bimmerZ

I ended up finding a good DIY there and at pelicanparts.com in the tech section also. Thanks for the heads up!

bimmerZ

Thank you for the info, that was very helpful! I appreciate you taking the time to give me those suggestions. I started in on the VCG this weekend first, hoping to get a better look at the alternator gasket once things were apart a bit. I have two questions that I need some input on. 1- Is it feasible that the alternator bracket gasket is not leaking yet, but instead the drivers side VCG is leaking and making it appear that its coming from the alternator? After looking underneath without the belly pans, it looks like the oil is coming from the top (under VCG) and not right at the bracket. 2 - I am literally STUCK with this VCG job. I feel like a complete moron, but I cannot get the drivers side cover off. I have followed the DIY and stripped everything down including some things I might not have needed to. I cannot get the cover to lift high enough to come off and clear the eccentric shaft sensor. Even if the sensor was not in the way, it seems like there just isn't enough room to get the cover out. Can anyone give me any suggestions or a certain pattern to rotate this thing out?? I am going insane here!! It seems like its stuck against the right hand side wheel well and the air cowl at the back which doesn't seem removable- image attached. Any help would be greatly appreciated before I have to call my indy and swallow my pride...

dingolfing

When VCG leaks, it is usually very small, compared to upper timing cover and alternator bracket leaks. So if you're not getting any large puddles of oil on the ground, then you should be fine. The latter two gaskets leak alot of oil when they go bad.

That air cowl is indeed removable, and the only way the valve cover will come off. I believe it is held on by about 7 fasteners total.

bimmerZ

Thanks a lot! I re-read through the VCG DIY and realized that they DID remove the air cowl. I mistakenly thought it was saying to remove the cabin filter housing and strut bar. which I did, but missed the second firewall cowl. Geez, wish I could get those couple hours of frustration back, lol. I am not getting any large puddles, just leaks inside the engine bay. Most seems to get caught by the belly pan and only a tiny bit on the ground if anything. As far as consumption, I have been adding about 1/2 - 3/4 quart every month to 6 weeks? Not much in my opinion.

bimmerZ

I am not sure if I should move this to another thread since the OP was regarding alternator bracket. Either way, I have a couple additional questions maybe dingolfing could answer if you have the time. Thanks again for the cowl help, that was a life saver. Cover came off like a charm and new gasket it in with 9 of 13 bolts started by hand. I am having trouble with the 4 bottom on the drivers side (cyl 5-8). I cannot seem to put enough downward pressure on the rubber grommet to get the threads started. Any tricks? Is is possible that the "red guide tabs" inside the VC are not aligned and holding something up?

Second, while I was waiting on the RTV to dry, I removed and replaced the gaskets on the vacuum pump. Two things struck me as odd that I wanted to ask about. One, the main (larger) line came off fine, however the smaller vacuum line nipple is capped off and goes nowhere. Normal? The fitting for the larger hose seems to have a little play in it. When I pulled and wiggled to get the hose off, the neck of the pump seemed to give a little and wiggle around just a touch, and some oil seeped out. Normal or does the whole pump need replaced? Thanks so much for your time, I know its not easy dealing with these seemingly basic questions.

DavidF

I did the alternator bracket on my 545i many years ago and cannot remember now if my car has an oil cooler or not. The reason I mention this is that my '08 X5 4.8i has the same engine as the 550i and it has an oil cooler. As such, the offending profile gasket is not part of the alternator bracket, but part of the oil cooler line attachment block. Thus, the repair is much easier. If this is the case, you might want to visit Xoutpost.com and review some of the posts on replacing the gasket. I have not done mine yet, but have the gasket in hand waiting for the time...

And finally, my memory is that I attacked the alternator bracket gasket by removing the alternator, removing and setting aside the PS pump, lifting engine with floor jack, remove engine mount, remove alternator bracket. All done from above (well, mostly).

Good luck.

dingolfing

I forgot to tell you about the red tabs on the bottom edge... I spent 2 hours trying to get the valve cover on and ran into the same problem. I even wonder how BMW can get the cover on with those tabs interfering with fitment. Maybe it's possible with the entire engine removed from the car, who knows. Anyway, I read a DIY where the poster removed the tabs, which I was hesitant to do. But in the end, I removed them as well. It's possible that if you align the bottom edge of the cover on the heads first, then align the top edge, the red tabs might not give you a problem, you can try that. However, the spark plug tubes make it kind of hard to position the valve cover on the heads any way but straight down. So if you run out of patience or time, just remove all three tabs.

The capped off nipple on the vacuum pump is normal for our M-sport 550s. The non sport E60s have a vacuum line there that goes to the exhaust muffler to control a valve flap that opens and closes to limit exhaust noise for a more luxury demeanor. E60s with the sport package obviously prefer the more audible exhaust tone, which is why on cold startup, our exhausts are fairly loud, but aggressive sounding. We don't have the exhaust flap, therefore that line is capped off.

The vacuum line going to the brake booster had a little play on mine as well, however, I don't believe any oil should have made its way in there. Check to see if the rest of that line is oil free. Maybe pull the line at the fitting on the brake booster to see if its wet. I believe BMW issued a TSB to address and service this issue. If there was only a little oil coming out and the line by the brake booster is dry, it may not be a problem.

Mrfixitelite

You have to remove fuel rail anrail take manifold to get the best clearance to remove drivers vcg. I just did the same upper work . Make sure you replace o-rings on the sensors that are sandwiched between vc and engine head. I think their the cam sensors