BMW N54 Valve Cover Gasket DIY 

This REALLY helps!!! My local independent shop wanted $700 for the gasket and another $400 to change out the spark plugs. Yikes! I feel very fortunate that I can do work like this myself, have the tools to do so and can access excellent tutorial videos like yours to guide me along. it makes owning a BMW affordable. THANK YOU!!!!

Wow. I was a BMW tech in the 70's and early 80's. I recently acquired an '09 335i X Drive after years of driving Toyotas. Needless to say, when I looked under the hood, a whole 'nother world is happening under here. I've watched several of your video's and they are life savers! Thanks for your methodical, concise and informative style. No skipped steps, attention to details and well lit! So many of these videos you cant even see what they're doing. Thumbs up, definitely. I've subscribed and will check you out anytime I have to service my 335i!

Thank you for all the content you provide for the N54, every video is extremely helpful and well done! Saved me thousands of dollars and has kept my 09 E92 335i on the road.

This video was tremendously helpful in guiding me through this operation on my 2010 BMW 335i I replaced the entire valve cover got a new PCV tube as it was too brittle. Thank you!

I keep coming back on this video when my 85 thousand mile N54 gets me discouraged. I have to do my valve cover and love this video thank you. I hope mine lasts just as long as yours.

Man I want to thank you for all your videos I’m finally doing my valve gasket on my 08 E90 335i and been watching every step of your video to help get the job done keep up the good work. Btw can’t wait to see how the HPFP works out on your new turbo Mo Powa Baby lol

Excellent presentation! had an oil leak and instead of the valve cover gasket, as you stated, it was my PVC breather gasket O-ring. Saved time and money. Thank you so much!

My 2008 535xi has 210K miles on it and it's time for the Valve cover gasket to be changed. I had to change the alternator so I'm doing this as well. Thanks for the great video.

Just tackled this with my son! Thanks for the great video. I left the fuel lines attached to the main rail, and I removed the vacuum can with the 13mm nut to give me access to the lines. Everything else was pretty easy. Only issue I had was snapping off a bolt on the wiring harness. No biggie. Keep up the great work!

Oh man, this is increadibly helpful. Got my valve cover gasket but it's been in my boot for 3 months now as I had no confidence. I am off to start. Thank you!

Seriously thank you for this video! It's done so well!

You made a six hour job look like a one hour job. Awesome video

Thanks for your VERY thorough video. It was exactly what I needed.

My shop that I go to for bigger jobs that i rather not tackle myself wants to charge me 9 hrs of labor for this 😂. Yeah I’m gonna do this this weekend for sure. Not that difficult at all. Great video. Will re watch this when i start in on it.

Awesome video! Recently had my valve cover crack on me. There was a bit more oil on that rear passenger side. I heard the gaskets fail there more often due to the heat from the turbos.

Awesome tutorial on the VCG DIY! I also take the opportunity to remove the injectors and clean the tips using BPC some steel wool and replace the seals while the VC is out. Noticeable difference on how the car feels after. Keep up the good work!!

I just did this to mine and let me first say thanks for an in-depth video. Also, I am NEVER doing this again😂

Second time doing this job in about four months on e61 n54 100k 2008. a huge help to refer back to this video and read thru the earlier comments with extra pointers, but I should have paid more attention ... easy not to when you think you can remember most of it. Cross thread a middle fuel rail bolt because I attached fuel lines first. doh. First time used cheap eBay cover/gasket set - looked fine, "same" as original, but leaks were apparent the last couple weeks that I didn't want sitting on new coils/sparks. This time bought a Rein valve cover set, shipped direct from manuf. thru summit racing, and used the money saved doing that to buy a digital torque wrench for the aluminum asa bolts and crept up on the 75inch pounds setting in FIVE (overkill? ) passes. Started with very low settings just to evenly settle the cover and gasket down on the block the first few passes. World of difference to see and hear constant or peak torque limits as you go. first time around my harbor freight medium eemereBayI'ddone before. If the Rein doesn't hold up to my mild tuning, minimal bolt ons, I'll definitely be back to update on my third vcg diy. digital wrench well worth the peace of mind/confidence ~$120 amazon for the smallest in the blue handle/orange label 3/8 inch range.

Thank you! With this video, I finished mine today.

Great DIY! Did mine before you posted this unfortunately. Also did the Oil Pan gasket and single turbo swap, DIY on my channel. Keep it up!!!

Just did this to my N54 today and boi was she dirty from the inside! Good thing today was a nice warm day for a wash 🧼 so I washed it down with my hose! Can’t wait to start her up tomorrow morning! 😃

Why would anyone downvote this video?? I just found out my valve cover is cracked and I’m only at 59k miles. So I’ll be doing this soon. It’s nice you don’t have to removed the injectors. I was worried I was going to have to.

What is fantasic video. Just saved me about €900. Thanks a lot. Charles Bukkens. The Netherlands.

