How to Replace a N55 Valve Cover Gasket on a BMW F30 335i DIY

There are lots of tutorials for N54 valve cover gasket replacements, however I haven't seen any for the N55 on an F30 chassis. These cars are starting to get to the age where this is common, so I decided to make a video when I replaced mine. In many ways it is similar to the earlier E90 generation N54 cars, but there are some differences. Here is a complete guide to replacing your leaky valve cover gasket on an F30 BMW.
Valve Cover Gasket: amzn.to/2Fd1DIy
External Torx: amzn.to/2JMgzMi
Crowfeet for torquing fuel lines: amzn.to/2ASJ4oI
Torque Wrench: amzn.to/2PHaxlN

[@ampgod_]

Finally an actual n55 video. Typing n55 brings up so many n54 nonsense thank you. Got stuck on the small harnesses for the injectors didn’t want to break anything.

[@pepper0912]

Insane DIY! Nice job remembering the various fasteners, tools, , torques, bolts sizes, etc,..

[@FlavortownFreddy]

Unsung hero..society needs more ppl like him

[@victorsotelo5917]

Bro u just saved me $2,100.00 from what the dealer quoted me. I did some research and found all my parts from FCP euro. Spent under $600.00 watched your video and executed the job. Thanks bro I have a 2012 F10 BMW 535i love my BMW 👌🏼

[@EatSleepDrive]

Cheers man!

[@HsusnatThk]

Victor Sotelo hey bro same thing here I need to get mine replaced 2011 bmw 535i f10 i brought it to a shop and they quoted me $1,056 but I might do it myself

[@victorsotelo5917]

Momo Osman yeah knock it out just make sure u have all the TOOLS U MAY need feel me! Ain’t nothing to it but to do it 👍🏼💯

[@rmr3dbaron]

Now im buying a n55

[@maxcrowner4431]

@@victorsotelo5917 how on earth have you spent $600? im about to do my dads and all its gonna cost me is £40 for the gasket from BMW and £20 for some external Torx bits

[@prizetaker]

Sorry for this super late view of this vid but man, your patients and detailed instructions were awesome 👏🏽 👏🏽👏🏽 Very appreciative of you and this vid. Thanx dude

[@lando725]

Thanks for the detailed video man! Saved me some money and headaches! Took me about 8 hours to do following your video closely and working carefully.

[@EatSleepDrive]

Glad it helped!

[@PR0J3CTXYZ]

I did mine 4 months ago, I thought about doing a video but didn’t have enough time, hopefully this helps other n55 owners. Saves a lot of money!

[@MrBigBoy4Life]

Thanks for nothing buddy!!

[@datm340i6]

Made a 1,800 job look easy 😂😂

[@AW.SO.M3]

Thanks for the DIY video. I performed this while the engine was still warm. This made it quite easy to pull off the valve cover.

[@hmc1106cruz]

I did the same. Only thing is after doing this I got a misfire on cylinder 5

[@Ahmed676]

Thank you for recording this job

[@chrisjames5816]

Did this today! Couldn’t have done it without your helpful video! Big thanks!!!

[@EatSleepDrive]

Happy to help, congrats!

[@sollos5397]

Nice I just repaired my 2014 640i, went smooth same deal.... Nice video

[@arnelguillermo8617]

This video helped me out tremendously!!!! Thank you so much for showing us that it can be done.

[@Hunter-ex2sw]

Best video with regards to this issue ever. Thank you. Keep up the good work

[@EatSleepDrive]

Cheers man!

[@bryanscolaro8332]

Great video! Easy to understand and follow. You talked about each step showed me how to do it! Thanks for saving me some money!

[@EatSleepDrive]

Glad it helped!

[@Nosnorb06]

Great work. Thank you for this!

[@Liquidspaceman]

Thank you for making this video.I need to change out my gasket on myN55.

[@sajadeshahidpour2008]

Greetings from France - You are a lifesaver. Thank you for sharing this video.

[@EatSleepDrive]

Glad it helped!

