Valve Cover Gaskets

[hinchcliffe]

Anybody out there have a procedure for replacing the valve cover gaskets on a '95 540i? Leaking pretty bad. Looks easy enough, but I'd thought I should ask first. Especially with the coils over the plugs and such. Any suggestions? Thanks all.

Curt
'95 BMW 540i 6-spd
'87 Porsche 928S4 5-spd

[Jake]

I recently removed the valve cover off mine and it's a no brainer. After that it's simply a matter of slapping in a new rubber seal. The ABS pump on the left hand side makes it a bit difficult, but no biggy. Just jump in head first on this job. I don't seem to remember any particular tricks.

HTH,
Jake Larsen

[Unregistered]

I just did the valve cover gasket on the right hand side of my 95 540i last month. The only "trick" was getting the cover off around some (metal, stiff) coolant lines. Just make sure you're keeping your eyes open for any scraping of the cover across the bolts, as I don't think metal shavings sprinkled on your camshafts are very desirable :-)

-- Shaun (too lazy to login)
1995 540i/6 - 79,000 miles

[tim s]

found the previous mech. over tightened the valve cover bolts & stripped the threads out of the cam caps. i ended up installing heli-coils. the previous mech. must have tightened the bolts to try to stop the leak. cheap & lazy i think. make sure you tighten to torque spec. you might want to replace the plug boots also.
tim s.

[632 Regal]

anyone have pics of this on the V8s?

[Jake]

anyone have pics of this on the V8s?

I have a ton of pics but I don't know where to host them. I've been meaning to put up a site for awhile but I just don't have the time. I can send them to you when I get home tonight if you like.

HTH,
Jake Larsen

[allankennedy]

I have a ton of pics but I don't know where to host them. I've been meaning to put up a site for awhile but I just don't have the time. I can send them to you when I get home tonight if you like.

HTH,
Jake Larsen

Hi Jake - I am just about to start stripping my M60 top end in a bid to cure the oil leak - some oics would be really useful if you could point to a site or send me some to allan@a14alk.fsnet.co.uk

thanks Allan Kennedy , Yorkshire England

[charlie]

I have a ton of pics but I don't know where to host them. I've been meaning to put up a site for awhile but I just don't have the time. I can send them to you when I get home tonight if you like.

HTH,
Jake Larsen

try hosting them on snapfish.com real easy and free too!

[Phil M]

or photobucket.com, easy and free as well.

[Super90]

A few notes on this. First, make sure your covers are flat. Take them off and hold them against a sheet of glass or other "perferctly" flat surface and check them. If they are not flat, have them milled.

Second, following my indy's good advice, I used some Permatex Anerobic Gasket Sealant on both sides of the rubber gasket. A thin bead is all that's needed, don't go overboard. I had already replaced them dry and it wasn't 20k mi. before they were leaking again. And then the next time too. The Permatex is the latest effort in fixing this issue. Shop around for it because it ranges in price from about $6 a tube to $15 a tube and you will need two tubes of it.

Third, when you put them back on, torque everything to 10Nm. This is a really light torque. I have an "Inch-Pounds" torque wrench for things like this. Unequal torquing will lead to leaking and/or warping.

I would make the effort to do this the best you can, or you WILL be back in there again soon. I have learned all this the hard way.

Search the archives for a writeup that I posted a while back on the M60 valve cover gaskets. Or if you don't find it, ping me directly and I'll send it to you once I get back to the house.