BMW 330i 325i E46 Valve Cover Gasket Replacement DIY
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- Опубліковано 28 вер 2024
- How to change a valve cover gasket on an E46 BMW.
Purchase a Victor Reinz valve cover gasket here: amzn.to/2w2rf5i
This video is for entertainment purposes only. 50sKid assumes no liability for any repairs or modifications performed by the viewer as a result of the information contained in this video.
Jason- I got sober 2.5 years ago and my gift to myself recently was to get a car I always wanted but knew the maintenance would kill me, an e46 330ci stick. You gave me the extra bit of confidence to work on it myself. I've done the rear dif bushing, vanos, ccv, valve cover, tune up, cooling etc watching your vids. Thank you for inspiring a car guy to become a car guy who tinkers on his own cars now. This car is highly rewarding if you take care of it. Thanks for the inspiration, hope all is well.
-cheers
Drew David I used to have a stick 330ci and I loved it- i did some minor work to it and it was fun until someone crashed into it! got myself a cheaper 325i which needs a lot more work for which I am going to have fun with. Best of luck!
THE VERY BEST TO YOU MATE IN YOUR EFFORTS AND TRAVELS, STAY POSITIVE AND AWESOME, WELCOME BACK BROTHER !1
Thanks again!!! My son and I completed this yesterday step by step with this video. The smoking and burnt oil smell stopped!!! He is excited to drive this as his first car. Great Father Son project. You're awesome!!!
That's awesome!
Love this guy. He makes it look easy. Here's some additional things I encountered when doing this job on my 2006 E46 with 96k mi.
It's really helpful to have a magnetic tool with a light on the end for recovering the screws/nuts you will inevitably drop. Ditto for a 'grabber' tool for the non-magnetic rubber seals. The beamer has a lot of places where dropped tools and parts get stuck - count your blessings when you hear them hit the floor! At least then you can recover them! You might want to just buy some spare valve cover cap nuts, washers and seals. The dropped and lost fasteners will eventually find their way out... down the road somewhere! A 10mm swivel socket would be good for the difficult rear and lower fasteners.
The rubber boot on one of my coils was stuck to the spark plug and ripped and stayed attached to the plug, so good to have a spare coil. I used needle nose pliers to remove it piece by piece. My old valve cover gasket had deteriorated between the round plug seals inside the valve cover. Pieces had fallen in and were sitting in there. When putting it back together, look down all the plug holes before torqueing the valve cover and make sure the valve cover seals around the plugs have not dislodged and blocked the hole!
The valve cover fasteners consist of a cap nut, a metal washer, and a rubber seal. The seals sometimes want to stay put and sometimes the washers too. On reassembly make sure each position has one and only one rubber seal, one washer before putting the cap nut on. It's easy to think there's a washer there when there is not and you'll find out when torqueing something is wrong. Other than all that chaos, all good! ;-)
Again, the 50's kid is great. He's my first stop whenever I need to work on my car. I didn't need to buy that expensive shop manual.
Thanks for the experience and heads up man because I'm about to do this on my 2000 323i. Going to get everything prepared and ready it's smoking pretty bad and I just had did the fan clutch thermostat and water pump and also change the oil last night.. but yeah that valve cover gasket got so worse.. it's never smoked like this before
Wish me luck boys I'm doing this weekend
Successful job!
how did it go just did mine in about 2 hours but i really wanted to take my time and not rush
Starting Tech it took me like 5 hours lol
@@B0JACK i had already had the engine plenum covers removed, and used an electric impact for most bolts. if i had just used hand tools it would have took me like 4 hours too haha good shit. no leaks still this much time on?
@@B0JACK did you use rtv sealer??
Hands like a surgeon. Also - always have the right tools for the job. Makes things go so much more smooth! (Magnet, pan, angled socket, torque wrench)
THANK YOU 50s kid. I have followed many of your videos and changed valve cover gasket, spark plugs, engine oil, gear box oil, cooling fluids, and the thingy in the back of the dash that fails and stops the heat/air blowing. Really great videos. I have learnt a lot and having fun doing the work.