Great!! Is a very nice video and well explained! Awesome, dude! Congratulations! You can repair my Space Shuttle!

I literally just finished this job like an hour ago but ran into a problem, had gas pissing out everywhere…didnt know you had to tighten the fuel lines like that thanks for info

Nice! I’m doing mine here next weekend 👍🏻

thank you so much for this video , is very clear , useful .you deserve more than like like .

Another BRILLIANT helpful video Dude. Thank you Thank you Thank you.

Spent my Sunday doing this job, along with the two fuel pressure sensors (one with the upgrade/adaptor you suggested), new breather line and upgraded PVC sensor. You video was awesome and helped me a lot. Thank you!

Pull the fuse to the pump and start the car, run it until it stalls and then remove the fuel rail.

According to the Bentley Manual, the torque spec for the fuel line to the injector is 23 Nm or 17 ft-lb. You said tighten to 23 ft-lb at 40:46. That aside, thanks for putting out this great video.

Great job as always!

I think someone before I bought my car did a lot of pulling out on the injectors as the number 5 connection broke off at the plug and now I'm replacing the little pins and plastic plug on it. I'd suggest some care when removing those unless you want to have this kind of aggravating problem later on. IMHO. Great videos as always !!!

Awesome video , very clear.....im gonna start do it !!

Did this job today. Not bad at all thanks to this video.

This a upcoming project for me. Planning on replacing the entire valve cover as well...nicely done 👍😏

Incredible. Thank you.

CONGRATULATIONS once more for the job and show us how to mantein our machines on this critical but afordable manitenance as shown for a DIYer owner of a BMW. Torque and order is very important to replace the cover again aswell. This is an issue for every BMW after 100.00 kms. more or less also with oil filter gaskets both block and cooler. Just to know which kind of cleaner or degreaser do you use to keep the engine bay nice and clean as it could be found in a BMW official concesionar. thank`s alot from Europe BimmerN53

Great video...well done ...

Thanks doing my this weekend.

outstanding video wonder why you didn't include TB and MAF for cleaning its all exposed w/in your reach

You had a timing chain replacement video for N54 but it's gone? I learned how to diy my _N53_ from scratch by watching your videos, never fixed a car before. Now I basically just top up the screen wash ;).. Started with spark plugs, ended up on valve cover to make long story short. First time with sp's felt like a miracle. So I would reeaally like to see that video.... Regards!

Super clean engine 👌

I am really loving the socks and sandals brajah

Wow that was very informative

I thought I've heard that if you have the valve cover off or doing a valve cover gasket change that's it's always the best time (if it has not been done, yet) to replace the timing chain and chain tensioners at that time? Only so that it saves you the hassle of replacing the valve cover gasket again when you it is time to change the timing chain and tensioners?

Great video. Hey chief, I got a question man.... maybe you can help me out... I was just taking a look at my fuel injectors and cleaning them up and I noticed a bunch of oil on the spark plugs (I had moved a coil pack out of the way to make room to pull out the injector and I saw oil on the coil - looked inside and saw oil on the spark plug). I pulled out all the plugs, coils, and injectors already. I was wondering if I'll be needing to get new spark plugs since I had just recently replaced them since they had oil on them or if it's possible to salvage them. Thank you for your time. I appreciate your service

Useful tip: if you pull your fuel pump fuse with n the glove box and crank the vehicle, you won’t have to deal with spraying fuel

Just got a 2008 335i e90 for what I believe was a great deal at $2k USD running and driving great at 91k miles. I have been browsing around though and seems like I got to do this job as well as oil filter housing.

Ahh...doing my first n54 rebuild and not having to do any REINZ sealant on those blasted "half moons" is a dream come true. Great video.

«Next to no coolant came out so we’re good there» *meanwhile an whole ocean drips out*

I change my valve cover gasket and it still leaked oil although less so now I am putting a new valve cover and hopefully that will do it

Doing mine soon, came just the perfect time! ~$1200 @ stealership with parts n labor!

Changing the valve cover gasket on my E39 with the M54 engine. Bought OEM gasket kit. Do I need any type of silicone or something before I put my gasket on?

You mention in the injector video something about them leaking and doing an oil change before starting becuase of that, my question is, if you pulled the fuel pump fuse to relieve pressure in the lines, would that cause the injectors to leak any?

Thank you~ ur the Best~ :)

@ 4:50, rather than removing each individual fuel line, couldn't you just unscrew all lines from the injector & then simply unscrew the whole fuel rail with the fuel lines still attached?

started watching your videos when i got my E90 2 Months ago I did this job already - but seems that i need to replace my Valve Cover due to a raptured CCV diaphragm what i hope will solve my problem with the (in my opinion) extremly high oil comsumption I heard that worn out stem seals my also be a reason for high oil consumption on the N53 engines since that area is the same as the n54 - did you do that job on your engine in the meantime?

