then fold it toward the passenger side of the engine bay and tie it back with something. The trick is to carefully clear everything out of the way before trying to remove it.

Thanks for this DIY OP. I completed this on my 335 this weekend with no issues. Smoothest DIY I've done in a while.

stormtrooper7 · 01-05-2015, 11:46 AM

After hours of fiddling with the damn thing, it finally came out! I had to unclip the wires towards the front of the loom (vanos connectors, etc). There was another that I could not reach because the wire led down to the bottom of the car, so I left it. And, even then, the cover just barely came out. I just hope that I did not disconnect anything else in the process.

Getting it back on will be another story...WHAT A PITA!!!

Going through what I am right now, I can almost justify taking it in for someone to do.

Pittsburger · 01-14-2015, 06:59 PM

Did you have to drain the oil before opening the engine cylinder head?

robc1976 · 01-14-2015, 07:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pittsburger

Did you have to drain the oil before opening the engine cylinder head?

No, oil is pan. Let car sit a few hours before is always suggested to let bolts cool off

loweredram · 01-25-2015, 04:08 PM

Just had a question for guys who changed their VC gaskets. My buddy is suggesting that I change the VC itself as well because its plastic and will most likely cracked. Just wondering how many guys have been finding the VC itself to be the problem?

Thanks

robc1976 · 01-25-2015, 04:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by loweredram

Just had a question for guys who changed their VC gaskets. My buddy is suggesting that I change the VC itself as well because its plastic and will most likely cracked. Just wondering how many guys have been finding the VC itself to be the problem?

Thanks

I highly suggest you do, your PCV is likely not in good shape.

MalcolmV8 · 01-25-2015, 04:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by loweredram

Just had a question for guys who changed their VC gaskets. My buddy is suggesting that I change the VC itself as well because its plastic and will most likely cracked. Just wondering how many guys have been finding the VC itself to be the problem?

Thanks

That's what was suggested to me too on this forum. Honestly after pulling off my factory VC it looked perfect. I went over every square inch of it. I had already purchased the replacement VC and had it sitting ready to go so I figured what the hell and swapped it out. Honestly if I were to do it over I'd save the money and only buy a replacement VC if the one I take off is actually damaged or cracked etc.

loweredram · 01-26-2015, 03:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MalcolmV8

That's what was suggested to me too on this forum. Honestly after pulling off my factory VC it looked perfect. I went over every square inch of it. I had already purchased the replacement VC and had it sitting ready to go so I figured what the hell and swapped it out. Honestly if I were to do it over I'd save the money and only buy a replacement VC if the one I take off is actually damaged or cracked etc.

Thanks for the input guys. Since I have an 07 I just purchased the VC kit ( my dealer matched ECS Pricing ) I decided since its that old I didn't want to pull it all out just to find it cracked. Thanks again

videoholic · 02-13-2015, 09:09 PM

So I did the job and the car smokes pretty bad and sounds like a diesel.

The smoke I'm thinking is the oil that was in my spark plug well that probably fell into the cylinder. I didn't run the car long enough to see if it would burn off.

The noise I'm hearing just sounds like im hearing the rockers.. I had trouble keeping the gasket in the valve cover, but I really think my third try it went on nice and clean. All the bolts went in without a hitch. Could it be as simple as rechecking the torque?

