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      12-08-2015, 04:18 PM   #1
dharper
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Valve cover gasket, etc. M54 engine

I have an oil leak near the rear passenger side of the engine, and it appears to be caused by a bad valve cover gasket. I've noticed a burning oil smell after driving the car for a bit, and have seen residue on the exhaust manifold shield over the rear manifold. My Z4 is an '03 2.5i that just turned over 80k miles, so it's probably time for that to have hardened up anyway.

My question is this: While I'm in there, is there anything else I should look at replacing/repairing? Particularly what comes to mind is the VANOS and the CCV and/or oil exchanger. Should I rebuild the VANOS or get a Dr. Vanos replacement unit? Has anyone had any experience replacing the CCV system? Did you replace only the hoses, or did you go all out with the oil exchanger too? I've been digging/searching within this forum and others and it seems to go either way as far as rebuilding vs. Dr. Vanos. The CCV, well, I feel should be addressed based on the age and mileage of the car. I'm trying to assemble what is needed parts-wise so that I can tackle this all while everything is disassembled.

As this is not my daily driver, I can take my time and do this over the winter when I won't be driving the car much anyway.

If anyone has any tips or advice, please feel free to send them my way. Thanks in advance for any help y'all can offer.
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      12-08-2015, 06:13 PM   #2
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The VCG is a simple remove and replace.
The Vanos is a little more involved but in the realm of the average DIYer. I went the Dr Vanos route and it was an easy process using their online installation guide.

The CCV is a more difficult DIY project not because it is technical but it is hidden under the intake manifold and is a b*#ch to get at. If you do manage to remove the old and get the new in place it is very easy to not get the hoses connected properly. Ask me how I know.
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      12-08-2015, 06:40 PM   #3
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Quote:
Originally Posted by dbarton62 View Post
The VCG is a simple remove and replace.
The Vanos is a little more involved but in the realm of the average DIYer. I went the Dr Vanos route and it was an easy process using their online installation guide.

The CCV is a more difficult DIY project not because it is technical but it is hidden under the intake manifold and is a b*#ch to get at. If you do manage to remove the old and get the new in place it is very easy to not get the hoses connected properly. Ask me how I know.
That's what I have come to understand about the CCV. I'm also a little concerned that it can cause the valve cover to leak if it is clogged or otherwise malfunctioning. Is that a rational line of thought? I've seen some videos of a replacement, and yeah, it looks like a real PITA.

Is the Dr.Vanos worth it in terms of swapping out the unit vs. replacing the seals? Did you have any issues with sending the core back and getting reimbursed for the core charge?

Again, thanks in advance for your input!
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      12-08-2015, 07:07 PM   #4
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Quote:
Originally Posted by dharper View Post
That's what I have come to understand about the CCV. I'm also a little concerned that it can cause the valve cover to leak if it is clogged or otherwise malfunctioning. Is that a rational line of thought? I've seen some videos of a replacement, and yeah, it looks like a real PITA.

Is the Dr.Vanos worth it in terms of swapping out the unit vs. replacing the seals? Did you have any issues with sending the core back and getting reimbursed for the core charge?

Again, thanks in advance for your input!
Yes, if the CCV system is not working 100% it can find weak spots to evacuate pressure.
I weighed both options of replacing the seals against the cost of a fully refurbed unit. The possibility of not installing the seals properly and the fact I had never worked on a BMW before and it was a no brainer for me.

Do you have a milky residue under your oil cap?
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      12-08-2015, 07:15 PM   #5
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I'm pretty handy, but after looking at the Beisan instructions I also decided I would rather pay somebody like Dr. V.

Core return is simple and Dr. V is very prompt with the reimbursement.
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      12-11-2015, 05:47 AM   #6
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Thanks StickMon and dbarton62 for your replies. I don't have any residue on the oil cap. I haven't pulled the CCV hose off of the valve cover yet to check in there.

I've looked at the rebuild instructions on the Beisan site, and it's a bit involved for me to tear into. I'm sure I could do it, but if someone is offering a rebuilt unit, then I'll probably go that route too. It's an inevitability that the VANOS will need replacing, so I may as well do it when I have the valve cover off.

Thanks again for all the input. That's what I like about this forum.
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      12-11-2015, 07:34 PM   #7
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I just did the valve cover gasket(VCG), oil filter housing gasket(OFHG), spark plugs, vanos rebuild and CCV with hoses. Last winter during a really cold spell for us (highs in the 20s) my VCG and OFHG starting seeping oil. I think it was due to the CCV freezing and pressurizing the crankcase. Over the summer the VCG started dripping on the exhaust manifold so it was time to replace it. With age and 100k it was time to do everything and I wanted to do it before winter.

Rebuilding the double vanos with the Beisan kit was the easiest part of the job, once I had it on the bench. Their instructions are easy and spot on. The CCV was the worst job due to the limited space under the intake manifold. I replaced it with the winter version and winter hoses(insulated). The old hoses were really brittle. I used all BMW parts with the exception of the Beisan vanos seals and NGK spark plugs.

Total time was a solid 8 hours, including an oil change. The VCG near the exhaust manifold was far from supple and that's where it was leaking. I also replaced all the seals under the VC nuts.

The car has much more off idle pep now and also doesn't stumble after starting when cold. I attribute this to the vanos rebuild. The vanos pistons where pretty loose in their bore. The spark plugs looked pretty good, but since I was in there, I replaced them anyway.
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      12-24-2015, 08:28 AM   #8
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Hey Pungo, thanks for the reply. I'm currently trying to decide btw repair the VANOS with the Beisan kit or do the replace with a rebuilt by either Dr. Vanos or Turner. It's a heck-of-a-lot cheaper to do the rebuild vs. the replace. The instructions online do look very thorough, though.

I checked the PCV line going into the valve cover, and there is nothing to lead me to think that it is in need of replacement right now. I'm considering the pain of replacing that later vs. doing it with the other repairs.

Did you have any issues getting the VANOS out of the car? I've read that some have had to loosen the radiator support in order to get a bolt out that needed the extra clearance.
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      12-28-2015, 04:09 PM   #9
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I did this on a 525i with the same engine. I did have to remove the radiator fan shroud, once that was removed the vanos came right out. The Z4 might have less room, I don't know, my Z4 is the ///M version.
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      12-28-2015, 11:46 PM   #10
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I remember seeing somewhere that where the S54 Vanos is held on with bolts, the M54 Vanos sits over studs.
The studs eat up all of your clearance.
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      12-29-2015, 09:05 AM   #11
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Quote:
Originally Posted by StickMon View Post
I remember seeing somewhere that where the S54 Vanos is held on with bolts, the M54 Vanos sits over studs.
The studs eat up all of your clearance.
IIRC I did back out a couple of studs to make removal easier on my M54
Added a bit of Loctite upon reassembly
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