[@TheFUNkid108]

I have to keep watching over and over until I remember each plug before you mentioned it to be comfortable, but everything looks straight forward

[@needleonthevinyl]

Thanks for the video, it was super helpful. Doing this job on my E82 right now. It's pretty much the same except I had to remove the wiper cowl to pull up the valve cover enough to clear the eccentric shaft return springs. I had to leave a couple harnesses still across the top of the head but they weren't a big deal once bungee-corded out of the way. Mitchell1 book time on the E82 is 4.5 hours.

[@EatSleepDrive]

Good to know and glad it helped

[@rjk5559]

Thanks, just completed this on a right-hand drive m235i. You also need to remove the passenger side wiper arm and surrounding trim and use a flexible socket extension to get to the e-torx in position 20.

[@SavageBunny1]

Just did my bros N55, it was super easy, probably took me 5 hours and replaced the belt and tensioner and oil change.

[@wright1073]

Thank you for this! I need to do this to my M235i and couldn't seem to find another how-to on it anywhere. a video of quality at least lol. Nice work.

[@EatSleepDrive]

Glad it was helpful!

[@radiomaster200]

How many miles did you replace your gasket at? I have a 2015 m235i and in about 1k more miles it will reach 60k miles

[@BIMMERZEITT]

Wow this is pretty involved compared to the M54 6 cylinder in the earlier cars. Nice DIY bro. The garage looks super clean too.

[@EatSleepDrive]

Thank you!

[@efthimios]

That was a lot of work man , I went as far as plugs and coils but wow all day right

[@josephkim6892]

great video, great taste in music.

[@czartross]

Hey man. Thank you so much for this video. I was able to do this myself and it went perfect so far. The only thing I would add is that in order to remove the two screws that holds the vanos actuator and the screws on top of the wiring harness holder you have to use an E6, which I didn’t have, so I have to run to the auto parts to get it. Besides that, great explanation!

[@EatSleepDrive]

Happy to hear this video helped you!

[@chriscrossmotovlogs919]

Thank you for this video. Doing mine right now.

[@marky482]

I’ve been waiting for this! Thanks man

[@EatSleepDrive]

Cheers man!

[@obeeone420]

A little tip that helped me on my old E46 to remove the valve cover was to take off the filler cap and reach inside to give something to grab onto. I have not needed to tackle my F30 so I'm not sure if you can get get a grip around the baffle on these yet.

[@chrislee01]

Very helpful, thanks for sharing this!

[@Jeffc288]

Great tutorial! Thank you. One thing I’d say is for anybody doing this be careful not to break the coolant line that’s on top of the reservoir.

[@bigbodyboy3585]

Fuck wish I saw this sooner 😂

[@Jeffc288]

@@bigbodyboy3585 🤣

[@007jsv]

Quick note to those F32 N55 owners, you'll have the metal oil tubes in the front coming from the oil filter housing, you'll need to unplug those so you move them and get some clearance. You'll have to do that when putting the cover back in, careful with the oil as this are filled and will spill over, get some rags. Thanks for the DIY vid.

[@EatSleepDrive]

Good info!

[@matthewbeals342]

I have both N55 and N54 BMWs and also have been looking for an N55 VC DYI video. Nice job. A bit dark at first but the lighting improved later in the video. Very good presentation. Well, now it's my turn!! The N54 sucked this looks a bit easier. Thanks!!

[@EatSleepDrive]

Happy to help. Good luck!

[@matthewbeals342]

@@EatSleepDrive Well...got it off and back together much easier than my N54 but it leaked a torrent down my exhaust after running the first few minutes. Bunch of error codes (I did my vanos at the same time) and an oil leak. Seat looked good went on without too much trouble. Pulled it off again thinking I had a crack or a mis-seat but I couldn't find any cracks or problems with the gasket. Leak coming from lower back corner. Ordered another cover and a camshaft position sensor. I'll try again in a couple of days.

[@ncobbledicks]

@@matthewbeals342 How did it end up going in the end? About to do this project myself

[@deuce007vermillion]

@@matthewbeals342 how did it go the second time ? hope issues are resolved.... I had a similar issue on my 2011 e90 xdrive.... passenger back corner.... fingers crossed for ya?

