I have to comment to thank you. This is the second time I've tackled this project. The first time, when I got the the step of actually pulling out the valve cover, it was on of the most frustrating times of my life. It took me around 7 hours over the course of two days. It wasn't until I found out the "trick" of pulling off that weather strip in the back that I finally cleared it. This time, I did it in under 10 minutes. All the little tips you gave, I followed them to a T, moving that AC line, unscrewing the coolant reservoir, noticing where it rubs on the ECU housing. Every little bit of advice helped. Thank you for making this video. Hopefully I won't have to rewatch it in 70,000 miles.

This guy goes in so much detail and explains everything to you , like you big brother would. Thanks bud awesome job.

I know it’s been said, but this was extremely helpful! I’m not mechanically inept, but BMWs are foreign territory for me and I didn’t want mess anything up on the car I just bought with the intention of daily driving. One extra thing I did that helped me was unbolting the other strut bar and removing the section of plastic it goes through. After that, just pop the passenger side of the wiper cowl up and it gave me miles more room for reinstalling the valve cover. I struggled quite badly removing it, I wish I had thought to do it beforehand. Obviously for you with the experience you have you don’t need to do this, but as a newbie it helped me a bunch!

Dude really educational video it’s worth watching every single minute off it, you show us every detail of it like it should

This helped me out getting the idea of it I’m going step by step since I’m dealing with the same thing on my bmw great video very informative makes me feel even more confident on working on the car

This guy is a Superman to be able to perform this service on the street.

This gentleman is an an amazing communicator. Absolutely spot on with clear information and really helpful. Thank you so much.

I followed your steps to replace on a 2013 128i. Excellent detailed instructions. Thank you for sharing your expertise. The only mistake I made was when connecting the injectors harness I bent one of the prongs over injector #1. This caused a rough startup. My advise is to make sure the harness is aligned perfectly before pressing down on it.

Thanks! I just finished this job with your instructions. You’re a good teacher.

I agree Elring gaskets are the way to go. I actually purchased a Elring Valve Cover for my N52 and paid a inch shy of 200$. Its been on the SAV for about 2 years and Ive yet to have an issue. Price doesnt always mean you have a quality part just as it doesnt mean you have junk. Ive also purchase the cheapos and out of the box, I knew they were not going to work. Super light and bolt patterns were slightly off. Your videos are beyond helpful. Thank you for your time.

The best and most comprehensive video for this repair. I just finished my car and followed this video step by step. Thanks

Sir, you are a genius! Did the job but got misfire codes. Car was shaking like the Jumanji ride at six flags. I thought it's the valvetronic motor as I was messing around with the 4mm alen to remove it(I wish I saw your video before the fcp auto one). It was the coil connector on cyl 4. The clip was secured however the wire was not all the way in, just like you said! So that is fixed. I managed to fry the FRM module though (windows and lights do not work). My dealership asked for $1500 to replace and reprogram the module. You win some and you lose some! Anyhow, I am a big fan now, all subscribed and liked your video. Thank you!

This video definitely helped with making more room for the valve cover replacement and removing the injector wiring (couldn't figure it out) I mean I was already replacing the starter and manifold gaskets, why not the valve cover w/gasket, essentric sensor and everything else while I'm there. Thanks for making this video.

Amazing detailed video. Big thanks! It helped me a lot!Looking forward for more diys!!

I was able to do mine ONLY cause of his detailed info! TY SIR!

Very helpful! Thank you for the video!

Great video and supper helpful. Love this part the most: After recommending to disconnect the battery terminal...."if you don't know how to disconnect your battery terminal then don't attempt this job".....love it

I'll have to think carefully about changing the valve cover gasket on my bimmer myself in the near future given the multiple issues that could go wrong. Looks easy enough though but if I run into a problem I'm toast lol. Great video mate.

I like the beater Mazda I got, took me 30 min to do the cover and spark plugs. Guy selling a nice 328i converter for cheap. Needs this done but it looks like an adventure.

2:45 Thank you very much for mentioning about being covered under SULEV warranty.

Wow... Very detailed vid.. step by step.. thanks you.. I just subscribed.. thanks again

Hello Tim, thank you for sharing these helpful videos. I would like to ask you about error codes I am getting in E70 35i,2011. While driving I got fuel cap warning light and check engine, then after a while engine malfunction warning where the car went in reduced power. After checking with codes I got these errors 2E0F, 321C, 2C56,2C58. Are these errors related as last two are for the turbo pressure. Much appreciate for a help before going to a service check.

