BMW M54 Valve Cover Gasket Replacement DIY

[@beaglewso]

Great video, thanks for putting this together. Found an E46 with the M54 locally that needs this done after purchase and now I feel 100% confident to tackle it.

[@hdizzly]

Thanks so much for these excellent walkthroughs! Still using them in 2020.

[@bidenisgod6978]

Everyone forgets they used the m54 in the e60 for a bit

[@Viperoloff]

Thanks guy's doing my e46 330i on the weekend. Car has 161,000kms(just over 100k miles) on it and i smelled oil burning the other day. Saw it is leaking on the back. Had to recap as it was a few years since i did my mom's e36 328i which at the time had 285,000kms (180k miles) on it. That gasket was the first replacement and it came complete apart when i removed the valve cover.

[@thefiirm1560]

would have liked to see the hardest part, putting the valve cover back on so that the gasket all lines up and does'nt fall out here and there

[@vidhushansivarajah1154]

Just bought a 1998 528i 5 spd manual, thank you for this video, very helpful

[@tonson5214]

Different engine.

[@leonelescogido39]

I just did this on my 04 325i after doing it to my n54 and geez was this a fun one 🤩🤩

[@TheStevieha]

Thank you so much. From Seoul

[@JosephSal901]

Great job! Is it possible to make a video how to replace the "Oil Filter Housing Gasket"? I have a major oil leak in that area and I just got the gasket from ECSTuning! Car: 2000 E39

[@johnnygat9317]

+Yousef Salameh Exactly the same on my 2000 525i. He leaked some oil and I thought it would be done by replacing the valve cover gasket last week. But it still drips some so I guess I will also have to replace the oil filter housing gasket :/

[@JosephSal901]

+Johnny Gat I didn't change the valve cover gasket yet but I got both of them and wanna change them both in the same session! ,, Look above the engine block beneath the oil filter gasket and behind the alternator. If there is oil on the block, then the leak from the filter housing gasket!

[@PolntBlank]

i had 540 with this problem, my DIY was getting rid of it for an e84 x1

[@JMUDoc]

You don't really need a torque wrench for the valve cover nuts; there is a very sudden stop when the but "bottoms out", so just give it literally a few degrees against the rubber grommets, and it's done. Just remember that whenever there's a gasket in play it's the gasket that is doing the work of sealing, not the nuts/bolts.

[@roberthandzus4066]

you 100% can over torque these nuts. You may not be able to overtighten them to the point where it will create an oil leak, but you 100% can snap a bolt clean off . ask me how i know.

[@Dapeepn1gg4]

Also applies to my e85 Z4 ;)

[@TNTHammer]

Is the E85 easier to work on? There's so much more room i feel like half the steps were getting stuff out of the way meanwhile the Z4 is one of the most spacious engine bays I've ever seen

[@tonson5214]

also applies to the E60

[@DavidThomas-bb2gl]

good job Kenny as always spot on

[@jamesmrjeckylloneal]

While replacing grommets on 2002 bmw 330i I broke the screw onto which the grommet casing is applied by over torquing. Can I replace the under screw?

[@julianmarksuk]

Hi. Thanks for the excellent video. On my M54, the new gasket pushes home into the slot on valve cover but the flange stands about 1-2mm proud of the cover. I presume that as you torque up the cover, the rubber gasket is squeezed into the slot to make a good seal. Is this correct or have i got the wrong gasket?

[@E39Source]

You are correct, it will seat down as you torque down the valve cover.

[@Beatsmith2005]

Perfect timing for me, thank you

[@TheBanOneA]

great video, thanks for uploading. What type of oil has your engine been serviced with? I've done this job on two M54 cars (one less and the other higher mileage than yours) and both engines looked very brown/copper colored underneath the valve cover. Both ran on BMW Castrol 5W30 all their lifes...

[@nazarkovch]

Mine looked cleaner at 140k when I got it. Prev owner used Valvoline.

[@CHARCHIKS]

Thank you for the video. Can someone show us how to remove the clips holding down the injectors when doing the VCG on M62tu v8 engine.

[@segerkranz2287]

Hi great video. Just wondering where you did get the information about the tension, 8 nm? And also, what valve cover gasket sealing did you use? Best regards Viktor

[@E39Source]

Hi Viktor, I found the torque specs in BavAuto's DIY online and the spec was echoed across other DIYs on various forums. I have seen specs between 8 and 10nms, but most said 8. I also used Victor Reinz Valve Cover Sealant. I hope that helps, good luck! -Kennan

[@segerkranz2287]

@@E39Source Thanks alot Kennan, always a pleasure.

[@segerkranz2287]

@@E39Source A clarification about the valve cover gasket sealing, the name and article nr: Victor Reinz REINZOSIL, 70-31414-10 (70 ml tube).

[@apeerbux4389]

I forgot to apply sealant where the vanos unit meets the cylinder head. Do you think that will cause me problems?

[@E39Source]

Is this a seam/crack type area? It will likely leak from here without the sealant.

[@pascutia]

How reliable is a Bmw inline six if it is maintained properly? Are they more durable than the Bmw V8's?

[@E39Source]

+Alex Pascutiu The i6's are definitely more reliable than the V8's. Proper maintenance is key with any engine, however.

[@bmw.source]

Also does the I6 BMW's get better gas mileage than the V8's?

[@E39Source]

+BMWSource Yes they do

[@tonson5214]

the m54 compared to the N62 for example doesn't get much better mileage, realistically you can expect about 12.6L from the M54 and the N62 will spend about 15.

[@TheAceY2k]

Broke the valve cover stud, is it replaceable?

[@E39Source]

Yes, check RealOEM

[@TheAceY2k]

Where can I find torque specs and sequence for the 2002 e39 525i??

[@E39Source]

www.bmwtis.com

[@juanpretorius4322]

Thanks for great clip

[@bmw.source]

Is it E9X 328i with the N52 non turbo I6 & E9X 335i with the N54 twin turbo I6 reliable?

[@E39Source]

+BMWSource They need walnut blasting, but otherwise they seem to be reliable.

[@pascutia]

Hello, Kennan, I'm interested in purchasing an E39 525i with a blown head gasket. Would this be the proper repair DIY? If so, how difficult is it to do? Thanks!

[@E39Source]

A head gasket and a valve cover gasket are very difference. The valve cover gasket is what was shown in this video, and is pretty simple to do in a few hours or less. A head gasket is the gasket in-between the cylinder block (where the pistons are) and the head (where the valves are). This is a much bigger job and you'll really need a shop to do this.

[@pascutia]

Ok, thank you for the response! I'll probably leave that car alone. The price was really interesting, and I thought that the job wouldn't be so difficult.

[@NYCRevolution1]

What type of valve cover sealant did you use? Does it really matter or will any RTV sealant be fine?

[@E39Source]

Hello! Yes, any high-temperature gasket sealant will be fine. Permatex high-temp gasket maker should work well. I used a black gasket maker just because I preferred the color; it had been done previously with red gasket maker on my car. Good luck! -Kennan

[@John-zs4fh]

Hey guys of E39Source! I have an E46 coupe with the M54 engine and my mechanic found oil in the spark plug wells and determined it to be a valve issue of some sort. I find this hard to believe and think that the VCG is leaking and allowing oil to seep into the wells. Is this likely? Thanks!

[@John-zs4fh]

+John Knowles The oil in the spark plugs is causing the engine to start poorly and run rough for 10 seconds until it clears itself as well.

[@Viperoloff]

Had the same issue on my mom's car twice and both times it was the gasket