[@MegaTony805]

Got a 2016 435i gonna give this a go!! Hope it's the same ish

[@joshuahogue2972]

Thanks for the video. Just performed the valve cover gasket replacement on my 335i. Video was very helpful. Only notes I'll add are, 1) my valve cover was much harder to get "unstuck" than yours seemed to be in the video. I had to lightly use a rubber hammer and then a plastic pry tool to get a corner started. Took me about 30 total minutes (had to take a few mental breaks in-between...) to get it completely removed. 2) I lightly cleaned the cover with de-greaser (away from the vehicle) and washed thoroughly. I used brake cleaner on a lint free rag to clean the cylinder head surfaces. 3) My fuel lines/rail did not have the driver side nuts to remove out of the way. I had to unplug the fuel rail sensor and remove 4 bolts and the fuel rail nut to get the lines out of the way (not sure if this is a newer design or older design compared to your BMW). 4) The gasket was the culprit for my leak. Was much more brittle on the passenger side of the cover; I think there was a crack in the gasket that started to slowly leak.

[@EatSleepDrive]

It took me forever to get the valve cover itself off as well. The professionals I talked to about the job mentioned that's always how it is unfortunately.

[@Mebirduwine]

i want to do this myself but so much wiring i dont want to forget to connect something sheesh .. great job

[@allenb4113]

Awesome video, thanks for posting! One question: did that broken tab on the engine vent line give you any trouble? Would you recommend attempting to disconnect that line from the other end?

[@blackopsguy97]

Thank yo for this video !! 2:50 my car personally took E18 bolts , but the two bolts under the grommets you popped out ended up being 16 mm on my car in case anyone else was wondering why E torx weren’t fitting

[@EatSleepDrive]

Happy to help!

[@RobertA-pp3kb]

What is the tightening torque for the E18 bolts and can they be reused?

[@solidamanda]

I subscribed to this guy, and it gives me nightmares, lol, I changed the oil filter housing gasket and now I know at some point I'm gonna do this too. =.= nice video for DIYers

[@laurenceeng]

Great video. You are very meticulous at what you do.

[@EatSleepDrive]

Thank you!

[@scanspeak00]

Great tutorial. I can't believe they still have solved this problem which plagued the E90s. My E92 needs doing in the next few weeks (including the cracked valve cover and eccentric shaft sensor).

[@F1FanCanuck]

great video - very helpful

[@MindOverEverything]

Super helpful! Thank you!

[@nullpointer1984]

Thanks for the video! Compared to the oil filter housing gaskets. How difficult/time consuming is this job?

[@studio106raleigh]

Nice vid. My son is picking up his f30-n55 this week and we will be doing this job in our shop very soon. (Setup as a pro shop but we mostly just do our own stuff, friends and family etc). A few thoughts for DIYers, (I do motorcycle restoration work as well, at a very high level shop): Step One, get a quality shop manual. Torque Specs, how to's, diagnostics, test procedures, et all ... also some of those little things (surprises?), you might not think of when working thru the job on your own. The Best in the business use shop manuals all the time, it's not a pride thing, it's how the experienced pros rock. Two: Have a heat gun in your box. Those plastic parts (getting a lot of attention here in comments) are more pliable and less brittle when warmed (not melted tho!) ... Breaking shit on these cars can go expensive real quick! Also rubber bits respond really Much better when warmed up a bit. (Brandy for the Tech as well, same reasoning). That advice has helped me a lot and I have a full, well tooled shop. Great job on the Vid, again. well done.

[@EatSleepDrive]

Best of luck with the procedure, hope the video helps!

[@ericritchings8739]

Great video. Nice job

[@Chenarghader]

Real great work and very through.

[@SteveWeltman]

Really good video content! I have 2 335i chassis; E90 (N54) and F30 (N55) so I do work on both of them. Only thing missing in this was a diagram for bolt tightening pattern on the valve cover (there's like 20+ bolts that need to be tightened in a specific order). Your on cam, graphic and on voice tips are really good. So, my wife takes F30 to the dealership (I ask for full diagnostics for general purposes), and they find the pressure filter in the valve cover coding, needs plugs, tires, brakes too. So guess I'm wrenching on the wife's F30 in a couple of weeks when I get the parts!

