[greenberet123]

Hi there,

I have a 2008 E93 with oil leaking somewhere from the front. I suspect its the VCG as I have 69K miles on it.

I'm ordering the gasket, eccentric gasket and the valvetronic sensor gasket from pelican parts, but I am really confused about the bolts.

1. Do I need to put new bolts? I read in this forum that its made of aluminum and easily cracks.
2. Where can I find the bolt set for an N51? Are the N51 bolts the same as the N52? There are many kinds of bolts online, for eg.
a. Valve Cover Bolt - 7 X 33.5 mm Torx Head
b. Valve Cover Bolt - 7 X 36 mm Torx Head
c. Valve Cover Bolt - 7 X 46 mm Hex Head

am not sure which one I need, it says that all these parts fit my car, which is weird.

Thanks!

[kkasson]

Originally Posted by greenberet123

Hi there,

I have a 2008 E93 with oil leaking somewhere from the front. I suspect its the VCG as I have 69K miles on it.

I'm ordering the gasket, eccentric gasket and the valvetronic sensor gasket from pelican parts, but I am really confused about the bolts.

1. Do I need to put new bolts? I read in this forum that its made of aluminum and easily cracks.
2. Where can I find the bolt set for an N51? Are the N51 bolts the same as the N52? There are many kinds of bolts online, for eg.
a. Valve Cover Bolt - 7 X 33.5 mm Torx Head
b. Valve Cover Bolt - 7 X 36 mm Torx Head
c. Valve Cover Bolt - 7 X 46 mm Hex Head

am not sure which one I need, it says that all these parts fit my car, which is weird.

Thanks!

No need to replace the bolts. Early N52s with the metal valve cover should replace the bolts, N51 has the plastic valve cover and the bolts can be reused.

[greenberet123]

@kkasson Thanks a lot!

[kkasson]

Also you can find parts information on RealOEM.com. Enter the last 7 of your VIN and hit Browse Parts. You can find the valve cover under Engine -> Cylinder Head -> Cylinder Head Cover.

For most bolts it will give you the thread specs in the Supp. column. You can see there the different bolts lengths that you mentioned in your first post. Aluminum bolts are usually (or maybe always) marked as such, e.g. if you look at the diagram for the belt you'll see that the tensioner bolt is M11X65-AL for aluminum.

[parkjake50]

Just FYI, this vcg leak is covered under the SULEV warranty if your car is n51 sulev.
parts/labor covered

[martinm0]

Originally Posted by greenberet123

Hi there,

I have a 2008 E93 with oil leaking somewhere from the front. I suspect its the VCG as I have 69K miles on it.

I'm ordering the gasket, eccentric gasket and the valvetronic sensor gasket from pelican parts, but I am really confused about the bolts.

1. Do I need to put new bolts? I read in this forum that its made of aluminum and easily cracks.
2. Where can I find the bolt set for an N51? Are the N51 bolts the same as the N52? There are many kinds of bolts online, for eg.
a. Valve Cover Bolt - 7 X 33.5 mm Torx Head
b. Valve Cover Bolt - 7 X 36 mm Torx Head
c. Valve Cover Bolt - 7 X 46 mm Hex Head

am not sure which one I need, it says that all these parts fit my car, which is weird.

Thanks!

Bear in mind you have a SULEV engine. which carries a 15 year or 150k mile warranty on certain parts, include the valve cover gasket, disas, and other assorted parts. Only certain states enforce this, but just an FYI.