Rocker cover gasket problems

[Mr_E85Bim]

Gents,

I had RAC come out take a look at a misfire issue. Was a coil issue which he replaced.

More worrying he pointed at that there was oil in one of the cylinders. Thinks the rocket cover gasket needs replacing!! Any idea what that's going to cost me? Parts and labour?

He said if I'm unlucky it will be the whole rocker cover

Thanks in advance

 

[bigwinn]

Where was the oil- in the spark plug well or in the cylinder itself?

Valve cover gasket is a quick cheap diy think the most I’ve paid is about £30 for a new set-

 

[Mike6]

Perhaps I have drunk too much Xmas sherry but how would a failing rocker gasket put oil into a cylinder. The job of the gasket is surely to stop oil escaping externally. Oil inside a cylinder could be from a number of scenarios including head gasket, valve stems etc.

 

[Mr_E85Bim]

Apologies for the confusion. Novice here

The oil is in the spark plug well no.1. When he pulled the coil out there was a considerable amount of oil. He took out the spark plug to let the oil drain through

 

[bigwinn]

Yeah not a big job

How handy are you with the spanners?

 

[Mr_E85Bim]

Thanks Big.

I've definitely made progress since joining the forum

 

[patriot66]

Perhaps I have drunk too much Xmas sherry but how would a failing rocker gasket put oil into a cylinder. The job of the gasket is surely to stop oil escaping externally. Oil inside a cylinder could be from a number of scenarios including head gasket, valve stems etc.

Not directly into a cylinder, but into the spark plug wells. The 6 spark plugs on the M54 are each in a deep well in the cylinder head. This photo shows the plastic cam cover in situ with the coil packs and wiring removed. The top of each spark plug well is moulded into this coverThe under side of each plastic upper portion of the plug wells is sealed with a rubber gasket/o-ring, seen in this photo
The cam cover gasket and plug well gaskets with age and repeated heat cycles all become very hard and brittle and likely to leak oil externally, usually onto the exhaust manifold or internally into the plug wells
£30 - £40 will get you a good quality Febi Bilstein, Elring or Victor Reinz gasket set. You will also need a dab of silicone RTV on the corners of the 'half moon' sections of the gasket. A relatively easy and pleasant couple of hours job if your reasonably competent and equipped with some decent tools

 

[Mr_E85Bim]

Perhaps I have drunk too much Xmas sherry but how would a failing rocker gasket put oil into a cylinder. The job of the gasket is surely to stop oil escaping externally. Oil inside a cylinder could be from a number of scenarios including head gasket, valve stems etc.

Not directly into a cylinder, but into the spark plug wells. The 6 spark plugs on the M54 are each in a deep well in the cylinder head. This photo shows the plastic cam cover in situ with the coil packs and wiring removed. The top of each spark plug well is moulded into this cover20170418_113641_Richtone(HDR).jpgThe under side of each plastic upper portion of the plug wells is sealed with a rubber gasket/o-ring, seen in this photo20170418_104010_Richtone(HDR).jpg
The cam cover gasket and plug well gaskets with age and repeated heat cycles all become very hard and brittle and likely to leak oil externally, usually onto the exhaust manifold or internally into the plug wells20170418_103920_Richtone(HDR).jpg
£30 - £40 will get you a good quality Febi Bilstein, Elring or Victor Reinz gasket set. You will also need a dab of silicone RTV on the corners of the 'half moon' sections of the gasket. A relatively easy and pleasant couple of hours job if your reasonably competent and equipped with some decent tools

Speechless! This is amazing!!
If the weather is good next week, I might just give this a try.

Thank you so much for the effort you have gone through to respond in such detail

 

[patriot66]

Perhaps I have drunk too much Xmas sherry but how would a failing rocker gasket put oil into a cylinder. The job of the gasket is surely to stop oil escaping externally. Oil inside a cylinder could be from a number of scenarios including head gasket, valve stems etc.

Not directly into a cylinder, but into the spark plug wells. The 6 spark plugs on the M54 are each in a deep well in the cylinder head. This photo shows the plastic cam cover in situ with the coil packs and wiring removed. The top of each spark plug well is moulded into this cover20170418_113641_Richtone(HDR).jpgThe under side of each plastic upper portion of the plug wells is sealed with a rubber gasket/o-ring, seen in this photo20170418_104010_Richtone(HDR).jpg
The cam cover gasket and plug well gaskets with age and repeated heat cycles all become very hard and brittle and likely to leak oil externally, usually onto the exhaust manifold or internally into the plug wells20170418_103920_Richtone(HDR).jpg
£30 - £40 will get you a good quality Febi Bilstein, Elring or Victor Reinz gasket set. You will also need a dab of silicone RTV on the corners of the 'half moon' sections of the gasket. A relatively easy and pleasant couple of hours job if your reasonably competent and equipped with some decent tools

Speechless! This is amazing!!
If the weather is good next week, I might just give this a try.