[@rorbugubben1197]

Very good and informative video sir! One question; are the new gaskets you installed believed to be of better quality or do you expect them also to start leaking some time down the road? (The same goes with the gasket for the cooler).

[@73Bdiddy]

Thanks man for the video. Doesn't look that hard, just tedious.

[@LarRy-km1xl]

ESD, awesome video and thanks for posting! My F30 N55 was "smoking" and I saw the oil droppings in the down pipe like you pointed out in your video so I also have a valve cover gasket leak :( nooooooo. I was hoping to do the job myself with the help of your video but it's too complicated for me not to mention I also need to do the OFHG and OCG. PIA x3. At this point it's either fix, sell or trade.

[@kojack635]

This is why so many bmw’s are in poor shape. The second they leave warranty and have problems people just dump them onto the next unsuspecting buyer

[@erichood63]

My 2 cents. Great video, a few differences between 535i and 535i GT. First, the firewall shroud is a little more involved. Second is the wire harness running over the top of the valve cover at the back of the engine, is not removable you just have to work around it. Finally after breaking the CC vent tube, the one with the four clips. Just replace it its 30 bux. To get it off I threaded a tie wrap between the clip and the body and it lifted all four clips just enough to pull it off the valve cover.

[@diddlkiss]

在中国没有人这么分享这种可以赚钱的技巧，非常感谢你的视频！~

[@germancarfan360]

brilliant video

[@racerxc]

This easily saved 1k dollars!!!!

[@gameb0y86]

I'd be careful using glove tips like said in this video. One of mine fell into the engine. I ended up fishing it out but it was a little scary when it first happened. Overall this was a very easy DIY. Thanks for the vid.

[@wjohnsonism]

I own a 2015 335i M Sport that I'm planning on a DIY maintenance plan after the warranty is up. After watching this video it reminds me how it looks like a similar procedure such as my 2005 330ci VCG job I did a year ago. If one is familiar with the process of "de layering" the top components and accessories to get down the the valve cover cover pull, it doesn't appear to be that much more difficult than the M54B30. So I'm guessing compared to an e46 the main difference is no RTV on the half moons? Thank you for posting this, Subscribed.

[@xxthe_remedyxx5296]

For the PCV removal, grab a zip tie and loosely put it around the 4 tabs, slide the zip tie down under the 4 tabs and voila, PCV removed and no broken tabs.

[@imperial1037]

I wish i read this before i had 3 broken tabs, BMW plastic is more brittle than peanut butter brittle. I was even thinking in my head go slow and steady to be sure not to break anything, well now i have a carbon fiber mishimoto catch can and hose clamps.

[@JKGarageBMW]

Pro-tip - when breaking the E14 nuts free pull the ratchet toward you vs. push away - avoid a broken windshield ;)

[@EatSleepDrive]

Good call.

[@boydnewlin4020]

Nice work! ....btw is that a Jaguar XK8 coup to your left?

[@MyCRAFTER101]

Great vid thanks !

[@michaelschielke290]

Cool video!

[@juniorwilkinson8968]

Thank u sir..greatly appreciate this vid

[@EatSleepDrive]

👊

[@NewLook40]

Many thanks for your video 👏👌👍

[@theazndudelivefree]

I found oil leaking right on the round of the flywheel where the engine meets the transmission. I wonder if it can be the valve cover, I hope not the oil pan gasket or rear main seal

[@devynsutton8238]

Thank you very much sir. Extremely helpful video. I just finished doing this job on my 2015 335i. A couple of problems i encountered: The hose for the PCV system that runs from the intake to the VC broke when moving it out of the way to put the valve cover back on, no I wasnt being any more rough then I was with anything else. I 100% believe it breaking was due to it being PLASTIC and the age of the car. Just a warning to either have another one on hand because I wouldnt be surprised if this is a part that needs to be replaced every 60k. I managed to fadangle it together with uhm duct tape and some zip ties. I test drove the car and got it hot and it seems like its going to hold up until the new one comes in and i can replace it. Second thing is one of the bolts that hold the VC on sheared off when tightening it back on. No, i didnt overtorque it as i was using a torque wrench on the proper setting. It was one of the bolts in the middle that are around the spark plugs The only way i can see it being fixed is for it to be drilled out, maybe. I noticed no leaks after the test drive. Lastly, the bolt all the way to the top left (if youre facing the front of the engine) that holds the VC on is a PAIN to get to. I dont have a u-joint adapter but i think it may have helped. Once again thank you to @eatsleepdrive for this video.

