Has anyone replaced the valve cover gasket on their M5? I have some oil collected on both sides in the spark plug recessed area. Per this board, the claim is that the valve covers are leaking. As I am a DIY, I want to do this myself. I have the Bentley E39 book and on the 4.4 it seems faily easy although it doesn't really give great instructions. Looking for someone who may have done it themselves and can provide some tips. The car is still under warrantee, but I doubt that the gaskets are covered.
I just had my level 2 done at a local shop, they noticed the same thing, called the dealer (mine is cpo w/60K) and they said they would fix under warantee.
Taking it in on the 20th so we will see.
Quote:
Originally Posted by JohnL
Has anyone replaced the valve cover gasket on their M5? I have some oil collected on both sides in the spark plug recessed area. Per this board, the claim is that the valve covers are leaking. As I am a DIY, I want to do this myself. I have the Bentley E39 book and on the 4.4 it seems faily easy although it doesn't really give great instructions. Looking for someone who may have done it themselves and can provide some tips. The car is still under warrantee, but I doubt that the gaskets are covered.
Has anyone replaced the valve cover gasket on their M5? I have some oil collected on both sides in the spark plug recessed area. Per this board, the claim is that the valve covers are leaking. As I am a DIY, I want to do this myself. I have the Bentley E39 book and on the 4.4 it seems faily easy although it doesn't really give great instructions. Looking for someone who may have done it themselves and can provide some tips. The car is still under warrantee, but I doubt that the gaskets are covered.
If you still have warranty coverage, you might investigate whether your valve cover gaskets are covered. I would consult the BMW dealer AND BMWNA. The gaskets should not be failing already. Be advised that crankcase breather system malfunctions are causing gaskets to prematurely fail on some recent BMW V8 cars & SUV's. In these cases, the breather needs fixed before looking into gaskets.
My guess is the M5 gasket job is a lot different than 540i. The valve cover gasket tech tips are for older, simpler pre-Vanos cars.
I just had my level 2 done at a local shop, they noticed the same thing, called the dealer (mine is cpo w/60K) and they said they would fix under warantee.
someone did post a diy writeup of this a while back, might be worth doing a search. then again, if you're under warranty, let them fix it... cpo does cover oil leaks, and of course the original new car warranty would too, if you're still covered. I remember that you need to get the plenum off for clearance, but after that, it's just remove and reinstall.
Mike
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Mike
91 M5 Alpine White II, Silver Gray 3/90 production
17x8/17x9 M system with PS2, 20mm touring roll bar; Ground Control Coilovers; EAT Chip, CD43; bmw/nardi blackline steering wheel, 3.8 Cam Gears
08 535i / 6 speed
Space Gray; Gray; Sport/Premium/Nav
00 M5 Ti Silver; Imola/black sportiv --Sold
Engine:
Supersprint Headers, Dinan CAI kit and MAFS, Throttle Bodies, Cams, Ported heads, Exhaust, Custom dinan software, Evosport Pullies, Dinan clutch and lightened flywheel; Ignition solutions plasma coils
Suspension:
Dinan Stage 3 with front and rear Strut Tower Braces, Beastpower Sway bar brackets, Dinan Wheels with 275/285 PilotSport, X5 Thrust arm bushings, Stoptech 355mm 4 piston front, 355mm 2 piston rear brake kit, Dinan 3.45 diff
Interior/Misc:
Eurodash, updated steering wheel, Bluetooth retrofit, Sirius Retrofit, hardwired V1, Widescreen Mk4 nav, M audio retrofit, Ice Link, BSW Stage 1 speaker upgrade, bmw towbar
The process to replace the VC gaskets is very straightforward. Certainly if you can have BMW pick up the tab by all means however if you find yourself having to pull the tools out I will gladly walk you through it. A small assortment of tools, a hot or cold drink, a couple hours and your gal will be fit as a fiddle.
It looks like a more difficult project than it is....... on a scale of 1-10 I would place this as a 4.......... average mechanic with basic tools will perform this task just fine.
The process to replace the VC gaskets is very straightforward. Certainly if you can have BMW pick up the tab by all means however if you find yourself having to pull the tools out I will gladly walk you through it. A small assortment of tools, a hot or cold drink, a couple hours and your gal will be fit as a fiddle.
It looks like a more difficult project than it is....... on a scale of 1-10 I would place this as a 4.......... average mechanic with basic tools will perform this task just fine.
Take care.
Shadowman
Shadowman,
Thanks for the offer. I've changed many VC gaskets myself, just looking to make sure that BMW hasn't done something to make this harder than it should be. I'll probably check with the dealer and if they don't cover it, I'll do it myself and probably send you an email for tips.
Anyone DIY for the valve cover gaskets?
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