Hey. Hats off for the very detailed videos!!!. E90, N52, 328xi 2010 here. My driver side AC is not blowing cold air. Seems the actuator is stuck. Can you do a video on it? Seems there is no such one on KZfaq now if I'm not mistaken. Thanks a bunch!

I was wondering if you could do a video for O2 sensors on whatever years go with it for a 2007 328i E92?

Thanks it was the best information on the valve cover replacement

I learned. a lot from this video. Thank you so much for your video, hope get some more form you! ;-)

Hi and wishes a Happy New Year to you and your family. I was upset with the auto repair shop in Saint Charles IL. I brought my BMW 328i 2007 Sedan and they charged me $4828 and they just replaced the ECM ann Cass nodule. I took my car for a test drive but smoke is coming out underneath the engine. I brought back car since it is in the warranty but they were telling Ithey need to replace the gasket.

Hello Zeitin I'm grateful for your videos. I'm in a really bad dire situation. Having watched your KZfaq tutorials, I convinced my girlfriend that I could work on her car (E92 325i N52 motor with plastic VCG cover) and change the valve cover gasket like a seasoned technician (with a Ph.D. in mechanics). I therefore replaced the valve cover gasket, the eccentric motor seal, and the cover's round sensor seal today. I took your advise and carefully removed the back pipe on the cover. In order to give enough clearance, I also removed the thin black hose that runs above the motor. I checked to make sure the gasket and lid fit correctly. I torque every bolt to nine nm. I connected all of the electrical point. As you mentioned, there will be smoke when I start the engine, and there was smoke. The engine idled smoothly at first, then became a little harsh for a blink of an eye, and then the idle was reset at about 500 rpm. The car went through the identical procedure and experience every three times I started it. On the other hand, once I started the car for the fourth time, the Check Engine Light was on and it idled at roughly 100 rpm before going a blink second or two rough before idleing at 500 rpm. The engine check light remains on. Since it is Saturday night in Australia and my partner needs her car for work, I have until tomorrow to find a solution or I will die. Do you have any clue why the check engine light is on and why the idle problems might be occurring? Please provide some assistance. I made it through COVID, but if this drama isn't resolved, I'm dead.

In one hour? This man is insane.

I have another question for you. I watched your video a few more times and went through my repair to make sure I put everything back which I have. But - what fuse or relay would be affected if removing the two positive wires with the 13mm and 10mm nuts there was a problem. I don’t think I had an issue there but I might as well check that.

Wow! I hope i never have to do that...but i have the exact car 08 E93 version sulev. Liked 👍 and Subscribed 🔔 And saved this video for future reference THANK YOU!

Hey man I have a 2011 Bmw 328i and I got new plugs and 1 new coil pack and a new battery and ever since its been running pretty poor on and off and when it is running poor on the screen it says. "Malfunction in drive" Aswell as sometimes "DSC Malfunction" Pops up on the screen I was wondering if you had any idea what this could be?

Great work

“if you don’t know how to disconnect the battery don’t even attempt this job”😂😂

Thanks for a great video, going over the steps, and suggestions. How long did it take you to do it? Guessing that it will work on a N51 as well. Againg thanks a lot Z👍👍👍

Hey how s it going. . so theres 2 tubes on the inside of the cover that are between the plug tubes that have plastic caps on the ends and mine came off . what could i use to keep those on ? Thanks in advance

I Had this repair covered by the dealer in Massachusetts. So California law applies outside of CA as well. For reference, California standards are: Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New Mexico (2011 model year and later), New York, Nevada, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Virginia, Vermont, and Washington (2009 model year and later)

While the cover is off, Check the vanos sprocket bolts are still tight. They can come loose and sometimes the bolt heads get snapped off. There is a recall for them on some models in america. If they are loose, this is the time to replace them.

Hello, first of all I thank you very much for your videos, they are really good and useful. Last Wednesday I took my car in for scheduled maintenance at BMW Berkshire located in Pittsfield, MA. They changed the spark plugs and the oil. When the spark plugs were changed they found an oil leak in the valve cover gasket. They are charging me $1028 USD to change the gasket. It is a 2010 BMW 328i xdrive with 95k miles and the N51 SULEV engine. I would like to know if you can let me know how I can access the sullen guarantee that you mention in your video. Again, thank you very much.

Thanks so much for the SULEV-specific instructions. I would definitely struggle with secondary air intake components otherwise. One question, shouldn't you also replace secondary air injection check valve gasket for this job?