$594.27 crazy dealership quote on this one for my 2002 330CI. I'm surprised they haven't paid UA-cam to shut you down yet!
did mine for 60$
@@startingtech3900 the gasket was like 20 bucks for me... so yeah thats how much it all cost me LOL
live2day I bought the victor reinz oem one that came with all the gromets and spark plug rings too I could have bought the cheap 20$ one but you don’t want to cheap out and buy the economy gasket especially when it’s your precious inline 6 motor we’re talking about. Mine is still holding strong to this day
@@startingtech3900 Tell me exactly why my gaskets wont last and yours will? its literally oem quality replacement... oem quality for me is enough
@@e36fanatics i never said your wouldnt i just said i went with victor reinz bc it is better quality than the 20$ ones i had the option to get them for 20$ too but i got the victor reinz one
I got out of the BMW game in '96 and now I'm sucked back into it since my daughter bought a 2000 323CI. Your video's have helped me replace the ignition coil for cylinder number 6 and the O2 sensor for bank one (I replaced both since the engine has 125k miles). Since it is leaking oil pretty badly through the valve cover, I will be replacing the gasket this weekend. Your videos and your explanation throughout has been invaluable while I perform these tasks. Your video's have saved me well over $1,000 in labor costs!
MrJacobIV hey do you need to drain oil when doing this ?
I am buying a non-running e46 and with your help am extremely confident I will have it running in no time. Thank you for taking the time to make these videos.
How did it turn out?
Once again very accurate description of what to do. I'm lucky a s the gasket just fell out. One thing Id like to add is that BMW put a layer of gasket goop on the low side of the cover to stop oil drips. Makes sense to me so I'm doing the same thing. Once again you saved me a lot of money. You're a legend for a fifties kid lol. A big thankyou. I wish you did videos on outboard repairs. You make it easy.
I have already changed few things on my 330ci because of your videos and I do really enjoy it. Makes me very happy to do small jobs around my car by myself and give me an idea what state my car is.
Thanks very much for all your videos!
I've been working on cars all my life about 20 years I'm 42 however never had a German card till this E46 and I appreciate your videos they helped me get through the things that I do not know about the f* * * ing BMW LOL.
if there was a double like button I'll hit it twice!! please keep making videos like this. videos like this is building up my confidence to buy a BMW. I've heard for many years that these cars are expensive to maintain and very difficult to work on. but as I do more research, videos like yours has been proven them wrong.
Thanks
I’ve only had mine for almost 2 years I knew NOTHING and haven’t taken it to the shop for anything at all except putting my suspension on. I did this, camshaft position sensors, brakes, fuel pump, belts, pulleys, radiator lines, coils, spark plugs, headlight lenses, dews mods.. I could go on and on and I did it by myself w UA-cam videos.
Few* mods
Really well done. One of the best I’ve seen in years. Much more information than just the gasket replacement. Thank you
thanks 50s kid hope you return soon! just did this by watching your vid.
you just helped me with the little ground wires. I couldn't remember where they went back on. thanks!
That’s why I came back. Did not remember which grounding goes where. 😭 much appreciated thank you for the video.
Getting a used 2002 BMW 325i E46 with 180.000 miles on it, in less than a week hopefully, so I'll be watching your channel ALOT! Gained a new Subscriber here!
Very helpful!! I got 330i a week ago. Now I need most of your vids more then ever. I really thank you. You are a gift.
I finished this job today thanks to your great video. I have a 2001 BMW 325xi and the whole process was really easy except for removing the old gasket. That alone took me about 2 hours. The center circular pieces of the gasket were so stuck in there I had to drill out little slits in the rubber to pry them out. Obviously this job was long overdue. On to everything else made of rubber in this car.
Thank you man. Watched everything an learned so much. I really appreciate what you are doing for the e46 community
Awesome job you have done on these videos You have kept me upon the road for the past ten -fifteen years now...Thank you
New e46 owner here, great channel...thanks for all the clear and concise how-to's.
Highest quality most bestest instructional video I have ever seen on utube. Really outstanding!
Just did this today. Broke the CCV hose leading to the valve cover. Ugh! Went to the parts store and found some hose that fit over the orginal hose and clamped it on. Now I need to check out your CCV video. BTW, love your videos. Thank you.
I did it😁 thanks 50s kid you saved me so much in mechanic bills and its worked great👍
Video was useful for me today, thanks man keep making these e46 videos! Very helpful and also fun to watch for a BMW enthusiast like myself.
Thank you brother, for giving us mortals the confidence to do this. Just bought an 04 330 and guess what ... leaky valve cover. Subscribed!
