Sorry guys, but I didn't think about photo of valve train until I had the valve cover back on my wife's 2004 E60 with 155k miles. The Vanos unit was stained, but no sludge. Been running LL-01 oils at 6-7k OCIs. Replaced valve cover gasket that had turned hard as a brick. Had to use a sharp chisel to work the spark plug gaskets loose. While I was at it, I replaced the upstream O2 sensors and spark plugs. I told my wife she owes me $600, but it's probably more than that. She said "charge it." I'll find a way for her to pay!
Valve cover gasket and other work on wife's BMW
- Thread starter rainman49
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Consider yourself lucky. My wife would have said "well, why did you wait so long and let the gaskets get hard as bricks?" Then she would have reminded me about how many loads of laundry she did last week.
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It's amazing how bad those gaskets get. I did my wife's valve cover gasket, oil filter housing base gasket and the gasket under the motor in the middle of the valve cover one year ago this week on her '08 E60.
Seems like they don't last very long, but I guess they have a rough life.
Seems like they don't last very long, but I guess they have a rough life.
space shuttles have hard life; a properly designed and built valve cover gasket is far from living hard life. every other manufacturer can keep the valve cover from leaking for hundreds of thousands of mile. sometimes one has to wonder if the designed life span of cooling systems or gaskets is the warranty period for a BMW.
Unfortunately, my experience has been that only Toyota and some Nissan rubber gaskets last for life. All my American and German cars have required VC and or intake manifold gaskets at what seem to be very short intervals. In many cases, within the new car warranty.
Even so, the OP's 10 years and 155k is not a ridiculously short life.
Even so, the OP's 10 years and 155k is not a ridiculously short life.
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OVERKILL
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Originally Posted By: CBR.worm
Unfortunately, my experience has been that only Toyota and some Nissan rubber gaskets last for life. All my American and German cars have required VC and or intake manifold gaskets at what seem to be very short intervals. In many cases, within the new car warranty.
Even so, the OP's 10 years and 155k is not a ridiculously short life.
The silicone rubber ones that Ford uses seem to last forever. The BMW ones? not so much.
Unfortunately, my experience has been that only Toyota and some Nissan rubber gaskets last for life. All my American and German cars have required VC and or intake manifold gaskets at what seem to be very short intervals. In many cases, within the new car warranty.
Even so, the OP's 10 years and 155k is not a ridiculously short life.
The silicone rubber ones that Ford uses seem to last forever. The BMW ones? not so much.
Originally Posted By: CBR.worm
Unfortunately, my experience has been that only Toyota and some Nissan rubber gaskets last for life. All my American and German cars have required VC and or intake manifold gaskets at what seem to be very short intervals. In many cases, within the new car warranty.
Even so, the OP's 10 years and 155k is not a ridiculously short life.
Not all Toyota ones either, the one on my ECHO is original and does not leak at all, the ones on my Sienna last about 30,000 miles before starting to weep. I don't know if they are different material as I've never seen the one on the ECHO.
Unfortunately, my experience has been that only Toyota and some Nissan rubber gaskets last for life. All my American and German cars have required VC and or intake manifold gaskets at what seem to be very short intervals. In many cases, within the new car warranty.
Even so, the OP's 10 years and 155k is not a ridiculously short life.
Not all Toyota ones either, the one on my ECHO is original and does not leak at all, the ones on my Sienna last about 30,000 miles before starting to weep. I don't know if they are different material as I've never seen the one on the ECHO.
Every minivan I've ever had (with the exception of one Toyota) has leaked oil from the valve cover gaskets before the warranty expired. 2 Chryslers, 2 Fords (Aerostars) and 2 Chevys. I don't know if it is the vehicle type, the usage or material. I bought them all new and maintained them properly. And our 2 Nissan cars are at about 160k and 130k, neither of them have ever leaked - but the internet is full of people with the same car complaining of oil leaks before 60k. The Audi started leaking around 38k, the BMW ~72k.
Maybe it's just luck of the draw.
Maybe it's just luck of the draw.
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