09-13-2014, 04:41 PM	#136
aekdBMW New Member 1 Rep 24 Posts Drives: '07 e90 335i M6 Join Date: Feb 2014 Location: Birmingham, AL iTrader: (0)	I just finished replacing my VC gasket using this DIY. Thanks for taking the time to post this. Took me 5 hours start to finish. I spent a good 45 minutes cleaning every last bit of the old gasket off and swapped the plugs while I was in there. The car fired right up and no more smell.
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11-15-2014, 03:17 PM	#139
splitsecond Space Admiral 23 Rep 335 Posts Drives: 135i Join Date: Sep 2012 Location: St. Louis iTrader: (1) Garage List 2008 BMW 135i [0.00]	Hey guys, I'm getting a multi-cylinder misfire after doing this job... cylinders 1, 5, and 6. Tried moving the coils around, and the misfire didn't move. Any thoughts? __________________ 2008 135i Montego Blue sport pkg, premium pkg, Logic 7 sound, iDrive/Nav Mods completed: JB4+ & FBO \|\| LSD \|\| BMW-P suspension + F/R sway bars \|\| 18" Breyton GTS-R \|\| M3 front bushings \|\| Vogtland camber plates \|\| BMW-P rotors + Stoptech pads \|\|\|\| Acquired, not installed: BMS WW Meth kit \|\| Logic HVI intake \|\| Mishimoto OCC \|\|\|\| Shopping for: Summer tires
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12-23-2014, 02:52 PM	#140
taz2ko0 Aw sh!t 111 Rep 988 Posts Drives: M4 Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: Naples, FL iTrader: (4)	Just finished this Job this weekend. PITA but it is doable. Also when I fired the baby up I notice a small drip of oil. I re-verified the torque on the 30 bolts and they were a little off after the car got warm. Re-torqued and everything was fine. No more dripping and burning oil. Nice write up. I also replace the OFH gasket as well because it was also leaking. 07 e92 90k miles __________________ Bigger is always better! M4
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12-26-2014, 09:12 PM	#142
2turboz Private First Class 10 Rep 119 Posts Drives: 2012 E92 Space Grey Join Date: Dec 2013 Location: Washington DC iTrader: (0) Garage List 2012 BMW M3 [0.00]	The plastic that makes the channel on the inner side of the cover has broken off. im not sure how this happens but is it safe to use high temp JB weld to recreate a seal around the gasket?
	Appreciate 0 Quote

01-03-2015, 04:37 PM	#145
stormtrooper7 Private First Class 14 Rep 154 Posts Drives: 2006 330i Join Date: Feb 2013 Location: Winnipeg, CANADA iTrader: (0)	I'm in the middle of this right now for my 2006 330i and I cannot for the life of me get the valve cover out! Are there any other tricks? It seems to not be able to clear the wiring harness towards the back.
	Appreciate 0 Quote

01-05-2015, 11:46 AM	#147
stormtrooper7 Private First Class 14 Rep 154 Posts Drives: 2006 330i Join Date: Feb 2013 Location: Winnipeg, CANADA iTrader: (0)	After hours of fiddling with the damn thing, it finally came out! I had to unclip the wires towards the front of the loom (vanos connectors, etc). There was another that I could not reach because the wire led down to the bottom of the car, so I left it. And, even then, the cover just barely came out. I just hope that I did not disconnect anything else in the process. Getting it back on will be another story...WHAT A PITA!!! Going through what I am right now, I can almost justify taking it in for someone to do.
	Appreciate 0 Quote

01-14-2015, 06:59 PM	#148
Pittsburger Private First Class 7 Rep 132 Posts Drives: 2010 328xi, 2006 330xi, 2011x3 Join Date: Aug 2011 Location: Des Moines, IA iTrader: (0)	Did you have to drain the oil before opening the engine cylinder head?
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01-25-2015, 04:08 PM	#150
loweredram Lieutenant 50 Rep 405 Posts Drives: 16 F80 M3 Join Date: Oct 2010 Location: ca iTrader: (2)	VC gasket Just had a question for guys who changed their VC gaskets. My buddy is suggesting that I change the VC itself as well because its plastic and will most likely cracked. Just wondering how many guys have been finding the VC itself to be the problem? Thanks
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02-13-2015, 09:09 PM	#154
videoholic New Member 0 Rep 10 Posts Drives: 09 335i Join Date: Sep 2012 Location: tampa fl iTrader: (0)	So I did the job and the car smokes pretty bad and sounds like a diesel. The smoke I'm thinking is the oil that was in my spark plug well that probably fell into the cylinder. I didn't run the car long enough to see if it would burn off. The noise I'm hearing just sounds like im hearing the rockers.. I had trouble keeping the gasket in the valve cover, but I really think my third try it went on nice and clean. All the bolts went in without a hitch. Could it be as simple as rechecking the torque?
	Appreciate 0 Quote