[@EatSleepDrive]

I'm glad it helped. I think I mentioned in the video breaking on of the plastic hoses for the coolant overflow. Similar to the PCV, it was totally because that plastic they use gets reallly brittle with age. Really annoying.

[@allenb4113]

100% agree with having a spare breather hose on-hand. Mine, too, was extremely brittle and broke under very little force. Good thing I did this on a Saturday morning while the dealer's parts dept. was still open. This week, I'll be doing the process again, this time to replace the whole VC, not just the gasket. Although the new hose I bought is barely a year old, I have another one on-hand, which I'll return if not needed. And yeah, definitely need a u-joint adapter... Even then it's still a pain!

[@hmc1106cruz]

Yea that too left bolt was an absolute PAIN! Lol. I also sheared off a screw using a torque wrench. For me it was the front middle bolt. I’m having issues after doing this job. Misfire on cylinder 5 and an air leak somewhere I can’t pin point. It’s close to the O2 sensors area

[@noahvondoom]

Do you have to drain the oil before or just make sure you disconnect the battery for lower pressure on the fuel lines?

[@hamidbelghiti4636]

Thank you. nice video

[@J2-R2]

To get the cover off grab Paracord and put it in the screw hole that's on the front edge of the cover it's on the left and right side of the oil fill cap Bellow the yellow sticker. Once the string is in pull up slowly and it pops the cover enough for you to work it with you hands. You can make another pull point if you remove the t30 bold that holds the bracket for the coolant lines. Got mine off quickly.

[@EatSleepDrive]

Thanks for the tip. It took me way too long to get this thing off.

[@Mobilematt69]

You're the man! In the process of doing this now. Took off the valve cover.. worked easy with a flat head. but as I was lifting it off the AC line had a washer in it still that fell. I have no idea where it went, and hope to God it didn't go inside where the valve cover was. But if it did.. would that be disastrous?

[@EatSleepDrive]

Yeahhhh that would be bad if it went in the valve cover. But you could look really thoroughly in there and make sure it didn't, not many places for it to hide. Hopefully it fell elsewhere. Goodluck!

[@sashastanojkovik6433]

Same problem on my f10 535xi. 72k. Did u consider changing the valve cover while you there as long they plastic under a lot of heat?

[@Fishhooks]

Great tutorial, man! Thanks. My only issue is tht my PCV line at the top (with the 4 tabs) at the 4:25 timestamp was so brittle that the hose itself broke inside the heatwrap. Can anyone assist with finding that part number?

[@titanf30]

(Current issue for me after vcg change) I ended up with 1, 2, and 6 misfires and injection cut off. Sometimes manifold absolute pressure fail. And also Drivetrain Malfunction New cover installed, waiting on coils to arrive. Plugs are good still. Injectors seem to have pulse but no removal tool to check them. At a loss.

[@TrucNguyen-bf5yf]

Were you able to fix it with the replacement of the coils?

[@Streamlined955]

Would it help to use some Permatex RTV so that the gasket doesn’t fall off when positioning the valve cover?

[@kid2519]

Did you depressurized the fuel line? And how did you bleed the fuel lines?

[@davis7323]

So much work to get to the valve cover ... During my ricer days, changing my h22a Honda prelude was a few bolts

[@naradaAye]

It's not by mistake.

[@MrFern99]

did u have to apply silicon sealant on the gasket when replacing?

[@48pianoman]

I see that on your N55 F30 on the fuel lines on each side the, injector side and on the rail side you have line nuts , but the one i have only has the line nuts on the injector side i think i have to remove the the hole fuel rail to be able to remove the Fuel lines what do you say EatSleepDrive

[@teamthree6mafia862]

do the ewg cars not have some of the vacuum lines? the line that connects to the top front of the valve cover on passenger side, next to the ccv is just no in my car at all lol

[@milansarenac3335]

hello, what you think what is the main problem leaking oil on N57 on valve cover, I'm on 68.000 km F16

[@mirac4253]

Is this bad? Mine 435i have the same problem i’m confused.. i will replace it by a bmw professional can you tell me how much it can cost?

