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      01-14-2018, 03:16 PM   #23
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You guys didn't take any photos to make a DIY ?

tisk tisk!
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      01-14-2018, 07:01 PM   #24
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      02-27-2019, 07:09 PM   #25
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I didn't want to start an entire thread for this so i thought id check here first. So im in the middle of this very unpleasant job, mostly because its -10°C in an unheated garage, but i have maybe stumbled upon a problem. Im on figure 20 (https://www.pelicanparts.com/BMW/tec...eplacement.htm) and my centre bolt came out perfectly fine, the right one the entire stud unscrewed but wont fully comeout? And the left one is caked in shit and real tough to spin? Any advice?
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      02-28-2019, 09:16 AM   #26
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The one that unscrewed but didn't come out, that's the design of the bolt, I had the same things, it's not an issue.....the one that is caked in you have to get creative....i am not sure if it will work but maybe try break parts cleaner, it might help break it loose , but first put jam some papertowel around the bolt to minimize the cleaner splashing around.
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      02-28-2019, 09:55 AM   #27
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Originally Posted by SayHack View Post
The one that unscrewed but didn't come out, that's the design of the bolt, I had the same things, it's not an issue.....the one that is caked in you have to get creative....i am not sure if it will work but maybe try break parts cleaner, it might help break it loose , but first put jam some papertowel around the bolt to minimize the cleaner splashing around.
Thanks wasn't sure at first because i saw a video of someone pull theirs straight out. As for the other one, i may just try the old impact on it :

Edit: didn't get to try impact it just snapped in half with a ratchet
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      02-28-2019, 02:07 PM   #28
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Originally Posted by 519.E82 View Post
Thanks wasn't sure at first because i saw a video of someone pull theirs straight out. As for the other one, i may just try the old impact on it :

Edit: didn't get to try impact it just snapped in half with a ratchet

so it snapped but it's loose right? in other words, you're good right, just need a new replacement bolt ?
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      02-28-2019, 02:09 PM   #29
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Quote:
Originally Posted by 519.E82 View Post
Thanks wasn't sure at first because i saw a video of someone pull theirs straight out. As for the other one, i may just try the old impact on it :

Edit: didn't get to try impact it just snapped in half with a ratchet

so it snapped but it's loose right? in other words, you're good right, just need a new replacement bolt ?
I assume im good cause the top half snapped off? Idk haven't got to finished cause i dropped my ujoint and can't find it so went to buy a new one and all the stores have no power so im just fucked at the moment. I guess try again tomorrow
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      02-28-2019, 02:35 PM   #30
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Originally Posted by 519.E82 View Post
I assume im good cause the top half snapped off? Idk haven't got to finished cause i dropped my ujoint and can't find it so went to buy a new one and all the stores have no power so im just fucked at the moment. I guess try again tomorrow

It's all right man. Happens to the best of us lol......just a heads up, once everything is loose, removing the valve cover is little annoying and requires patience due to limited spacing, just make sure you don't lose it like me haha. It not hard, just tedious ....similarely when installing it back

Last edited by SayHack; 02-28-2019 at 02:41 PM..
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      03-22-2019, 08:04 AM   #31
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Quote:
Originally Posted by SayHack View Post
Quote:
Originally Posted by 519.E82 View Post
I assume im good cause the top half snapped off? Idk haven't got to finished cause i dropped my ujoint and can't find it so went to buy a new one and all the stores have no power so im just fucked at the moment. I guess try again tomorrow

It's all right man. Happens to the best of us lol......just a heads up, once everything is loose, removing the valve cover is little annoying and requires patience due to limited spacing, just make sure you don't lose it like me haha. It not hard, just tedious ....similarely when installing it back
I'm assuming the job is complete at this point it for anyone reading, the real pain comes when you're putting the cover back on and the new gasket falls out of the grooves and ends up catching on crap and twisting up under after you start tightening everything down....and only THEN do you realize you have to take the cover off again. Good luck to all!!!
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      12-31-2019, 10:52 AM   #32
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Originally Posted by ray-ray89 View Post
Anyone has link or instruction manual to replace the valve cover gasket? I want to do it myself but idk how tedious the work is. Thanks in advance!
I know this forum was 2 years ago but on YouTube "BMW Fanatic" has the best diys and I've learned alit from his vids
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      05-16-2021, 11:33 PM   #33
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So I'm half done with this vcg job.

As everyone says it's a PITA, I expected it to be tedious, but I was not prepared for how tedious it would be. There is literally no room behind the valve cover and it makes getting last three bolts a nightmare, even with an assortment of u joint and wobble extensions etc. I honestly believe it would be easier to pull the engine and Tranny out of the car and change the gasket than it is to do it while in there. I watched the fcp euro video on changing this and there's a hell of a lot more room in the x3 than in the e82/88 (shocking I know) but nonetheless be prepared for a lot of knuckle scraping, swearing, and in general questioning why the f*ck bmw In all their wisdom chose to do certain things like have all the wires and cables run directly over the engine instead of behind, have a valve cover that is impossible to get out and put back in, in any reasonable amount of time.