Thank you so much for the effort you have gone through to respond in such detail

No problem. If you get stuck give us a shout
In the meantime Merry Christmas :cheers:

 

[Thunderous One]

I recommend you get the rocker cover gasket from BMW parts as I had this issue with my coupe.
I purchased one from Euro Car Parts but found that it did not last 2 years, I purchased one from BMW (£40) and since, no issues.

 

[Mr_E85Bim]

I recommend you get the rocker cover gasket from BMW parts as I had this issue with my coupe.
I purchased one from Euro Car Parts but found that it did not last 2 years, I purchased one from BMW (£40) and since, no issues.

Thanks for the advice

 

[colb]

Common problem as described earlier these gaskets go hard and brittle over time due to repeated heat cycles and age. Ensure you buy a complete set, main outer cover gasket inner spark plug well gaskets and replace the 15 round rubber seals that the cover bolts go through these go hard and its reccomended these are changed as well. I use Blue Hylomar gasket sealant just around the half moon shapes at the front and rear where the gasket changes direction to ensure a good seal. Make a close examination of the plastic cam cover itself for craks or signs of it crumbling, the plastic degrades again due to age and heat cycles.
When reassembling make sure the earth leads inside the cover are reattached, leaving them disconnected will fry the engine management module. When these gaskets go bad they usually leak and drip onto the exhaust shield producing smoke and as you found out fill the plug wells with oil which causes ignition faults. Leaking gaskets will also allow air in which will upset your fuel trims, lower your mpg and cause rough running.

 

[Mr_E85Bim]

Common problem as described earlier these gaskets go hard and brittle over time due to repeated heat cycles and age. Ensure you buy a complete set, main outer cover gasket inner spark plug well gaskets and replace the 15 round rubber seals that the cover bolts go through these go hard and its reccomended these are changed as well. I use Blue Hylomar gasket sealant just around the half moon shapes at the front and rear where the gasket changes direction to ensure a good seal. Make a close examination of the plastic cam cover itself for craks or signs of it crumbling, the plastic degrades again due to age and heat cycles.
When reassembling make sure the earth leads inside the cover are reattached, leaving them disconnected will fry the engine management module. When these gaskets go bad they usually leak and drip onto the exhaust shield producing smoke and as you found out fill the plug wells with oil which causes ignition faults. Leaking gaskets will also allow air in which will upset your fuel trims, lower your mpg and cause rough running.

Thanks for the tips on the earth wires and sealant

 

[Chris_D]

Quite a few of us on here have been through the vcg replacement malarchy.
I discovered mine was leaky after purchasing and with support/help from forum members I decided to tackle it, as well as quite a few other jobs.
One tip I would impart is to make sure that if your vcg was 'baked on' and brittle as mine was, that you make sure every single piece is accounted for if it shatters and goes flying all over the show. Took me ages to locate a small piece that had flown off into the exhaust cam gallery.
https://z4-forum.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=90194&hilit=gasket&start=75

 

[patriot66]

Quite a few of us on here have been through the vcg replacement malarchy.
I discovered mine was leaky after purchasing and with support/help from forum members I decided to tackle it, as well as quite a few other jobs.
One tip I would impart is to make sure that if your vcg was 'baked on' and brittle as mine was, that you make sure every single piece is accounted for if it shatters and goes flying all over the show. Took me ages to locate a small piece that had flown off into the exhaust cam gallery.
https://z4-forum.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=90194&hilit=gasket&start=75

Speaking from personal experience, if you hold the nozzle of a Henry vacuum cleaner (or similar) as close as possible to the portion of gasket you are removing then there is much less chance of errant pieces disappearing where they shouldn't

 

[Chris_D]

Quite a few of us on here have been through the vcg replacement malarchy.
I discovered mine was leaky after purchasing and with support/help from forum members I decided to tackle it, as well as quite a few other jobs.
One tip I would impart is to make sure that if your vcg was 'baked on' and brittle as mine was, that you make sure every single piece is accounted for if it shatters and goes flying all over the show. Took me ages to locate a small piece that had flown off into the exhaust cam gallery.
https://z4-forum.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=90194&hilit=gasket&start=75

Speaking from personal experience, if you hold the nozzle of a Henry vacuum cleaner (or similar) as close as possible to the portion of gasket you are removing then there is much less chance of errant pieces disappearing where they shouldn't

In an ideal world and with 2 pairs of hands maybe, however in my case it was a chunk from one of the spark plug gaskets, so no chance of getting any sort of catch device to that location while prising the cover off.
Best practice would be to fit all the pieces of a brittle gasket back together like a jigsaw puzzle once removed in order to account for complete removal of any errant bits, especially if you suspect a bit has escaped into the top end somewhere.

 

[bigwinn]

I'll add to the fragility point-

inevitably the old gasket also sticks in the valve cover- so when prying it out be careful to not damage the actual cover. I have and it means a new cover otherwise you introduce new air leaks!