n52 valve cover gasket

redlinedbimmer · 11-11-2012, 01:48 PM

I just have my 08 328 with about 70k miles in for an oil change. The shop said I have a leaky valve cover gasket and I should get it replaced within a reasonable amount of time, like 10k or so the lady told me. This is a very knowledgeable shop (fluid motor union)....She also said the techs said that the valve covers crack on these engines and so they recommend replacing the valve cover along with the gasket when this repair is done.

Has anybody else had the cover replaced as well? Because if I replace the gasket and then the cover breaks I'm out all that money and will have to pay for the repair twice. My car doesn't leak any oil on the ground; what are the potential damages from letting a leaky valve cover gasket go too long? They are supposed to email me a quote but what have other people paid for this job, is it a DIY job?

nate5ks · 11-11-2012, 02:25 PM

I did mine a year ago and I think there's a DIY on this site. From what I hear the dealers charge about a grand for it but a good Indy should be able to charge less. Parts were $40, you will need new aluminum bolts and the gasket. I didn't replace the valve cover itself and with 150000 mi on the car I haven't seen a need to. Whatever you do, don't put this off. Leaking oil is never good but in this case it leaks all over the engine wiring harnesses and connectors which could ruin other components. Sometimes a bolt or two cracks which causes the leak. In this case I've heard of people replacing just those bolts and the leak stops but I have not tried this.

mlifxs · 11-11-2012, 09:39 PM

some have DIY'd. You can find them if you search. From what I've read, it is a time consuming job. Parts are cheap, but labor is not. An indy quoted me $580.

I'm considering DIY, but from what I've read there is a risk to breaking the breather hose and the cover itself is very tricky to remove. Haven't seen a "best method" or trick to getting the cover off.
The DIY here: http://www.e90post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=697252
is for replacing eccentric shaft sensor but requires changing the vcg. The writer gives some tips for removing the breather hose and other steps related to vcg change.

If you have a plastic cover, you may not need to replace bolts, per suggestion in above post. If bolts have blue spots on them, they need to be replaced. Mine do not. The DIY above does not replace bolts.

Don't know about your question regarding replacing the plastic cover. I've wondered about the pcv mechanism, ie is there anything to inspect on the old cover to determine if replacement is warranted?

redlinedbimmer · 11-12-2012, 08:39 AM

thanks guys, I will do some more research on whether the cover should be replaced with the gasket, but if I can have this done for $600 or less I will probably just pay...I used to do a lot of DIY on my older e36s and I've done the brakes and installed my eibach pro kit on this car but I don't feel confident taking engine parts off.

nate5ks · 11-12-2012, 03:49 PM

I thoroughly cleaned my valve cover when it was off and inspected it for damage and didn't see anything. The pcv hose is a quick disconnect similar to those used on earlier models, you just squeeze the connector at the grips and pull it off If I remember right. My bolts were blue so I replaced them but the ones I replaced them with were not. Maybe they changed them. All I know is that I never want to have to extract a broken bolt from the rear of that engine so I will use new bolts if I have to do this job again.

11-11-2012, 01:48 PM	#1
redlinedbimmer Private First Class 10 Rep 191 Posts Drives: 2008 328i 6 speed Join Date: May 2011 Location: Chicago iTrader: (0)	n52 valve cover gasket I just have my 08 328 with about 70k miles in for an oil change. The shop said I have a leaky valve cover gasket and I should get it replaced within a reasonable amount of time, like 10k or so the lady told me. This is a very knowledgeable shop (fluid motor union)....She also said the techs said that the valve covers crack on these engines and so they recommend replacing the valve cover along with the gasket when this repair is done. Has anybody else had the cover replaced as well? Because if I replace the gasket and then the cover breaks I'm out all that money and will have to pay for the repair twice. My car doesn't leak any oil on the ground; what are the potential damages from letting a leaky valve cover gasket go too long? They are supposed to email me a quote but what have other people paid for this job, is it a DIY job?
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11-11-2012, 02:25 PM	#2
nate5ks Captain 35 Rep 648 Posts Drives: 2006 BMW 330xi Join Date: Nov 2011 Location: Jacksonville Beach, FL iTrader: (0)	I did mine a year ago and I think there's a DIY on this site. From what I hear the dealers charge about a grand for it but a good Indy should be able to charge less. Parts were $40, you will need new aluminum bolts and the gasket. I didn't replace the valve cover itself and with 150000 mi on the car I haven't seen a need to. Whatever you do, don't put this off. Leaking oil is never good but in this case it leaks all over the engine wiring harnesses and connectors which could ruin other components. Sometimes a bolt or two cracks which causes the leak. In this case I've heard of people replacing just those bolts and the leak stops but I have not tried this.
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11-11-2012, 09:39 PM	#3
mlifxs Diamond Geezer 222 Rep 2,384 Posts Drives: Jet Black 2007 328i Saloon Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: Florida iTrader: (6) Garage List 2016 VW Golf Sportw ... [10.00]	some have DIY'd. You can find them if you search. From what I've read, it is a time consuming job. Parts are cheap, but labor is not. An indy quoted me $580. I'm considering DIY, but from what I've read there is a risk to breaking the breather hose and the cover itself is very tricky to remove. Haven't seen a "best method" or trick to getting the cover off. The DIY here: http://www.e90post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=697252 is for replacing eccentric shaft sensor but requires changing the vcg. The writer gives some tips for removing the breather hose and other steps related to vcg change. If you have a plastic cover, you may not need to replace bolts, per suggestion in above post. If bolts have blue spots on them, they need to be replaced. Mine do not. The DIY above does not replace bolts. Don't know about your question regarding replacing the plastic cover. I've wondered about the pcv mechanism, ie is there anything to inspect on the old cover to determine if replacement is warranted?
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11-12-2012, 08:39 AM	#4
redlinedbimmer Private First Class 10 Rep 191 Posts Drives: 2008 328i 6 speed Join Date: May 2011 Location: Chicago iTrader: (0)	thanks guys, I will do some more research on whether the cover should be replaced with the gasket, but if I can have this done for $600 or less I will probably just pay...I used to do a lot of DIY on my older e36s and I've done the brakes and installed my eibach pro kit on this car but I don't feel confident taking engine parts off.
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11-12-2012, 03:49 PM	#5
nate5ks Captain 35 Rep 648 Posts Drives: 2006 BMW 330xi Join Date: Nov 2011 Location: Jacksonville Beach, FL iTrader: (0)	I thoroughly cleaned my valve cover when it was off and inspected it for damage and didn't see anything. The pcv hose is a quick disconnect similar to those used on earlier models, you just squeeze the connector at the grips and pull it off If I remember right. My bolts were blue so I replaced them but the ones I replaced them with were not. Maybe they changed them. All I know is that I never want to have to extract a broken bolt from the rear of that engine so I will use new bolts if I have to do this job again.
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