Holy crap disconnecting that one hose took me like 30min 😅

Help please, i want know what this is referring to on my E 90 LGSO2FT1 0.0(%) And LGSO2FT2 0.0(%) i also have random misfires, but i am going to replace the valve cover gasket but i want to solve this readings first thank you very much.

great job. i’m surprised eccentric sensor want replace while you’re at it

Hi I have a 2007 328i 3.0l i6 is this car a n52 or n53 I can't figure it out it's a 4 door sedan manufactured in Germany

Love the video. Will this be accurate as well for 328I 2007??

Бімба!!! Дякую!!!

So after I finished I drove around for a bit and something blew that has to do with radiator and coolant and splattered. White smoke was coming out of my car from the hood. Or it was steam or something. I also had a 10 mm bolt extra… if anybody might know what the coloration might be that’d be helpful

Have you come across stripped valve cover screw(s)? What is/was your approach? I am preparing for unexpected? Thanks planning to work in the car soon

Following the how to - step by step. Came across to 2 stripped screws or block. What size of heli-coil does the 2011 328i (n51) I need to use or something else? Thanks to for the feedback

My valve cover is stuck on pretty tight. Any tips?

37:03 “a simple leverage point“ I am having the hardest time getting my valve cover off and I have no idea why, I have taken all 19 of the outer bolts the 3 10mm inner center bolts off and I still can’t get this thing out. I don’t know what I’m doing wrong , finally guess is that they glued it in. Update: finally got it off, had to smack it with a rubber mallet all over to shake it loose.

@Zeiten I recently did this job but I couldn’t hear my torque wrench click cause of it being such a low torque. I feel like I tightened them enough, should I be good? Also I got a service engine soon light after. Car started ran for a bit then had some misfires and hesitations. Got a lot of codes running lean and just random codes. After letting it just run, it no longer runs like that and I cleared the codes. The car battery was also disconnected for awhile say maybe that was why.

Good 👍 job

Halfway through the job. Got the cover off and my friend was removing the sensor O ring gasket on the valve cover and broke a piece of plastic from Valve cover. I just got a new valve cover but didn’t hear the part where your said to avoid cheap covers. I’m not sure if I should try installing it now, I’m going to try to put it on tomorrow. He suggested before I bought the new valve cover to just silicone the plastic back on. Should I do that or try fitting the cheap new cover?

19.52 on going talking about disconnecting the battery 😂😂 best line in this video I appreciate the honesty y’all Listen to this man makes it look easy!

I'm planning on doing this job on my E90 this week. The valve cover gasket I ordered and received is a molded rubber on steel core, because I didn't know any better. The rubber is so thin I don't know how it could possibly make a good lasting seal. What are your thoughts on molded rubber steel gaskets? Are they junk? It seems like junk compared to the thick all-rubber one you use in the video. Thanks for all of your great advice!

What wobble extensions or sockets are you using? Can you describe them a bit and maybe where to get them? Also, can you specify the name of the Elring silicone that you used? Thanks for that awesome video Tim!.

Planning this DIY but scared of dash lights popping up once I am done. Also, if I have low battery, removing a sensor just drains the battery, do you suggest disconnecting the battery?

Once again z-man great job, quick question my 08 328xi , I just got this code cf17, there's not a lot of in detailed information on this code , any thoughts

I know this is an older video, but did the SULEV motors have the VANOS bolt recall like the N52? I noticed the timing sprockets are different.

Hello, I've heard several different fluid change intervals for ZF 8-speed transmission fluid change . Can anyone confirm if its every 50k, 60k, 100k, 7 years please? Great channel, more videos please. Thank you!!

I'm going to do this when I do my OFHG again. Are the bolts just hand tightened then since spec is so low or does it really need to be precise?

First everything was it’s not rocket science east peasy it’s simple until time to put it back in it’s this job is real complex anyhow I felt like it was easier to put some gasket maker/sealant to hold gasket in place and not fall off in the back and have the same problem he did much easier it’s like glue good luck y’all

Hi man thanks for the video. I just did mine but have an problem now. When I first started it it was ok but after few minutes I raved it a little and I heard a scary noise due to a big depression in the valve cover, I don’t understand, I never see that before. Any idea?

Is it possible to release the pcv hose when the cover is loose?

My valve cover didnt want to come out then the two piece inside the valve cover that hangthe lowest both broke off....

Hello Tim. Thank you for sharing video. I have 2008 BMW 328i I replaced valve cover gasket by watched your video while I was remove the valve flextronic actuator slowly but I still heard the gear spinning inside I still re installed as normal but I haven’t start the car yet? Do you have any procedure to initialize before I cranking vehicle or just key on first and then start it? Do you have to use scanner to initialize? What’s should I do now? Thank you

The plastic part of my cover fell off would it be a good idea to glue it back ? It’s on the inside

Thanks!

