Rocker cover gasket replaced but still leaking.

[Jamie25]

I've just replaced the rocker cover gasket, vanos seals and ofhg and was a little annoyed to find the rcg to be weeping on the front left corner as viewed from the front. This was after four 25 mile trips.
I had checked the ccv pipe that connects to the rocker cover and although it was coated in oil it certainly wasn't gunked up. I did try and remove a lower connection but found them stiff and didn't want to try to hard as I've heard they can be brittle. I thought it might not be too bad.
I've now ordered a ccv and pipes. I'm planning on driving the car as little as possible until they are fitted and perhaps easing the rc off and back on to re-seat it.
Any other advise on possible causes or remedies?
I've only had the car a couple of weeks and it seems to be driving nicely but using about 3/4 lt of oil in 650 miles. Very very enjoyable miles I might add.

 

[Number5]

Did you also use a few drops of gasket sealant on the corners and angled half moons ?

 

[Jamie25]

I did indeed. I used the i6 automotive kit which came with a tiny tub of blue sealant.
I'm wondering if I've over torqued it. I don't have a 'light' torque wrench so followed advice from searching here. Did them up until i felt them bottom out then a tiny pinch more.
Sorry about the double post, tried to edit typo's out of the original post and end up double posting. Can't see how to delete it now.

 

[patriot66]

It is possible when removing the old gasket to crack or break off a small piece of plastic from either side of the 'groove' in the cam cover that the gasket locates in. Oil will then leak out at this point. Alternatively if you didn't use a torque wrench then this may have caused a hairline crack. IIRC they are only 10 Nm/7ft lbs. I recently watched 50sKid on YouTube and he had cracked a piece out of his 'groove' and got a replacement cover from a breakers yard.

 

[Number5]

Also, you need to have a little faith and run a few miles to ensure that its not just old oil burning off the block

 

[Jamie25]

I did wonder if I'd done some sort of damage by over tightening. Only pinched it up though. Maybe i need to invest in a lighter torque wrench. Wondering about the oil filter housing now as well that's relatively light on the specs.

I'm confident it's new oil on thr rcg as i cleaned it all up fairly well. I've also wiped around the seal and then tried again with the engine running to find clean oil weaping from the gasket. Not leaking a lot but frustrating.

 

[Jamie25]

I'm less confident about the leak being ccv related now. Checked the running of the engine as I took the filler cap off. Engine revs increased slightly. Hand over the hole revealed a vacuum. I would've expected positive pressure If it was causing a leak. Thumb over dip stick tube was inconclusive, neither notable positive or negative pressure.

 

[patriot66]

It's a PITA but I was in the same situation back in April. I replaced all the CCV system, inlet manifold gasket, throttle body gasket, OFH gasket, and cam cover gasket. All sorted, no burning smell, no oil leaks, and no air leaks at all now . What year is your car ? Mine is May'03 and all the rubber gaskets and all the CCV pipes were oily, cracked, brittle and disintegrating...age and continuous heat cycles takes its toll. TBH the CCV system is not BMWs finest design, in fact it is very shoddy and looks like more of an after thought :thumbsdown: . For what it costs and if your reasonably competent with the spanners then it is well worth spending a weekend stripping it all down and replacing the lot. Also you may see other items that require attention plus you will become more familiar with the layout and details of your M54 engine. I would definitely recommend a decent torque wrench. I've got 3 in small, medium and large that cover all tasks around the car.

 

[Ducklakeview]

Did you buy a "cheap" gasket (£10) from Ebay? I did when I did my VANOS, and it was rubbish, replaced with a decent Elring one from ECP and all is fine.

