Quarta2six

Damn, go hard or go home huh?... There's a huge thread on bimmerfest about that valley pan pipe, seems easy guy who started the thread said you dont have to take the valve covers off to do it. But he gutted the whole damn engine, have you ran across it? I had the ABG leak I fixed that and the upper timing cover on the drivers side. But Since doing the job I have a tiny bit of oil coming from somewhere Im guessing it has to be the VCG so I want to go ahead and do it. Whatever it is I can see spots under the power steering pump the hose that goes to the back of the pump is a little wet. VCG doesnt seem bad from the threads Ive looked at but you never know till you dig in.

Margal

Absolutely, you never know exactly where it is coming from. I was diagnosed with Valve and timing cover leaks a few months back but now my car is bleeding oil like wounded animal. That's why I decided to change all possible sources of oil and coolant leak once I start the project.
Could you please point me to the link on Bimmerfest about the valley pipe repair you mentioned.
I watched some you tube videos and have general idea how to to do it but more info won't hurt.

Quarta2six

Smh, I hope my car never gets bad. I've done small DIY projects on my car but after that alternator gasket I also changed the upper timing cover seal on that side I feel like with the time I can do anything. Took me 24 hrs and my back was killing me I was completely exhausted. I wish I could strip everything but I dont have the time to have the car sit. Its my daily driver. Here is the link tho How to replace your coolant pipe, valve covers, timing gaskets and more - Bimmerfest - BMW Forums this thread is intense alot of great information if you use this along with some other notes Im sure you already have and a TIS you'll be fine. It's for a 7 but same engine. How much oil are you loosing in say a week?

TheSuspensionSource

I didn't read all the post but check the alternator bracket. My 545i was thought to be leaking from the same thing but it was the alternator bracket.

Margal

Thanks for link. I have Bantley manual also but it is just for touque specs for me as Brantley manual is just general guadence, tells you remove this, this 1 2 3 easy. This forum and other online sources are great for DIYs.
My car is all oily underneath but surprisingly I am not adding any oil. actually I did the oil change a month ago and drove probably 500miles since and the oil level is the same. I just stated experiencing burning smells coming inside the cabine when I am at stops

Quarta2six

Understandable... I thought about getting a bentley but Ive been getting away with just this forum and bimmerfest for DIY's much appreciated by all who contribute. Thats weird about the oil level I thought I was buggin out but my leaks were the same way the oil level doesnt change and I check it at different times. I havent had any burning smells though, that would drive me crazy. Probably hitting the exhaust.

CVTBenhogan

I just did this on my 2006 550, including the front timing covers and oil pressure pump gaskets. New plugs and coil packs as well. It was the worst DIY experience I’ve ever had in servicing cars. I’ve done timing belts and suspension jobs.

First and at all times, there is very little room to work with. Let me start with taking off and putting back on the air duct. It’s super painful to do but very necessary to give room for taking the covers off. Tip: you need to wedge out the duct by the driver side first. Same putting back on. I broke the duct taking it off and had to buy a new one. $130. Don’t forget the plastic 13m bolt down below and behind the block. Also, you need all types of extensions to tighten and loosen the bolts. You need to tape the torx bits to your ratchet for 4 bolts that attach to the firewall. Very time consuming and a magnet wand a must. A number of ratchet parts fell into the center of the engine in the oil pan area, never to be seen again.

For me, the covers needed to be put on twice as they are hard to tighten evenly to avoid leaks. The cover bolt by the firewall is a true delight. The covers were likely also warped. It takes 10 to 15 minutes or more just to set the covers over the spark plug domes. Just when your ready to give up it finally fits. Of course the RTV you put on the U curves on the cover are all messed up by then. Tips: You need to run the car and then check the cover edges for oil leaks before putting back the duct, brace and filters. Cross tighten the cover bolts slowly and don’t over torque. If on properly the bolt will quickly tighten up, almost making an audible snap. Use RTV (thin bead in the cover groove) in the corners and bottom sides to keep the gasket on the cover. Use too much and you’ll get leaks. I had to remove the first application of RTV when putting the covers on a second time. I was much more light with the RTV.

The driver side front timing cover is a real pain as the alternator needs to be moved slightly to take off the bottom cover nut. You are blind and there is barely room to get your ratchet on it. Took 2 hrs to get that bolt. At one point I needed unscrew the bolt by using magnetic wand. Ridiculous. As the bolt backs out, there is less ability to keep the ratchet on the torx head. You need to use tape again on the torx bits. Also, you need to loosen upside down torx screw to remove a hose clamp (right side on the timing cover). There is little room and you’ll make slow progress using a small torx key. You’ll want to find out who that engineer was and well I won’t say anymore.

Clean your solenoids with brake cleaner and use a lot of oil to lube to reinstall. Clean off the wires too. Some solenoid can be quite sticky and do not want to reseat. On the drivers side, I pulled off the big coolant hose to fit the lower solenoid. Be careful with the wire clips and they fall off easily and they don’t need to fall into alternator. The oil buildup was seriously bad. Can’t imagine not doing the front timing covers.

IMPORTANT. Got many error codes on the cam position sensor. The trick is put on the cam sensor flush (by twisting) to cover and install the cover with the sensor on. Don’t break it. These sensors are a pain to figure out issues. You can waste hours of reading posts that lead you to believe the vanos is the problem and new scanner tools are necessary. Or stop learn limits need to programmed. Or your vanos solenoids are shot and you need swap them back and forth.

Vanos servo motors need to be reset. Do remember to put the key in second position and wait 30 seconds. Do it twice. I got 7 misfire codes because I did it once and only for 15 seconds. I thought I broke the engine and told the wife that too. Don’t want to relive that moment again.

I did break both eccentric sensors but salvaged them both. One was cracked where it was flexing. I used epoxy to fix and luckily it works. Each one is $250. Tip: tape the top of the sensor with thin tape to reinforce top part the sensor before pulling off the cover. Super brittle. Lift the cover by the sensor and ensure it clears. You’ll hear god awful cracking noises. Neither side is easier than the other. Struggled with both. Btw. In taking off one eccentric sensor, a screw fell into the engine. Luckily it stuck by a valve spring and and was retrieved. Almost game over, funny I didn’t panic looking for the bolt.

The oil pressure pump is pain too. Bolts strip easy for pump cover. Tip: Buy bigger bolts and there is a great YouTube by a English guy showing how it’s done. That said, fitting the pump vane is a pain in the ass, even with cover off. Use lots of grease because it’s a struggle and it sticks on the timing cover hole.

The vacuum hose to the valve covers will likely break. You might as well buy a new one when doing the job.

Be careful when moving the coolant reservoir. Tube fitting going to block broke and $55 bucks for a new hose. Fitting the clamp to the block was another heartbreak and your now taking off the throttle body. I didn’t realize this until coolant started leaking directly under the engine. I thought cracked block/head at first and my car just became 4000lb paperweight. I was feeling bad on that.

Again. A horrible job and I still have leaks. Likely alternator and oil pan filter/gasket. A real nightmare. INDIA