Great Video 50sKid! Followed your instructions on my E39 M54 valve cover gasket replacement without any issue, I will say cleaning the mental surface, bolts and washers took quite a while. I also replaced the rubber shimmers as they are not re-usable, the middle holes are leaking oil in my case.
Since I got the torque wrenches now, doubled checked all spark plugs measure, they were too loose, all tightened up to 25 Nm.
thank you brother , I got my 2003 e46 running and purring again because of your incredible videos!!!
Where are you located? I'd feel very comfortable knowing you did any work to my vehicle. You're a competent, smart and trustworthy mechanic. There are a lot of crooks and half-assers out there (made that up). Awesome work and videos. 😁
Pro tip: Use high-tack spray-a-gasket on both sides of the whole gasket. This is what they did at the bmw dealership I worked at.
I use Permatex high temp copper spray a gasket and it works phenomenal compared to the squeeze tube.
Does this help with longevity of the gasket? I did my M54's valve cover gasket maybe 6 months ago, and it's already leaking down the spark plug holes and also onto my headers.
@@busterscrugs have you changed your pcv system? I know that if its clogged it can blow out your gasket.
@@MrYourfavoritesub I haven't done it myself but the CCV was replaced by the previous owner, and I have the O2 pilot mod done to increase crankcase vacuum. I just redid the valve cover gasket a few days ago. Did a much better job than last time using scotch brite to clean up old gasket material, and I used a little bit more rtv than previously. Pretty sure the issue is warped valve cover, the corners are lifted about 1-2mm above the head.
tyson505 I've got oil dripping down onto the spark plugs and it hunts when engaging the clutch. Is it the ccv?
just wanna say thanks for videos. even having language barrier, I'm still understand everything and fix car with your help!
Awesome, I'm glad!
You could learn on mute haha
50's kid!!!! excellent video as always!!! keep the e46 videos coming!!! thanks champ!!!
I am considering an 05 325 ci and these videos are helping me understand the car. Extremely helpful and well made, keep it up! thanks
On tightening the valve cover bolts, it's better to start at the center and work your way out.
I was terrified of this job... so I scheduled the CCV at the same time, to make it less daunting 🤣.
As Jason says, though, it's actually very easy... like any M54 job, the first third of the work is getting stuff out of the way, and the last third is putting it all back together!
Best E46 videos on UA-cam! Greetings from the UK 👍
Bro!!personal thanks from me .learned so much about my e46 just off you.
Your a very big help I have a 02 530i and I learned everything from u. Thanks and please keep helping guys like us. 💯💯
Thank you, saved so much and so far so good! you really are the "friend I go to before working on my car" lol
Yes he is
Wow your the damn man...thanks a whole lot just by watching this video 3 times today I just installed my valve cover gasket with grommets, also replaced spark plugs and all ignition coils since they were all there since birth on my 04 BMW 325i(163k). I noticed gasket that was installed by prior owner was still fresh which was weird to me really thought it would be hard. Leak was coming from grommets which he didn't change cause most were broken and that's where I was getting leak but still replaced gasket anyway. Took me a little over 3 hours but I took my time cleaning oil around engine block...Car runs a lot better now I had rough idle due to very corroded plugs and coils that had 163k miles on them. Thanks again will search to see if you have a coolant thermostat replacement video 😂
Thank you so much for this incredibly helpful video. Just replaced mine on my 02 330ci with 141,000 on the clock. I think they were original due to no evidence of gasket sealer. Hard as freaking rock! But your advice on how to remove both the valve cover and the gasket were excellent. Mission accompllshed, and only one tab on the coil wire loom broken. It seems okay as is.
Interesting, I thought BMW used the Bremi coils on the early E46's and then swapped to the Bosch coils after a number of issues.
Great video as usual - another job I've had to do on mine but certainly worth doing - ideally as the oil was leaking onto the manifold and stinking out the car!
This will be my next job. I trust you the most and you make look so easy. Thanks mang.
THANK-YOU VERY MUCH FOR TAKING IT ALL APART FOR US . STAY SAFE !!
great vid, the best tutorial regarding the cover gasket replacement for e46 I found
Thank you for this, used this video whilst doing this job on my 02 330Ci really helpful.
The boot being torn could cause arcing at least they do a lot on the fords .. awesome video thanks a million !
Thank you for all your helpful & informative DIY Videos. On this one, I’ll try to avoid the most mistake you´ve warned about! :-)!
Ones again, Thanks you very much!😊
THANK YOU!! Amazing! So easy my wife was able to do it!
