BMW E46 3-Series DIY: Valve Cover Gasket Replacement

Originally Posted by edbubuli

BMW in N.J is quoting me for the VCG for $600.00!!!! I'll try to check Bimmer Clinic near Avanel...

Not surprised! Why not DIY?

Originally Posted by farukh

Not surprised! Why not DIY?

Yeah...probably you're right...I just don't want to mess up when it
comes to the engine...

Originally Posted by edbubuli

Yeah...probably you're right...I just don't want to mess up when it
comes to the engine...

Just follow the DIY carefully, ask questions if you have to-you'll be ok.

Originally Posted by Rickna

Just follow the DIY carefully, ask questions if you have to-you'll be ok.

Okay Thanks! I'll do that...

Originally Posted by edbubuli

Okay Thanks! I'll do that...

Yea! And make sure you have a torque wrench... Don't make my mistake (I actually made it 3 times in a row)

Did you have any oil up the sides of your plugs?I have it on one plug ,and will replace seals today.

Round two tomorrow. Hopefully the cover pops off this time...

Can't get the cover off for the life of me. It's stuck on there like glue. Any suggestions?

I was very delicate with a flathead screwdriver around the whole thing.

Maybe it will help if you assemble it back then start the engine and warm it up for a few minutes then disassemble it again. Just a thought.

Originally Posted by Amoeba

Can't get the cover off for the life of me. It's stuck on there like glue. Any suggestions?

My question might sound stupid, but did you remove all the screws/bolts?
Is it your first VCG replacement? Anyone did it before? Maybe they used the RTV? In that case, a flathead screwdriver will help.

Because the rubber gets brittle it you can free it near the oil fill hole and use that as your pull poin.

Originally Posted by Nyl777

Maybe it will help if you assemble it back then start the engine and warm it up for a few minutes then disassemble it again. Just a thought.

Originally Posted by farukh

My question might sound stupid, but did you remove all the screws/bolts?
Is it your first VCG replacement? Anyone did it before? Maybe they used the RTV? In that case, a flathead screwdriver will help.

+1 on both
Warm up the engine a little to make the rubber pliable.
Make sure you have all 15 capnuts out. Lift the VC straight up.
And use a small flat head slowly on the VC end, not the engine block end. You can easily replace the VC if scratched but the block is a whole different story.

After heating with hair dryer, I had to use a screw driver to slowly pry it up near the vacuum hose. After that Ianaged to get it off.

There were some minor superficial scratches on the block. Hope that's still okay.

Now I just have to get this friggin strut tower bar off.

Doing mine right now, and damn it was over due. Oil in all spark plugs took an hour to get the broken pieces of gasket out of the valve train. I do need help with one thing though. There is a strange whitish grease in the valve cover. It is also on the bottom of the oil cap. Here are a couple pics I took.







Anyone know what this is??

That could be the result of a moisture build up from the condensation of the oil from the engine since you have a leak or assuming you have one due to an old valve cover gasket. Heat builds up inside the engine when car is running or engine is idling then if there is a leak cold air outside gets inside your engine especially in your case (Minnesota, as what your profile states). Heat meets cold equals oil turning into a milky white stuff. Changing the VCG should address this issue.

Originally Posted by quiklilrex

There is a strange whitish grease in the valve cover. It is also on the bottom of the oil cap.

Anyone know what this is??

Definitely moisture contamination. Has that classic "cappacino" look. Hopefully, the other poster is right and it's from the leaky valve cover gasket. A more ominous possibility is engine coolant from something like a cracked head.

Clean all that stuff off, change the oil after you change the valve cover gasket, and check again in a few thousand miles for more whitish stuff. If more appears, you should be very concerned.

Also, check for signs of trouble in the coolant. Unexplained continual loss of coolant, engine oil in the coolant, ...

What's everyone's recommendations for the brand of valve cover gasket? Genuine BMW, Elring, Goetz, Victor Reinz?

For the RTV and the half moon placement, do you apply RTV to the sides of the U as shown in the previous pages or the sides + and U as shown on page 1?

I did my VCG and spark plugs about 10 months ago following this DIY. Used RTV in the mentioned places, however I have been smelling that burning smell again and when stopped on a hill smoke enters the cabin through the vents, just like before. This problem was solved. Should I just pop the cover and torque it down a little more?