With that being said, some things that should help people in the future. Remove the metal bracket on the VC that the vanity cover blots it, I think it's two t30 torx in the back passanger side of the engine, also remove the weather stripping below the mirror, this helps things a bit. Otherwise best of luck, it's not a fun job
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      05-19-2021, 11:28 AM   #34
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Quote:
Originally Posted by ///Makis View Post
As everyone says it's a PITA, I expected it to be tedious, but I was not prepared for how tedious it would be. There is literally no room behind the valve cover and it makes getting last three bolts a nightmare, even with an assortment of u joint and wobble extensions etc. I honestly believe it would be easier to pull the engine and Tranny out of the car and change the gasket than it is to do it while in there.
I got mine in without too much trouble, but I had my wife pulling on the cowl to give me a little more room. I also have close to $500 invested just in 1/4" ratchet tools and extensions so that made it a little easier too. I honestly don't think it would be much trouble to pull the cowl off. You need to remove the wipers and then I think it will pretty much pull down and off. With that gone, you should have easy access to the rear three screws. If I ever do my VCG again, that's what I'm going to try. If I'm right, it will only take around 30 minutes and greatly reduce the frustration and swearing involved.
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      05-19-2021, 07:18 PM   #35
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From an e90post thread....


5 - I truly don't understand how people get the valve cover back onto the head without creating extra clearance in some way. I personally found (my brother gave me the advice) that loosening the transmission mounts and jacking up the transmission a few inches pivots the entire motor forward and down around the engine mounts giving that extra inch or so you need. It's just two nuts and a jack, I really think it's worth doing so you can be extra sure the VCG didnt roll or get pinched. I couldn't even get the valve cover back in on mine at first, then i jacked the transmission and got the cover in first try. Also it gives the valve cover bolts more room to be tightened.

Worked like a charm.
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      05-20-2021, 04:13 PM   #36
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Remove the passenger wiper arm and the plastic scuttle piece that the wiper is trapping in place. You'll now have all the room you need to get the VC in and out.

Been there 3 times. 1st time took a couple of hours of fiddling, cursing, and internet searching. Next 2 times were a snap.

You will need some sort of puller to get the arm off. Cheap tool at any autoparts place.

This will also give you easier access to the 3 bolts at the back of the VC.
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      09-16-2021, 12:05 PM   #37
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Quote:
Originally Posted by drwillb View Post
Remove the passenger wiper arm and the plastic scuttle piece that the wiper is trapping in place. You'll now have all the room you need to get the VC in and out.

Been there 3 times. 1st time took a couple of hours of fiddling, cursing, and internet searching. Next 2 times were a snap.

You will need some sort of puller to get the arm off. Cheap tool at any autoparts place.

This will also give you easier access to the 3 bolts at the back of the VC.
Doing the vcg now and at the point of removing it and I’m stuck. I get so close to getting it out, banging into a bunch of stuff I don’t want to touch in the head, only to find out I’m still stuck and then put the cover back on.

I know removing the plastic under the wiper will give me the clearance I need but not sure how it comes off. I have the passenger wiper off already and can push it up just enough to give me enough clearance to trick me into thinking I have room, but I don’t.

Any tips on how to get that black plastic trim under the wiper arms off?

Anyone have any other tips to get clearance to remove the valve cover?

Thanks,
Houtan

Edit: OK I figured out how to remove the black plastic thing under the wiper it literally just slides down and then you can push it up. I will take a picture later and also report back if that gave me enough room to remove the valve cover

Edit 2: that was the trick! I don’t see how you can do the job without slipping off the scuttle piece. @drwillb, thanks for the tip.

Here are some pictures of how the scuttle piece comes off and how much space you gain.

Edit 3: she’s finally back on, but not without some additional steps. So there was enough room to remove the valve cover, but it wasn’t a very smooth removal. You still had to muscle the valve cover to get it out due to the right clearance on the firewall side. I tried to reinstall and very quickly it was clear I was going to fail. It was just too tight on the firewall side , and even if I could force the valve cover through, the gasket would just fall off.

So I removed the drivers side suspension brace and the plastic piece on the firewall that the go through (pic below). Now I had even more room and it was just enough to slip the valve cover in. But, every time I got the valve cover on the head, the gasket would fall out. Complete opposite of when I see this step on YouTube, where magically the gasket stays in place while the valve cover is bang around on remount. I tried and failed four or five times. Then purchased some permatex gasket tack. Unfortunately that didn’t hold. So I googled some more and found a random post where using sewing thread was recommended. I was ready to try anything, so I grabbed some thread, and it worked perfectly!!! I just tied thread in a few locations, mostly on the firewall side because it’s hard to reach once the valve cover is on. Then once I had everything in place, I cut each thread one by one and slightly pulled up on the valve cover to remove each thread. (Pics below).

Also, I had no issues with the three center gaskets. They stayed right in place.

Finally, I was using an OE gasket. Not sure if OEM versions fit more snug.

Overall, not a super difficult job. Hardest part for me was removing and installing the valve cover. Hopefully this helps the next person.