Michael Conway was she really? I’m going to attempt to do mine myself too. 🤓
05 is a bit different but this DIY is amazing! thank you so much
50skid EXCELLENT job on this video. Very easy to understand and video work is great..
I like to know to car running fine only on when I car is stop its like missing
best gasket i learn the hard way is straight from dealer it is thinker and fits a lot better than what ever you buy at ebay or autozone this item dealer
Did this on my car yesterday so helpful thank you very in depth
This is one of the jobs ive got on the list of things to do, can i ask why you didnt put RTV sealant all over the mating surfaces?
Thanks for taking the time to explain the processes.
50'sKid, thanks for the well put together video!
@50sKid At about 11:24 into the VCG job, you mention a vacuum hose that should be replaced. Is that a general comment, or every time you replace the VCG? Do you have a part number for that one? For the RTV, do you only put a dab at each of the half moon edges? Any downsides for thin bead all around? Lastly - any recommendations on a shop magnet extension tool, or get whatever is cheap and well rated at Amazon (ie 3lb pickup good enough)? And thanks for the video... very well done! Would love to see a list of your vids with degree of difficulty on some scale (1-10... with 10 being the hardest).
I just hope over torquing the bolts 11 bolts on the outside isn't too big of an issue, don't have a torque wrench and I kinda just gave it a couple good turns til they were really snug
so for the falling gasket usually i put gasket sealer (the right stuff) on both side of gasket. not too much. but a thin layer to get it to stay in place while installing. it never hurts.
Did I hear you say 8 ft-lbs for the valve cover bolts? That seems extremely little, and the Haynes manual says 18.
By the way: I absolutely love your videos! I did my VCG and VANOS rebuild today thanks to them!
It's 8 ft lbs, yes. 18 will snap the bolts.
in the video he says 6 ft. lbs.
its worth removing that positive cable going to starter.. just 1 bolt on positive terminal
Great video. Although, the coil assembly on my '03 E46 330i ZHP looks way different than this one. I also don't have a secondary air pump.
Thanks from France ! I've some oil fumes that enters in the car, and I think it's because my valve cover gasket needs to be replaced ! :)
toi aussi ? Je m'y mets ce week-end si tout va bien.
always detailed and clear videos very helpful , keep up the good work cheers
Thank you so much for posting this video, this came in so handy today.
Thank god for this guy’s video
ive taken apart and redone and inspected everything i can possibly think of. i have a leak on the lower side of my e39 m54 and i can not fox it. its been months. leaking and burning lots of oil. ive tried silicon sealants and permatex sealants and everything in the book. brand new gasket. every. single. time. i am in so much money and im loosing hope fast and no one seems to have this problem and i cant figure it out. no warping nothing. i can not figure it out.
“I dropped my can of silicone off camera and broke it..... sooooo”
Lmfao. If that doesn’t show you how human and how real life is (because we all do stuff like that in our own garages) idk what will. Great, great video!
M52 engines are the same. Some of the later M54 engines '04 onwards have push fit coils so the valve cover is different.
Don’t forget to add rtv to the seams where the timing cover meets the block guys.
His preference was the red rtv. You can use any correct?
Spark plugs taking a dip in oil, random missfires… sounds like I’m doing this on sunday :/
Gasket was replaced 60-70.000 km ago. Sad me.
Really well edited and great job on the vid
I have a 2004 330xi with winter package so idk if that effects it but I have diffrent coil packs and connectors
Good work, keep them coming for the e46.
Having the magnet tool is a great tip. Another would be to have an extra perimeter bolt (or two) for the one that will invariably slip out of your fingers, down the engine bay, and land in a hidden spot where you can’t find it or shake it loose🤪 Which creates the condition known as ‘jobus interruptus’ 🤬
you are fantastic and such a nice guy i,m a new subscriber to your channel...thanks for all that you do to help us all
50sKid Whew, I just finished replacing the gasket and spark plugs today. Took me the better half of the day but due to your excellent videos, it wasn't so scary to complete! Thanks so much. Question, my old spark plugs had 4 prongs but the new ones only have one is that a problem? The auto store said that they were right for my 2003 330xi. PKG iridium.
They aren't right--the correct plugs have 4 prongs. Use google to find the correct OEM part number for the plugs. I probably have it listed in my spark plug video description.
