BMW M54 Valve Cover Gasket Replacement DIY 

Everyone forgets they used the m54 in the e60 for a bit

Thanks so much for these excellent walkthroughs! Still using them in 2020.

Great video, thanks for putting this together. Found an E46 with the M54 locally that needs this done after purchase and now I feel 100% confident to tackle it.

would have liked to see the hardest part, putting the valve cover back on so that the gasket all lines up and does'nt fall out here and there

Thank you so much. From Seoul

Thanks guy's doing my e46 330i on the weekend. Car has 161,000kms(just over 100k miles) on it and i smelled oil burning the other day. Saw it is leaking on the back. Had to recap as it was a few years since i did my mom's e36 328i which at the time had 285,000kms (180k miles) on it. That gasket was the first replacement and it came complete apart when i removed the valve cover.

i had 540 with this problem, my DIY was getting rid of it for an e84 x1

Just bought a 1998 528i 5 spd manual, thank you for this video, very helpful

Also applies to my e85 Z4 ;)

I just did this on my 04 325i after doing it to my n54 and geez was this a fun one 🤩🤩

You don't really need a torque wrench for the valve cover nuts; there is a very sudden stop when the but "bottoms out", so just give it literally a few degrees against the rubber grommets, and it's done. Just remember that whenever there's a gasket in play it's the gasket that is doing the work of sealing, not the nuts/bolts.

Great job! Is it possible to make a video how to replace the "Oil Filter Housing Gasket"? I have a major oil leak in that area and I just got the gasket from ECSTuning! Car: 2000 E39

good job Kenny as always spot on

Perfect timing for me, thank you

While replacing grommets on 2002 bmw 330i I broke the screw onto which the grommet casing is applied by over torquing. Can I replace the under screw?

Thank you for the video. Can someone show us how to remove the clips holding down the injectors when doing the VCG on M62tu v8 engine.

Hi great video. Just wondering where you did get the information about the tension, 8 nm? And also, what valve cover gasket sealing did you use? Best regards Viktor

How reliable is a Bmw inline six if it is maintained properly? Are they more durable than the Bmw V8's?

Hi. Thanks for the excellent video. On my M54, the new gasket pushes home into the slot on valve cover but the flange stands about 1-2mm proud of the cover. I presume that as you torque up the cover, the rubber gasket is squeezed into the slot to make a good seal. Is this correct or have i got the wrong gasket?

Thanks for great clip

Also does the I6 BMW's get better gas mileage than the V8's?

great video, thanks for uploading. What type of oil has your engine been serviced with? I've done this job on two M54 cars (one less and the other higher mileage than yours) and both engines looked very brown/copper colored underneath the valve cover. Both ran on BMW Castrol 5W30 all their lifes...

I forgot to apply sealant where the vanos unit meets the cylinder head. Do you think that will cause me problems?

Where can I find torque specs and sequence for the 2002 e39 525i??

Broke the valve cover stud, is it replaceable?

Is it E9X 328i with the N52 non turbo I6 & E9X 335i with the N54 twin turbo I6 reliable?

Hello, Kennan, I'm interested in purchasing an E39 525i with a blown head gasket. Would this be the proper repair DIY? If so, how difficult is it to do? Thanks!

What type of valve cover sealant did you use? Does it really matter or will any RTV sealant be fine?

Hey guys of E39Source! I have an E46 coupe with the M54 engine and my mechanic found oil in the spark plug wells and determined it to be a valve issue of some sort. I find this hard to believe and think that the VCG is leaking and allowing oil to seep into the wells. Is this likely? Thanks!