Edit 4: sorry, one more thing. This is mentioned by @drwillb in the e90 thread but I missed it and it’s 1er specific so I thought it would be useful where. There is one more nut that can be seen through the ac filter hole that is under the scuttle piece. Removing that will allow the last piece in the way to move up as well giving you tons of room. I did it without removing it which required some force and it clicked in my head after I was done that I should have removed the nut. Picture below.

Also added install instructions and torque values I used from ista.
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File Type: pdf Cylinder head cover removal.pdf (678.3 KB, 66 views)
File Type: pdf Cylinder head cover torque values.pdf (276.1 KB, 84 views)
File Type: pdf High pressure rail removal.pdf (547.1 KB, 50 views)
File Type: pdf Pressure line removal.pdf (671.9 KB, 68 views)
File Type: pdf Pressure line torque values.pdf (277.2 KB, 65 views)

Last edited by houtan; 09-20-2021 at 08:29 PM..
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      10-05-2021, 10:19 PM   #38
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YouTube for the save

I just swapped mine out this weekend. It's very doable, but it is a tedious job. I had this video up on my shop TV, and it goes step by step. Even includes bolt/socket sizes and torque specs.

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      02-11-2022, 06:48 PM   #39
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Bumping this shit because super valuable thread. I am doing this job right now and wish I had looked at this thread before.

If you have a 135i with N55 - you cannot realistically get the valve cover off without removing the windshield wiper stuff. I literally cannot fathom how you'd get it off otherwise. There are hardlines and all kinds of stuff in the way that *cannot* be moved.

Mine was practically welded on as well. Feel free to push hard on the mother F'er. I spent probably an hour trying to loosen bolts over and over and thinking, "Why isn't it coming off!? They said it should come off easily..." Gave up and just started prying on it. It came off easily once I did that.

Ooph. This job is terrible.
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      02-13-2022, 02:11 PM   #40
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Welp. I'm near the end reinstalling everything. Two screws fell to their doom in the engine bay. Only way to get them out is by lifting the car and removing the bottom cover - can't do it though because car is too low to slide a jack under... So have to normally walk it over some 2x4s and then jack it up. So, that sucks.

And then now I'm stuck with this T25-ish screw that I can't figure out for the life of me where it goes... and this 10mm(x30mm?) black coarse threaded bolt. :| Yikes.
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      02-13-2022, 02:52 PM   #41
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Post pictures of the screw and maybe we can figure it out

If the black screw is a 10mm, it may be the one for the intake mount on the valve cover
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      02-14-2022, 02:51 PM   #42
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Yeah, it was the intake mount that bolts through the plastic rail used for the coils and into the valve cover.

I figured out where the extra screws were from too. They were for the sensor that goes into that intake part as well. However, I goofed and mixed up screws. Ended up having two different size screws going back into it. Whatever. As long as it all is snug enough - I don't think it really matters. Everything was a tight fit regardless of what screw size I ended up using.

It'll be a few days before I can definitively say if the leaks are gone. Gotta burn the residual oil off. (Did some of that by letting the car just sit and warm up but that oil takes a while to burn and makes a lot of smoke from just a few drops...)
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      01-01-2023, 11:02 PM   #43
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Reviving this because I just did this a few days ago and here are some key points I learned along the way:

- don’t rush. Take your time to completely remove all plastic coweling that you can remove. If you feel it’s necessary to take off the passenger wiper or whatever else, then do so. I didn’t need to. Make sure all bolts are completely off the threads. If the VC isn’t coming off easily, then you likely forgot a bolt. The objective is to be able to vertically remove and replace the valve cover in a clean sweep motion. Why? Check next bullet point.

- triple and quadruple check that you didn’t let the gasket roll when re-installing the valve cover!! It’s very easy for it to roll. It helps to use a MINOR AMOUNT of silicone sealant or gasket maker on the corners and on the half moons to keep the gasket in place once the valve cover itself is right side up for re-installment.

-those back 3 bolts will make you hate your life. Use extensions and swivel sockets. Once again, don’t rush. When torquing down, you’ll need to go by feel on those last 3. I personally, for my own piece of mind, torqued those back 3 bolts down a little more that I felt was necessary to really ensure the gasket won’t leak in that PITA area.

-make sure the mating surfaces are pristine. This is common sense.

- triple and quadruple check ALL bolts are torqued. I missed a few when I double checked. I went in a cross pattern or whatever just seemed intuitive. But for real, make sure they’re all torqued (I believe 6 ft lb, it really isn’t much).

-lastly, this is the type of job where it’s ideal to do everything possible while you’re in there. I did this job originally for my clicking valvetronic motor. While I was in there, I replaced the plugs and the gasket.

Once everything is buttoned up, start it up and monitor for leaks like your life depends on it. You might have residual oil left on your exhaust if your VCG was leaking, so you might expect to still smell some burning oil for a bit.

It’s absolutely a tedious job, but it’s doable. I really do think that even the most talented mechanic should take his/her time on this especially to prevent the gasket from rolling when installing.

The valve cover is not something to disturb. Don’t anger it. If the gasket isn’t leaking, don’t bother it. Walk away and have a nice day.
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