One prong is fine. OEM is 4 prong, but thats only meant to last longer, as the spark will choose the prong closest to the electrode. As is sparks, it wears down whichever platform its using. Eventually, it will choose another prong, thus sustaining the life of the plug.
One prong is fine. OEM is 4 prong, but thats only meant to last longer, as the spark will choose the prong closest to the electrode. As is sparks, it wears down whichever platform its using. Eventually, it will choose another prong, thus sustaining the life of the plug.
Very good video , thank you so much for sharing it with us !
After all..........God Dammit today's BMW brand/////
Nice video and Good job, it was very interesting. Thank you ////////////////////
hello. I changed the gasket, but now a lot of smoke comes out of the exhaust and the car runs with fewer cylinders, any recommendations? 🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻
I do the job but still leaks a little from the front end screw. I torque the screw a little more fingers cross. I dont want to do this job again
Just bought my first e46, shitlosds of kms,(from Australia, we go by kilometers lol) need to get this done, thank you for the great vid, you make it look so easy.
Would you know the size or part number for the vacuum hose you recommend to replace, below left of vslve cover??
The hose u mentioned that connects to the secondary pump broke on mine also do u have a diy video on how to replace it and also can i drive my car like that
That line that you mentioned on the passenger side of the valve cover. Cracked as soon as you touched it. 11:50 in the video. Does anyone know the name of that line. I see the clips but there is no line to be found. Only lines near there are my 02 sensors
What is the name of the vacuum hose you described that was brittle and connects to the back of the engine? Will you do a video on replacing that hose?
Thank you.
I'm following too
My E46's valve cover looks different than all the ones I've found here on UA-cam. Mine has an aluminum valve cover, not plastic, and the gasket is flat. I ordered a replacement gasket and when I pulled the valve cover off I realized I had the wrong gasket set. Now I can't find anywhere that has the gasket I need. Very strange...
My car is a 2003 325i. Not sure of the exact production date, I see some sites say there's a difference from before 9/2002 and after 9/2002. /shrug
renragged I’m not sure what year bmw put the m56 engine in the e46 3 series but it had a metal valve cover instead of plastic. It’s rare though
NUMBER RULE! NEVER LAY ANYTHING ON TOP OF THE CYLINDER HEAD , JUST IN CASE SOMETHING FELL INTO THE ENGINE BLOCK. The way that valve cover was UPSIDE DOWN placed on top of the cylinder head got people scratching their heads!
Hello. You have a video to replace the oxinge sensor?
Is it worthwhile to invest in an aluminum valve cover?
I dont have a torque wrench that goes Down to 6 nm so i just hand tightsenes Them until i could turn more. I wonder if thats too Much or if its okay..
How long to let it sit in order for the sealant to cure? Nice video, Thumbs up.
Is the valve gasket the same as the head gasket? Sorry if I sound stupid but
I have a 2005 bmw e46 325ci with a different type of coil setup, it has two red wires bolted down in between cylinders 3 and 6 I believe? This may sound dumb but I’m having trouble removing them since the whole bolt and wire move as I torque them, how do I get them off so I can take the harness out?
If I have oil in my spark plug wells. This should definitly fix that right? Any good tips on cleaning the oil out of the wells?
Yes. Compressed air with a towel over top. Or just twirl some paper towels down into the tubes. Various ways.
50sKid thanks! :)
I found oil again in the spark plug tubes again, very rough idle and cyl 3 misfire code. Is it NORMAL to change the VCG so often? I swear this must be the fifth time, my car has only 200K Km and this time I am thinking of changing it at home. Is there a better material now that will last longer? Or did the mechanic use an inferior one that only lasts a couple of years?
great garden gnome, the Kid hasn't chimed in on this so I will, mechanics will use what's easily available and low cost as a rule. The Kid recommended a Victor Rei nz or you could always us genuine BMW. Specify the brand if having someone else do the work. They may not like it, but the $$ in most jobs is the labor and not the part.
Can the valve cover get warped, would that give the orange gear light??
04 325i will not start, minor moisture on spark plugs, mechanic say possible head gasket. But another mechanic says Valve gasket. Should I go with Valve gasket swap first, and spark plug change first?
thanks for the video. always learning. made it look simple
snapped one centre valve cover nut and an outer any idea what to do now hahha
Torque Sequence diagram needed and state it’s 6 lb ft not km (metric system). You don’t show the three center bolts being removal either cause us to wonder why cover wouldn’t come off. Thanks mostly