OK, i had RMS replace my valve cover when they installed my SC. Now it seems to be leaking. Is it possible just to tighten it down to fix this? If so, what's the torque spec on it? Thanks

They are just screws that tighthen it down. You could try seeing if all the screws are seated enough. Did the installer use new grommets around the screw heads? Did they clean off the old crud from the previous gasket before putting the new one?

thanks matt, I'll try tightening them and see what happens

also, on the back of the gasket there are two half moon shaped rubber seals. check those to make sure they are seated properly. it is easy to misalign those while putting on the gasket.

Don't overtighten the bolts or you will be sorry. The torque spec on those is not very much.

For the 6 cylinder engines the M6 bolts get tightened to 89in-lbs. Thats inch pounds not foot pounds.

what happens if you overtighten them?

I have the supercharger (stage II) and when i installed the stage I i had the same problem. The gaskets are made out of rubber/plastic and are not meant to hold pressure- thats why we have a pcv valve (positive crankcase pressure). Put a check valve on the vacuum line going into the valve cover (the smaller of the two) and make sure the larger hose (ventilation) is free flowing otherwise the crankcase can't expell the excess pressure! I actually unplugged the silver filter that recirculates the line back into the intake- that way it can breathe as much as it needs! wheres the leak by the way?

Originally posted by luckybmw
what happens if you overtighten them?

First is not so serious, you just deform the gasket/grommet and it won't seal anymore.

Second is very serious, you crack the valve cover.

Third is also very serious, you strip the threads.

And last is not as serious as 2 and 3 but more serious than 1, you break a bolt.

i was just asking becuase when i replaced my gasket all of the nuts stopped and couldn't be threaded anymore before i could apply too much torque on them. i didn't strip them by any means, but it must be setup so that you can only screw them so far down. pretty much idiot proof, except for me dropping that washer into the spark plug cylinder....doh!

M3k, you might want to put a one-way check valve on there instead. That way you will still pass emissions and when the intake becomes pressurized it will not be forced into the crankcase too. When you are running under vacuum, the ventilator can still do its thing. Which is to purge blowby gasses and any moisture that may have gotten in the crankcase.

M3K, Its leaking from the front. I went ahead and cranked them down a bit. So you think I should get rid of the silver filter PCV thing? I've got small oil drips on the floor of my garage, so I hope this will fix that problem. My poor car is falling apart!!!

BTW, when you torque the valve cover, you don't want to exceed the torque specs. Also, you should tighten the bolts like you tighten your tires, bolt 1 and then a bolt from the opposite side to torque it down evenly. You also have a couple of bolts below the spark plug coils. My suggestion would be to check your oil cap. My car registered a vacuum leak and it was the diam rubber gasket in the oil cap that needed replacing.

First of all the rms kit is not smog legal (i.e. carb certified)- second there are two lines going into the valve cover- the vacuum line (designed to pull pressure at idle) and the breather that allows the intake to draw air out of the crankcase at 0 boost- now that the engine is being force fed- the crankcase is being filled with positive crankcase pressure by means of the smaller vacuum line-also the large line receives a lot of blow by gases which are harmful to the intake (or at least not preferable). So to make things easier- let the larger hose hang out (no damage to motor or idle) and put a check valve (one way valve) on the vaccuum line (smaller) so that when you are boosting the crankcase doesnt see the pressure- good luck and hope this helps!

Oh yea check if there is sealant on the vanos (front area in your case?) take off the larger hose and put a check valve on the smaller one and your problems should be in the past!!!!

shoud I not have tightened up the bolts then? Should I loosen them up a bit, or is it too late? Does someone have torque specs in ft-lbs?

M3K: I think I lost you. I have my boost gauge tapped into the vacuum line. Not sure what the one way check valve is.

I'll just leave it as is, and not mess with it.

A check valve is a one way valve (can get at napa)- put it inline right before it goes into the valve cover so that the the vacuum is allowed to come out of the crank case but not inside the crank case- go pick up a check valve at napa and you'll see what i mean! You want the pressure to come out of the case and not into the cas!!!

hey chuck its kenny- 95 m3 who had somewhat software problems- huh weird my cousin told me i was u- call me if you need help- i got the software problem fixed and now i have headers and 3.5 inch exhaust! oh yea i made an ice box for the aftercooler (when i pack it full of ice the aftercooler is really cold!!)