Reply With Quotesounds like cosmoline. not completely sure on what it is, but its not going to hurt anything. mine has it too
m30 valve cover, stained
Hey folks, my 90 valve cover (and most of the engine bay) is covered in what seems to be dried up oil. If i try to scrape it off with a screwdriver, it seems to come out in flakes. Is this a common problem on these cars?
my former 208k 89 535i had the same issue, but i wrote it off because it had 208k. this current car has 108k. and it's a 1990.
Any advice?
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1990 535iA Glacier Blue Metallic 114k
Big, Big Time Poster
sounds like cosmoline. not completely sure on what it is, but its not going to hurt anything. mine has it too
2 Grand Master
Its cosmoline.
Lowered with blue h&r(?) springs, Bilsteins, tint, 19# design 3 injectors, Dual Magnaflow
southwest WA
Grand Master
If you take the cover off the engine...
..commercial paint stripper will remove the cosmoline. You can also have it dipped and bead blasted at the local machine shop...
..if it bothers you..
Bellevue WA
90 535iM - not much stock remains. 3.7 liters, ported head, cammed, 3.73 diffy, M5 brakes, MAFed, yadda yadda yadda
86 Porsche 951 - Track Toy
Major Contributor
anti corrosive paste that was on the aluminum to prevent it from getting all furry on the trip across the ocean from the father land.
Derek A.
90 535i 5 Speed - Style 5 17"
2 Grand Master
I would be quite surprised if paint stripper removed it.Originally Posted by Jeff N.
Lowered with blue h&r(?) springs, Bilsteins, tint, 19# design 3 injectors, Dual Magnaflow
southwest WA
Got mine clean with brake cleaner.
Major Contributor
As mentioned before, its probably cosmoline. Your intake manifold is likely covered in the stuff as well. You can really improve the look of the engine by painting the valve cover. When I did mine, I used an abrasive attachment in a drill to clean off the cover. Then I just used high-heat engine primer and paint. There are a variety of finishes you can get ranging from crinkle-paint to smooth clear-coated appearance too. I went with a simple matte black finish and its still holding up well after almost two years.
2 Grand Master
http://www.bimmer.info/forum/showthread.php?t=17365
Lowered with blue h&r(?) springs, Bilsteins, tint, 19# design 3 injectors, Dual Magnaflow
southwest WA
Major Contributor
carb cleaner works extremely well also
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