Valve cover gasket DIY

Any good substitutes for drei bond?

pbonsalb wrote

Any good substitutes for drei bond?

Permatex ultra black

I did the job over the weekend. Used Permatex black on the vanos cover to head seams in the front. Put the new bolts in the valve covers to help hold the gaskets in place. Replaced the spark plug tubes since this is the time to do it.

Left my plugs since they were new last year.

Changed the thermostat. Replaced the 4 o-rings on the metal tubes.

Also changed my belts and the offset idler pulley.

Will probably change the water pump and pulley, ignition coils, p/s reservoir, and tensioners/pulleys next year as preventative maintenance.

I over maintain my cars rather than wait until something breaks, though that still happens sometimes.

DIY went fine. There are also a couple of utube DIYs for those who like watching first.

pbonsalb wrote

I did the job over the weekend. Used Permatex black on the vanos cover to head seams in the front. Put the new bolts in the valve covers to help hold the gaskets in place. Replaced the spark plug tubes since this is the time to do it.

Left my plugs since they were new last year.

Changed the thermostat. Replaced the 4 o-rings on the metal tubes.

Also changed my belts and the offset idler pulley.

Will probably change the water pump and pulley, ignition coils, p/s reservoir, and tensioners/pulleys next year as preventative maintenance.

I over maintain my cars rather than wait until something breaks, though that still happens sometimes.

DIY went fine. There are also a couple of utube DIYs for those who like watching first.

What metal tubes are you referring to? Do you have a part number for the O-Rings?

Thanks!

The o-rings were for the thermostat not the valve cover. There are two metal connector tubes about 2” long that go into the firewall side of the thermostat housing. You will see 2 of the o-rings and if you pull the connector pipes out of the metal tubes, you will see 2 more o-rings. The part numbers are in the thermostat DIY.

For the valve cover screws, can't we just replace the rubber grommets?

https://www.ecstuning.com/b-genuine-bmw-parts/rubber-grommet/11127501588/

da jemster wrote

For the valve cover screws, can't we just replace the rubber grommets?

https://www.ecstuning.com/b-genuine-bmw-parts/rubber-grommet/11127501588/

No those are the grommets for the ignition cover..

SAMM3Y wrote

No those are the grommets for the ignition cover..

Thx !!

Nihilation wrote

Valve cover gasket DIY video, just as promised:

Thanks for making this video!

A few tips:
* When peeling off the OEM stickers off the spark plug tubes, use a hair dryer to heat them up and you won't be left with any residual adhesive to deal with
* The passenger side can be easily be retracted by somersaulting it. Whilst one person holding the unmounted coolant reservoir to give clearance off the coolant hoses, lift end of the valve cover closest to the firewall and let it somersault/tumble towards you/front of the car. This way, you don't have to deal with trying to snake it under the coolant hose and by somersaulting/tumbling it, the spark plug tubes are not a hindrance.
* Even with my E46, I've always used OEM gaskets. I tried once the Delrin and it wouldn't stay in place in the groves like OEM. I never have to use any RTV to hold it in place as it fits like a glove compared to non-OEM replacement ones.

I'd brag how my valve glistens and post my pics but when celebrating my accomplishment, the wife accidentally spilled her drink on my phone and now the screen is non-responsive. :-(

Does anyone have a picture of how the grounds are supposed to go back on the valve covers?

pbonsalb wrote

Any good substitutes for drei bond?

RTV black would be my second choice.

For those who are looking to buy Drei-bond, it can be expensive for what it is. But I have found RM to be the cheapest: https://www.rmeuropean.com/Products/07589062376-MFG976.aspx

I used Permatex Black and have had no issues since installation 20k+ miles ago

Just did this DIY a week or two ago, new gaskets, sparkplugs, spark plug pipes and bolts. Used Permatex Black. I’m not sure that we need to replace the valve cover bolts. Really expensive for peace of mind. ...but I have no leaks so far.
Biggest problem is getting air box off and valve covers. Required a lot more effort than I thought. Used trim tool to pry them off.

Did you guys apply sealant to the top and bottom of the spark plug tubes? I did the gasket job a year ago, but notices sweat at the usual corners and the cylinder 1 plug cavity was filled with oil... Going to try it again with the replacement of the actual covers this time thinking possibly that they’re warped, but it was weird to me that the spark plug tubes had no rubber gaskets. Just the plastic construction.

Goalient31 wrote

Did you guys apply sealant to the top and bottom of the spark plug tubes? I did the gasket job a year ago, but notices sweat at the usual corners and the cylinder 1 plug cavity was filled with oil... Going to try it again with the replacement of the actual covers this time thinking possibly that they’re warped, but it was weird to me that the spark plug tubes had no rubber gaskets. Just the plastic construction.

I lightly coated the top and bottom seal of the spark plug tubes per TIS. It is possible your valve covers are warped..

Johal E32 wrote

I lightly coated the top and bottom seal of the spark plug tubes per TIS. It is possible your valve covers are warped..

What product did you use to coat the spark plugs tubes?

MPower7 wrote

What product did you use to coat the spark plugs tubes?

Engine oil

I'm replacing my valve covers after several years of peeling, which has spread internally. Oh yeah they are leaking too...forgot about that.

Real quick question. I see several mentions of the torque being 10nm for the cover bolts. TIS lists them as 6nm on the M6 bolts. Did something change? Am I getting bad info off the TIS page?


Fit cylinder head cover.
Align spark plug tubes.
Tighten down all mounting elements in diagonal sequence from inside outwards.
Tightening torque: 11 12 8 AZ.

8AZ
Decoupling adapter screw to cylinder head cover.
S65 M6 6 Nm


So maybe I'm asking a dumb question here, but is it 10nm or 6nm?
Thanks &
Cheers,
TX

TX wrote

I'm replacing my valve covers after several years of peeling, which has spread internally. Oh yeah they are leaking too...forgot about that.

Real quick question. I see several mentions of the torque being 10nm for the cover bolts. TIS lists them as 6nm on the M6 bolts. Did something change? Am I getting bad info off the TIS page?


Fit cylinder head cover.
Align spark plug tubes.
Tighten down all mounting elements in diagonal sequence from inside outwards.
Tightening torque: 11 12 8 AZ.

8AZ
Decoupling adapter screw to cylinder head cover.
S65 M6 6 Nm


So maybe I'm asking a dumb question here, but is it 10nm or 6nm?
Thanks &
Cheers,
TX

Im literally doing this right now. I’m using 10nm or 85 inch-lbs.

Has anyone done this themselves? or is this a 2-person job?

LPM3 wrote

Has anyone done this themselves?

I had a little help. Absolutely could have done it myself, but the help was nice.

LPM3 wrote

Has anyone done this themselves? or is this a 2-person job?

I'm trying to do it currently by myself. So far I'm stuck getting the valve cover to actually release from the head. I don't want to use a pry bar as shown in the video diy. An extra set of hands would help for moving wires/hoses out of the way and tool changes.