Have you seen oil stains in your driveway or garage? Smelt burning oil while in traffic? Your valve cover gasket may be leaking.
The valve cover is a part that fits over the top of the cylinder head and keeps debris out while keeping oil in. It also covers the timing chain in some engines. A gasket seals the junction between the cover and the cylinder head.
This gasket begins to leak after a few years on many BMW engines. It’s nothing to be concerned about if yours does this. However, it is not a job that you put off indefinitely.
The Valve Cover Gasket’s Function
The valve cover gasket comprises a compressible, slightly elastic substance that keeps the junction entirely sealed no matter what the temperature is.
This substance is an oil-resistant elastomer in the valve cover gasket. It starts with a soft and rubbery texture. However, it becomes brittle and less flexible with time, eventually leaking.
Symptoms of a Leaky Valve Cover
The initial symptom is an odor of burning oil. Oil leaking over the exhaust manifold is the source of this odor. The oil will spread further and become a major disaster if you do nothing about it. It’s dangerous when it gets on hoses since it can eat away at the hose’s substance. If you ignore the situation for too long, you’ll end up with oil on your garage floor or driveway.
Repairing A BMW Valve Cover Gasket Leak
Although the valve cover is at the top of the engine, other components are in the way. First, these must be unplugged and removed: strut tower bracing, different hoses, ignition coils, and the air intake tube.
Once the cover is exposed, detach it from the cylinder head by undoing the fasteners that keep it in place. If the gasket has grown brittle, it will most likely fall out of the lid in pieces, so you have to be careful with that.
You must clean the valve cover and the cylinder head mating surfaces to remove any dirt that could cause a poor seal. Then install the replacement gasket on the Valve cover. Finally, install the replacement gasket + Valve cover on the cylinder head. Also, you may have to replace the spark plug tube seals and sensor seals.
Ensure you tighten valve cover screws to the proper torque. However, if tightened too much, the cover may distort and break. This breakage can happen because some valve covers are plastic. Leakage will occur if you do not install the seal properly.
After that, reattach everything removed from the engine, top off the fluids, and start it up. This repair is challenging to complete. However, if your BMW requires service, our knowledgeable team at A1 Performance European Auto Repair is here to help. Give us a call right now, and you’ll be pleased you did.
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