[BostonMike]

Wondering if it's a difficult job? Did you run into any trouble? Looks like the shop gets 6 hours for this? It would seem that maybe for a first timer, but someone who has done it before could get through it quickly, no? I'm not an expert by any means but I can turn a wrench. Or is it such a pain it's worth paying for? I had thought my turbos were leaking oil, but it turns out it's coming from my valve cover.

[b92]

I'm leaking a little bit from my valve cover too, I'll end up replacing VC+VCG myself. Doesn't look too hard to tackle.

[dpaul]

This is very straightforward. Remove the cowl (6 8mm bolts), remove the strut braces (3 Etorx bolts), remove the ignition coil cover (4 allen head bolts) and you have open access to the entire perimeter of the cover. No special tools required beyond a set of inverted torx bits. Use a pick to remove the spark plug shield tubes before removing the VC.

You can do this

For me the hardest part is getting the PCV vent hose off the valve cover without breaking it. Patience and a few small picks/screwdrivers or just buy an new one before you get going - only a few bucks

One issue that may be difficult to determine is whether the leak is from a gasket problem or whether there is a crack in the valve cover itself. It can be hard sometimes to find the crack if one exists. Clean the cover and look very carefully. Some use epoxy to glue the crack but that did not work for me. The valve cover is expensive enough that I had to try the alternatives first and wound up taking the damn thing off three times: once trying the gasket alone, once trying a glue treatment and the third time to replace the cover.

[BostonMike]

Thanks guys! I think I just needed a confidence boost. Turner has the whole VC and bolt, gasket kit on sale for about $400 bucks. The car has 130k so The cover itself is probably due.

[TheMidnightNarwhal]

Originally Posted by b92

I'm leaking a little bit from my valve cover too, I'll end up replacing VC+VCG myself. Doesn't look too hard to tackle.

How much millage you at? I'm also a 2011 335is .

I think on my first leakage I might just do gasket and cover on second time.

[b92]

Originally Posted by TheMidnightNarwhal

How much millage you at? I'm also a 2011 335is .

I think on my first leakage I might just do gasket and cover on second time.

59k now. I'm just gonna do both at once so I don't have to worry about it again for a while. The billet valve covers look awesome, just wish the pricing wasn't as prohibitive.

[BostonMike]

Originally Posted by b92

59k now. I'm just gonna do both at once so I don't have to worry about it again for a while. The billet valve covers look awesome, just wish the pricing wasn't as prohibitive.

Agreed! $1500 bucks is wayyy to expensive.

[TheMidnightNarwhal]

Originally Posted by b92

59k now. I'm just gonna do both at once so I don't have to worry about it again for a while. The billet valve covers look awesome, just wish the pricing wasn't as prohibitive.

Oh damn already leaking at that? I thought they started 100k+ .

I'm a 62k I guess I'll do an inspection once winter is over.

[dpaul]

They leak when they decide to leak. The valve cover is a very poor design from a number of standpoints.

Mine cracked and leaked at 55K miles

[BostonMike]

Originally Posted by dpaul

This is very straightforward. Remove the cowl (6 8mm bolts), remove the strut braces (3 Etorx bolts), remove the ignition coil cover (4 allen head bolts) and you have open access to the entire perimeter of the cover. No special tools required beyond a set of inverted torx bits. Use a pick to remove the spark plug shield tubes before removing the VC.

You can do this

For me the hardest part is getting the PCV vent hose off the valve cover without breaking it. Patience and a few small picks/screwdrivers or just buy an new one before you get going - only a few bucks

One issue that may be difficult to determine is whether the leak is from a gasket problem or whether there is a crack in the valve cover itself. It can be hard sometimes to find the crack if one exists. Clean the cover and look very carefully. Some use epoxy to glue the crack but that did not work for me. The valve cover is expensive enough that I had to try the alternatives first and wound up taking the damn thing off three times: once trying the gasket alone, once trying a glue treatment and the third time to replace the cover.

@dpaul, yeah, the PCV hose is a ball buster. I replaced my PCV over the summer and that was the hardest part! Lol.

[Torgus]

Originally Posted by BostonMike

Thanks guys! I think I just needed a confidence boost. Turner has the whole VC and bolt, gasket kit on sale for about $400 bucks. The car has 130k so The cover itself is probably due.

Check out FCP because of their lifetime warranty. Price is probably about the same. Given that it will fail again, question is will it fail while you own it?

It's not a hard job. I did it in well under 6 hours my 1st time. Just take care to seat the gasket correctly, you can dab some RTV on the none mating side of the gasket if that helps.

I never did this but I considered using plastic weld on the one spot where they all seem to crack as preventative maintenance.

If you are going to be in there you might as well plug the head ports and do the RB low side PCV kit while you are in there imo. Only adds an hour to the job tops.



@dpaul Yes, the OEM PCV vent hose sucks. You almost might just buy a new one as it is cheap and the check ball in it could get stuck in theory. There is also a high chance of damaging the stupid clip. If you have a friend with some picks it can help vs. trying to do it all alone.

"The OEM PCV Vent Hose acts as a check valve during low load operation, restriction the amount of filtered air (from the air filter on the rear induction turbo inlet) through the PCV Valve into the intake valves. Too little or too great of a restriction by the check valve hose can cause oil consumption issues during low load (high vacuum) engine operation. If the check valve does not open effectively the hose can also cause excessive crankcase pressures under high load (boosted) engine operation and also cause numerous issues relating to oil consumption, power loss, etc. The Vent hose securing clips also can break during removal and assembly which in turn can also cause issues. It is recommended to replace this vent hose every 50k miles, or if it has known to have broken clips, or standard when servicing the PCV Valve."

[MethodologysN54]

I was quoted 1200 from a place on peabody mass they said it’s takes 8-9 hours I wanted to tell him ifnit srakesjurn”master tech” that long to do this he should look himself and quit now I thought this was a 600-700 dollar job max I need it done anyone near the northshore that wants to make a quick buck!