Iam currently struggling to take the valve cover I done took off every bolt

Hey man so I've followed all the steps. But my valvetronic motor wont budge/pop out at all. I've even tried doing it the other way everyone else says. It wouldn't be seized to the valve cover for being cold or anything would it.

Hey man was thinking of switching out my valve cover and gaskets all together with an aftermarket aluminum one but i am planning to use as many oem components as possible. What is a good method for getting the metal sleeves out of the old plastic valve cover and onto a new one? i would like to re use my oem bolts and sleeves also thank you for the video will be using it when the time comes

Did you disconnect the battery when you replaced the valve cover gasket?

Excellent work and video. Would you be interested in repairing mine? How much do charge for this repair?

You need to come to Canada bro need your assistance, shops i went to doesn't want to do the vcg, one shop used rtv to patch my leak instead of replacing the gasket lol..

Hey, one thing not clear. Are the spark plugs removed for this job or are they left in place? It is 2023, I am doing the research on how to fix the leaking valve cover on our 2009 328i xDrive. Your videos are helpful to build confidence towards getting it done. I am a decent mechanic, but this is our first BMW on the driveway. I understand ours to be a N52 engine. There is also a leak from the oil filter housing where that bolts to the block. I plan to do that one at the same time as the valve cover. Do you have a video for filter housing gasket? Thank!

You literally saved me 3000 dollars. Do you have one for the oil filter housing?

One thing not mentioned... That broken piece of trim that he says might of been broken to help get to one of the rear valve cover bolts... Is broken to make it easier to fit the PCV valve past... If urs isn't broken, trust me, cut it or break it... It will make this job WAAAY easier

I changed my whole valve cover gasket and the engine it is smoking even more, what do you think it is going on?

I had a leaking valve cover gasket and went to the dealer for a recall repair on another part and they did not tell me my vehicle was still under warranty for this being an SULEV with being 13 years old and only 90,000 mi. They quoted me $1,300 for the repair. I just spent the last week and money doing this and found out that it is under warranty. Those jerks at the dealership didn't tell me. On top of that, this is the fourth VCG I have replaced across 3 vehicles, and I'm now leaking oil from the edge of the block, everything is torqued properly 😭

Unable to push plug tubes past the tabs. Any tricks for getting them in?

Do you have to replace the valvetronic motor seal and the eccentric shaft sensor seal when replacing the valve cover gasket?

My car cranked and not stating so I changed my crankshaft sensor now it doesn't cranks or starts what did I do wrong?

Pay this man

What type of silicone do you use?

I just watched your video and changed my valve cover for a 2011 BMW 328i drive. Everything went smoothly and I didn’t run into any problems. I put everything back together and tried starting the car and it won’t. It turns over and sounds like it wants to but it won’t. My Foxwell did give a valvetronic error. I took engine cover off and made sure it was hooked up properly and everything seems good. Do you have any ideas where I should start?

What happens to the spark plugs tubes

what happened to the metal sleeves that where in the plug holes?

Hey Tim, again, great video. Question: the tip/cover of one of those two 'towers' on the underside of the valve cover (see at 43:34) came off while I was taking out the valve cover. It goes back on but only loosely. Can I reuse that cover/tip of that tower? I think I have to put some adhesive on it (maybe a little of that gasket maker). Is that right?

Could a valve cover leak cause my tension belt to keep slipping I've replaced my tensioner /idler pulley and belt torque it down 25 pounds and 90 degrees so I know that can't be the issue but soon as my car gets to running for a while my belt will start slipping and my car starts squeeking really bad?

Mine has a secondary air valve I’m confused

New genuine valve cover kit for this is about $550+

Hey bro i just got done rn with my valve cover everything is all good bro but not my windows doesn’t roll down and my mirrors always don’t fold back out please help respond asap bro I really would appreciate it my car is running perfectly fine I can’t seem to find the reason for this

Hi Can anyone confirm if a Sulev was sold In California and resold in Florida will it still be covered under Sulev? It’s a 2012

Definitely disconnect the battery BEFORE spraying carb cleaner all in your electrical connectors. If you don’t, then keep a fire extinguisher handy.

What mean oil in the spark plugs?

Hello Tim. I was hoping you could answer a transmission related question. I have an 2015 F30 328i N20 8-speed which calls for BMW ATF3+ transmission fluid. My question is, can I use BMW ATF-4 fluid for a drain and fill? Thank you! Great channel!!

How much is the labor cost if you charge your customer for this job? Thanks.

I'd recommend replacing the entire cover if the car is over 10years old, or over 100k miles. Being made of plastic, going with a brand new cover may be the best option to limit future repairs that may need to be done.

What is the sullen warranty?