Bill109

Hello,
few questions regarding the job. ive been searching around on threads and a great how to from bav auto but question a couple things..

first is, disconnecting the battery. is this necessary? nowhere have i seen to do so. however disconnecting the coil harnesses with the battery connected... seems like a shock risk. maybe theres no risk..?

Second, sealing the cover.
says to use sealant on the half moon cutouts on the cover, and additionally the receiving half on the motor.
Seeing pics from other jobs, it looks like bmw seals the cover to the motor just on the corners of the half moon cutouts and not the whole thing.
for example, pics from the besian systems page for the vanos rebuild shows orange sealant on the edges while bav auto says do the whole edge of the half rounded (half moon shape) like i stated above.

lastly, will bmw sell the valve cover gasket as a kit with all the bolt seals and the seals for the 6 coils?

anything i should know before tacking this? the job doesn't look to hard.
just bag and label everything, and take pictures..

Bill109

I'm leaking oil from the back of the valve cover area and it's dropping onto the cats and exhaust and smoking and then it gets sucked into the cabin when the heat is on. I'm assuming it's a leaky valve cover... Help

DavidF

No need to disconnect battery. Use sealant on corners of semi-circles (engine only, not necessary on gasket) and on joint between VANOS assembly and cylinder head. BMW's "kit" only includes the VC gasket and spark plug/coil wells/tubes. You need to purchase 15 nut grommets separately.

KyleB

^this, plus you'll need to remove your plastic cowl to access the bolts at the back of the head (plastic cowl contains the cabin filters).

If you haven't done plugs in a while, now is the time to do them.

Bill109

Good to know about the info on sealing and not having to disconnect a battery as well as the info I asked about BMW parts.
Where should I get the sealant and what brand? Will BMW sell it?
Plugs were done 30k ago.. But we're drenched with oil when the separator blew up. I think they will clean up... Always use premium gas

How about a clogged secondary air pump line? That little plastic tubing, would that cause a leak at the valve cover? I'm sure now would be a good time to replace that little hose to. I just don't know where it goes on the back on the motor after it leaves the pump.