Originally Posted by H F

Reckon you can on the sharp edges on the half moons . If you do use some I would let it set over nite before starting the car.. I just recently did both my valve covers 3 months ago, didn't use any sealant and no issues . If you ask any Bmw tech they will tell u they don't use any sealant on the valve cover gaskets. Make sure that those halve moons sit in there perfect , before you tightened and torque the bolts . I used a telescoping mirror to make sure they were in just right and actually checked the whole perimeter . The mirror came in really handy ..

Originally Posted by KyleB

There is no need to use extra sealant on the VC gasket for your M54 Ching-Ho, just make sure you have the gasket sitting properly before you bolt down the valve cover, use a torque wrench, and torque to proper spec.

VC gasket failure is very common for M54 engines. The hardest part of doing this job is removing the cowl assembly, and even that is a 5 minute process.

If you haven't done a set of spark plugs anytime recently, now is the perfect time to kill two birds with one stone.

cheers,

Kyle - '04 530i

Originally Posted by lcc014

Kyle,

Thank you for your reply. I will follow your suggestion and HF's suggestion to make sure gasket sit properly first before tighten down the bolts with a torque wrench. The torque is 10Nm or 11Nm on those 11 bolts ?
What about the torque value on those 4 bolts around the spark plugs holes area ?
I did the spark plugs back at 60k miles. So I will do it again at about 120k miles.

Originally Posted by KyleB

Torque spec I think is 8nm, on all of the bolts. Make sure you have clean mating surface on the head or it may leak again prematurely. I also recommend using an OE gasket set.

Originally Posted by lcc014

Kyle,

Can I use brake cleaner to clean the mating surface ? I am thinking to get stock gasket set from dealer. OE gasket set, are referring to OEM gasket set ? What brand is that ?

thanks,

Originally Posted by KyleB

You can use brake cleaner for sure, but I wouldn't spray it directly on the mating surface. If you spray it you'll contaminate the oil in the engine. Honestly the best thing to use is just a nice clean straight edged razor to remove any old gasket residue. A little brake cleaner on a rag to wipe it down before installing won't hurt.

Get the gasket set from BMW.

Originally Posted by lcc014

Thank you, Kyle.

Originally Posted by KyleB

yep no sweat! if you run into any problems post or PM me. im on this forum very regularly, at least once per day.

Originally Posted by KyleB

yep no sweat! if you run into any problems post or PM me. im on this forum very regularly, at least once per day.