Question: I have a 2009 535i and have completed all steps per your video, but having a hard time lifting the head. The intake side lift a bit but the exhaust side seem to be stuck. I feel something else is holding it down like a bolt or so. I have loosened all the e10s and the three studs but have not removed them completely, do you think that is the problem? Thank you very much!

Im praying mine is as pretty as this

I have to do injectors so I might as well do valve cover gasket and plugs while I’m at it

Can you explain how we can set 6.25 inch pounds please

You're a "Pickering Tool" & "make your own tool" pro, no special tools needed! :) But why keep & reuse aluminum bolts with blue markings? Awesome diy vid! Thanks!

Hi great videos thanks, where you recomend buy this oem part

no catch can or blow off valves? great video

Good job,Nice n' clean..👍

What happens if I disconnected the positive ground but didn’t disconnect the battery I’m having water pump problems now please help

God those bolts with a ground on them we're a pain, O'Reilly sells a kit with a bunch of 10 mm and one's really long and if you do the same thing and drill it out it's perfect

This would be the same for the e60 535i right?

Wow. Your injectors spew out much more fuel than mine do when I crack them. After I do the first one there's nothing except a few drops out of the others. Is that a sign of anything I should be aware of? I'm about to replace my valve cover and put in new injectors tomorrow so maybe any troubles I might have had will be averted after doing those jobs??

Dont know if anyone said this but its much better to take the ignition coils out of the car before removing the fuel lines, gas really eats those things up over time, just a tip ive gotten from my shop foreman.

hi, thanks for the tutorial... i just noticed my gasket leaking e90 N52 328i '09. so i changed it...but after finishing it vibrated n threw me code cylinder 3 n 4 misfire... swapped the coil stil 3 n 4 swapped the spark plugs still the same. what could go wrong. all cable plugged in tight.

The trick to removing those with pick too is to stick in one hole, then slide pick tool to other hole grabbing them at the same time. And pull it out It’s so easy and makes 3 seconds of them

Looks easy

Like your videos out of Toronto Canada I have a 2012 BMW X3 m f25 burning oil can help me please thanks

Did I good heard about torquing 6.5 Nm ?

Why can’t you remove that red wire before disconnecting the battery?

ad minute 22 about the long 10mm socket: drill it with 9mm then it fits over the stud

I have a question I'm about to do a valve cover gasket (n54) I know a lot of times the valve cover itself is cracked is there a way to do a test to find out if there is a crack in the valve cover. Thanks slot love your videos.

Wow two k and n filters to suck more hot air in the engine great for performance dude

Great video. I did my friends car in 2,5 ours. Everething on spec torque ect.Checked the gasket fitment also and cleaned the surface. But after 3000km it started to leak in de left corner, and dripping oil on the exhaust. We used a oem bmw gasket. Don't know wat we did wrong. Have to do it again , I'm afraid......Regards.

Thanks!

How about just using an OEM rather than 'OEM quality'? Like the chinesium bolts that snap at 6 ft/lb torque?

At 22:02 is there a special socket for this?

Where do you get the torque specs? I find it hard to find the legit service manual for an n54. It seams like there are a lot of scams online.

dude, I can NOT get that rear left bolt on the valve cover itself out... front one popped right out, can not get any tool in the back to get a good grip on it to pull it

I set my torque wrench to exactly 78 inch lbs which is equal to 6.5 ft lbs and the first bolt broke off...idk why

What is the torque sequence for this man it looks strange. I slowed the video down and all that. Doesn’t seem to make sense. A top down would be good

Many thanks for this detailed procedure ! One small question: could we use the nut+counter nut trick to get the ground pins undone?

I was wondering how this took you from start to finish

Can you kindly please list all the torque specs in the description? I can’t find PDF of the torque specs. Including strut bar and grounds

this video really helps, anyone want to see a couple of dudes struggle through this project with the wrong tools just hop over to our channel

helped me too to replace the gasket. I did replace the gasket, but lost AC though. Now it blows warm air. Any idea where the issue can be?

What about a Rob Beck pcv valve? Another awesome video. Thanks

For somereason I the car cranks but won't start now. I have no idea why not I didn't miss any steps. I took the fuel rail back off and theirs fuel so the injectors are getting fuel.

hi i dont understand all at 13:45 why do not disconnect the battery?

can you provide me with the torque sequence?

do you have to pull the tube seals out? I have everything done but the covers not giving me much play.. even took out all the bolts and ground nuts.

How long did this take you in real time (without camera work)? Shop wants about $500 for labor, but if I can do this in a couple of hours, I feel like this is a moderate on the competence scale.

i was leaning back to far and bent one of the fuel injector module that connects into the fuel injector from wiring harness, you think it will work or do i have to get a whole new wiring harness? you think buying used ebay n54 wiring harness and soldering the wires together(for that specific fuel injector) and replace the ground module end part would be a good idea? would be really appreciated it if you could help im in the middle of the process right now thanks boss!