Mike

 

[Jamie25]

It is a PITA, but you're right, should be worth it and good to get to know the car and have a poke around. The car is mid 2003 on 65k. I've ordered the CCV kit, can't recall from who but researched and recommended from Germany. The RCG and vanos kit was from I6 automotive because of positive comments on here.
Been reading up on here and other more generic M54 related forums and don't think I gave it more than half an hour from fitting to firing up, so think when I do the CCV I'll pop the cover off, check for cracks and warping, put some new sealant on, torque it up correctly in the correct pattern and let it sit for a few hours at least.
When I tightened up the 11 outer and four (or was it six) inner bolts I went in a kind of centre out diagonal opposite theme in three rounds. Think maybe I should've just done inner to outer along one edge in three rounds. Or maybe I'm just over thinking it!
On a more uplifting note I'm REALLY REALLY enjoying the car. First time I've been out for drives just for the sake of it in years. Always looked for an excuse before. Feels special every time I get in it.

 

[patriot66]

I fitted a FEBI Bilstein cam cover gasket. Excellent quality. Used JB Weld Black RTV Sealant on the corners of the half moons. I couldn't find a specific bolt tightening sequence on t'interweb so worked in a similar pattern to what you describe. Torqued correctly and no leaks since.

 

[patriot66]

Forgot to say I also fitted a FEBI Bilstein CCV system. Again excellent quality.

 

[Chris1981]

Did you buy a "cheap" gasket (£10) from Ebay? I did when I did my VANOS, and it was rubbish, replaced with a decent Elring one from ECP and all is fine.

Mike

Like mike said a cheap gasket won't do the job very well, also using too much sealant can also create problems rather than solve them... Not too sure what the rocker is like on the M54 engine but on my E46 M3 (S54) I got through 2 gaskets before realising the rocker cover itself was warped, changed that and another new gasket, no more leaks! Hopefully that won't be the issue but if you end up taking it off again might be worth checking with a straight edge to ensure it's not twisted.

 

[Jamie25]

The I6 automotive gasket i used seems to be well thought of. I used the sealant quite sparingly and I'll definitely check the cover for cracks and warping.
Chris1981, do you recall how much a new cover cost?
Thanks everyone for all the advice.

 

[Kamuela]

Along these same lines, who is a good US based source for the gasket? Mine seems to be starting to weep right on time (55k miles)

 

[patriot66]

Along these same lines, who is a good US based source for the gasket? Mine seems to be starting to weep right on time (55k miles)

This is a quality German made gasket I have used on my previous BMWs
http://www.ebay.com/itm/VALVE-COVER-GASKET-SET-FITS-BMW-E46-E39-E83-E85-E53-320I-325I-330I-525I-X3-X5-Z4-/261480417521?epid=670214134&hash=item3ce17288f1:g:y30AAOxyZzlTc7Qr&vxp=mtr

 

[Kamuela]

thank you, ordered. And, amazingly, received shipping notice within an hour! What's wrong with those people, don't they know they're supposed to overcharge me and make me wait?

 

[Chris1981]

The I6 automotive gasket i used seems to be well thought of. I used the sealant quite sparingly and I'll definitely check the cover for cracks and warping.
Chris1981, do you recall how much a new cover cost?
Thanks everyone for all the advice.

I got one from a breaker on eBay... about £100 delivered if i remember! That was on an M3 though... assuming yours is the M54 3.0 Litre, the eBay link below should be the right part but maybe check part number on realoem

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Bmw-E46-E39-X5-M54B30-Engine-Rocker-Cover-330-530-/172825541010?hash=item283d347992:g:4OsAAOSwBp5Zq~-z

 

[patriot66]

thank you, ordered. And, amazingly, received shipping notice within an hour! What's wrong with those people, don't they know they're supposed to overcharge me and make me wait?

 

[Jamie25]

I got one from a breaker on eBay... about £100 delivered if i remember! That was on an M3 though... assuming yours is the M54 3.0 Litre, the eBay link below should be the right part but maybe check part number on realoem

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Bmw-E46-E39-X5-M54B30-Engine-Rocker-Cover-330-530-/172825541010?hash=item283d347992:g:4OsAAOSwBp5Zq~-z

Thanks for the link Chris. Mine actually slightly different from that without the common earth rail ( I think that's what it is) but good to know how much you paid.