[@a9653192]

I don’t have that hose 4:38 is that only on automatics?

[@kevinpino912]

How long did the whole process take

[@Matice21]

Did you have to change your valve cover screws?

[@joebelanger5428]

Will it be the same process on my n55 e chassis?

[@johnclark7406]

Nice work. The VCG and OFHG are typical BMW engine issues. The constant heat cycling causes the gasket material to harden which then leaks. Thankfully the valve cover can be reused unlike previous generations of the I6 (i.e M54/M52) Because the block is so long it's easier to use gasket rather than RTV.

[@danielschmidt_vlogs4086]

Will this fit my 2012 bmw 335i n55

[@mholmes9262]

Is there an updated gasket better quality than the OEM one? Or is it just another OEM gasket and you plan on doing this every few years?

[@BurrNinja]

Gasket should last more then a few years.

[@BenjaminTurnerAUS]

what size vacuum caps fit this job, in mm?

[@lmartinzr1]

Did the broken clip on the pcv hose cause a leak? Mine has a broken tab I guess from when the previous owner had the valve cover gasket replaced and I'm seeing a lot of build up around the area.

[@GodFamilyMoney]

What kind of buildup are you noticing around the pcv hose? I just broke two tabs on my 435i. With the remaining tabs, it still seems to fit snug.

[@dndxander]

How do you torque the fuel lines

[@bigcockjim6408]

Immoral question.... if im coming to the end of my warranty w/out a leak yet, can I just put oil there once a day for a few weeks and then bring it to the dealer? I just know its gonna go bad a month after it ends >:(

[@tteitei]

Do you have the torque values for thr bolts?

[@GIXXER404]

I have a 335i 2013 whit 60miles and i start see burn oil i the same place that you show my question is you recomend me change the valve cover or whit changing the gasket is ok

[@MrFern99]

you should be okay with replacing the gasket. if you are still leaking, replace entire valve cover

[@victornazario9606]

Same concept for 2011 535i f10?

[@efthimios]

i did my plugs for my n55 so waa pretty close to removing all the same parts lol.. dealer told me 900... but wow can do it for 150. Is it good to replace gasket and cover.//? mine is a 2011 with 60K miles leake started

[@juniyananajukyu]

Wow! That’s a lot! There’s a shop in my town that’s really reputable and I’ve gotten an oil change w/filter, 6 plugs for around 300-400, can’t remember tbh. That’s for my M235. Crazy how some places try to gut you! Not realizing honesty and integrity keeps customers coming back and creating sustainable business.

[@godsmack1716]

About how long would you say this job takes?

[@bratel3582]

great job, i thought it was gonna be harder (definitely not easy), i have to do this tomorrow... well first i have to find were the oil is leaking, i've already replaced the filter housing and cooler gaskets... im guessing the problem now is the valve cover gasket because it smells a lot like burning oil... do you know if there is another "common" leak that i should look for?

[@wokkawicca]

Yes. Oil filter housing gasket

[@f3irty278]

Adam Cole he said he already replaced that + oil cooler gaskets. If you’re smelling burning oil it’s most def the Valve Cover gasket though, I’m in the same boat, and was gonna hold off personally since the leak looks really minor but the smell starting to suck, especially when driving with wife/kids. Catless downpipe doesn’t help either though at stop lights 😅 The combination of the 2 was pretty bad so guess I’m doing this sooner than later. The other common leaky gasket is the oil pan gasket, but it shouldn’t be leaking onto anything hot and causing burning oil smell so you can get away with that one longer even if it is leaking (as long as you’re not leaking so bad you get low oil level).

[@elvisrueda9513]

Did you replace the strut bar bolts? Bmw says they're one time use.

[@EatSleepDrive]

That seems really excessive to me, but I can't say I'm surprised. I reused mine.