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Thread: leaking valve cover gasket

  1. #1
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    leaking valve cover gasket

    [2004 Z4 3.0 with 73,000 miles] I suspect I have a leaking valve cover gasket. Sometimes I detect the smell of hot/burnt oil when sitting at an intersection with the windows or top down and also sometimes after parking the car. Looking in the engine compartment, I see signs of a little bit of oil leakage on what looks like a heat shield over the exhaust manifold (see photo). There is not enough of a leak to leave any oil spots on the ground or to cause any noticeable drop in oil level on the dipstick over 5000 miles. But I think I will replace the valve cover gasket nonetheless.

    Here's my question: should I also replace all the VANOS seals while I have things disassembled? I'm not having any problems that would lead me to replace the seals but I expect it might be about time to do this as a preventive maintenance measure. Is there anything else I should consider doing while I have things torn apart? Thanks.
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  2. #2
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    When you replace the gasket, be careful when tightening everything. There's a plastic piece that cracks easily. My mechanic in Dallas managed to crack it.

  3. #3
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    Just replace the gasket and be done. But you also have to replace the sealing grommets as well or it will leak again. You need 15 of them. I wouldn't worry about anything with your VANOS.

    And Gigtime, I'm not sure what your mechanic cracked. I've done probably hundreds over the years and have never cracked one.
    ASE and BMW Master Certified Technician

  4. #4
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    I have the same issue, in fact your pic could have been taken in my car. But what are the torque specs for the valve cover bolts? All I see is hand tighten without preloading in a crosswise manner from the center. Its what I hate about TIS, vague and incomplete.

  5. #5
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    According to this at e46fanatics the valve cover fastener torque is 7.5 ft-lb (which isn't much):

    http://www.e46fanatics.com/pdf/2001_...eplacement.pdf

  6. #6
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    Quote Originally Posted by White94RX View Post
    And Gigtime, I'm not sure what your mechanic cracked. I've done probably hundreds over the years and have never cracked one.
    He cracked the valve cover. It's being replaced right now.

  7. #7
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    Make sure you use sealant on the new gasket.

  8. #8
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    I just picked up the gasket set and sealing grommets. $52.52 out the door at the local dealer.

    Regarding the sealant, is high temperature RTV the appropriate choice? And what is the recommended way to apply it? All around on both top and bottom, or just in a few select places (the half-moon shaped parts)?
    Last edited by sgd98; 12-30-2011 at 01:38 PM.

  9. #9
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    I just finished the job. It was not too difficult. The hardest part was pulling the valve cover off once I had all the fasteners removed. It was stuck pretty tightly but I just kept applying pressure using a flat-blade screwdriver at the front corner where there was a tab that seemed like it might be designed for just that. Eventually I was able to free it. I thoroughly cleaned things up and installed the new gasket set and grommets. I applied just a little RTV at the corners of the half-moon cutouts and at the seam where the VANOS and head join.

    The old gasket was rather hard and the spark plug gaskets were extremely brittle. I guess that heat takes its toll. I suppose I should schedule the next replacement in another 75,000 miles or so.

  10. #10
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    A rubber mallet really helps when removing the valve cover once all the fasteners are out. I couldn't bring myself to wedge a screwdriver under there for fear of damaging either the head or the valve cover. Take a rubber mallet and give a few solid thumps around the corners of the valve cover - it will pop right off.

    You're also right on regarding the RTV sealant. It's not required everywhere - corners and around the VANOS are sufficient.

  11. #11
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    Got mine back after getting the valve cover gasket and oil filter housing gasket leaks fixed. One thing my mechanic mentioned regarding the somewhat fragile plastic pieces is that they make sure and warm the car up before the job so the plastic is less brittle. He also told me there's more than one gasket under there that needs to be replaced. The mechanic in Dallas that cracked the cover only replaced the main one on the outside.

  12. #12
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    Quote Originally Posted by Gigtime View Post
    Got mine back after getting the valve cover gasket and oil filter housing gasket leaks fixed. One thing my mechanic mentioned regarding the somewhat fragile plastic pieces is that they make sure and warm the car up before the job so the plastic is less brittle. He also told me there's more than one gasket under there that needs to be replaced. The mechanic in Dallas that cracked the cover only replaced the main one on the outside.
    Curious as to what other gasket is in there. Did he mention anything specific? The diagram from RealOem only shows the one gasket under the Valve cover.
    http://www.realoem.com/bmw/showparts...72&hg=11&fg=15

  13. #13
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    The main gasket came as a set with two other gaskets that seal around the spark plugs. Each spark plug gasket seals around 3 of the plugs. As shown in realoem I think the part number for the set of three gaskets is 11120030496. If you look at that part number, you can see in the diagram that it is trying to point to three parts. But the pointer lines aren't quite right. The spark plug gaskets definitely needed replacement in my case. The old ones were very brittle and broke into pieces when I removed them. The new ones were nice and flexible. I also replaced the 15 rubber seals (PN 11121437395) that surround each valve cover bolt. Those were a separately purchased item, not included in the gasket set.

  14. #14
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    Quote Originally Posted by Stromtech View Post
    Curious as to what other gasket is in there. Did he mention anything specific? The diagram from RealOem only shows the one gasket under the Valve cover.
    http://www.realoem.com/bmw/showparts...72&hg=11&fg=15
    I imagine the same as sgd98 describes. Looking at my service ticket under parts, I only see the Oil filter adapter housing gasket (I had a leak there, too) and the valve cover itself so maybe the new valve cover comes with a gasket set. It was part number 11127512839.

  15. #15
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    Quote Originally Posted by sgd98 View Post
    The main gasket came as a set with two other gaskets that seal around the spark plugs. Each spark plug gasket seals around 3 of the plugs. As shown in realoem I think the part number for the set of three gaskets is 11120030496. If you look at that part number, you can see in the diagram that it is trying to point to three parts. But the pointer lines aren't quite right. The spark plug gaskets definitely needed replacement in my case. The old ones were very brittle and broke into pieces when I removed them. The new ones were nice and flexible. I also replaced the 15 rubber seals (PN 11121437395) that surround each valve cover bolt. Those were a separately purchased item, not included in the gasket set.
    Thanks for explaining...I never would have guessed from the picture

    Quote Originally Posted by Gigtime View Post
    I imagine the same as sgd98 describes. Looking at my service ticket under parts, I only see the Oil filter adapter housing gasket (I had a leak there, too) and the valve cover itself so maybe the new valve cover comes with a gasket set. It was part number 11127512839.
    Thanks...
    Last edited by Stromtech; 01-06-2012 at 04:55 PM. Reason: Automerged Doublepost

  16. #16
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    This is so dangerous, don’t take any risk you should use the electric tap so you can easily cover the leak and if you are not able to find it so please call the specialist.
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  17. #17
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    Quote Originally Posted by gaurav2289 View Post
    This is so dangerous, don’t take any risk you should use the electric tap so you can easily cover the leak and if you are not able to find it so please call the specialist.
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    What are you talking about? I do not understand.

    What is 'so dangerous'?
    You all never seem to have enough time to do the job properly the first time, but you always seem to find the time to do it a second time......... ME

  18. #18
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    Yeah, you should also replace the VANOS seals when you dissamble other things.

    Leak Detection

  19. #19
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    All you need to replace is the rocker cover gasket set,which includes the spark plug seals.The bolt seals also needs replacement,it is not necessary to replace the vanos seals.

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