[Zyler]

So i recently discovered that I have the typical valve cover gasket leak above the turbo which is causing oil to drip onto my downpipe resulting in alot of smoke. I want to DIY this, so I figured if I was going to replace this I might as well replace the oil filter housing gasket as well (as preventative maintenance) since the car has 78k miles, but then i started researching.

I came across alot of engine failure threads which apparently link the failure to the OFHG replacement, however i couldnt find any concrete reasons as to why it happens. I did find that BMW released documentation regarding the need to prime the engine first after "replacing anything that interrupts the engine oil supply circuit of the engine, including the Vanos gears, camshafts, bed plate sealing, engine oil pump, engine oil filter housing, cylinder hear, and engine oil cooler".

After reading this I thought maybe its best to just let a good indy shop do the work so i started calling shops that specialize in BMW's in my area. I called about 10, and only 2 of which heard about any type of relation to engine failures after the OFHG install. One of which went into detail about bearing clearances and that if you do not prime the system after the OFHG change then the bearings may not get enough oil and can potentially seize the motor. His shop has been following this priming procedure since BMW released it some time ago.
The second shop I spoke to the owner, who was/used to be a bmw master tech and he said that there is no need to prime the system after a OFHG install and that he does 10+ of these a week and has never done this and has never had any engines fail.

So finally to my questions:
1 - If i were to DIY this, should i replace the entire valve cover, or only the gasket. Is there any engine/oil priming that would be needed by replacing only the valve cover gasket or any other parts I should replace while doing this?
2 - Has anyone found a concrete reason that links the OFHG and engine failures?
3 - If you have replaced the OFHG, did you follow this priming procedure, and if not did you do anything specific to allow for a cleaner install (drain coolant and oil first, pour oil back into the OFHG after install, etc). Currently my OFHG is not leaking but Ive also read that if it does leak its possible that the oil can cause the serpentine belt to come off the HB, shread, and move past the front mail seal and into the motor.

I initially figured these would be easy DIY's but apparently thats not the case. Car currently has 78k miles, is outside of warranty, and never had any issues before this. My plan was to keep this car for a while.

Any info would be appreciated.

[Pray for Mojo]

If it ain't broke don't fix it. No one knows for sure why they seize after OFHG, there's theories but nothing concrete. I wouldn't change it if it isn't leaking, just do the valve cover and monitor the OFHG. It has to be leaking badly to cause the belt the slip.

[F32Fleet]

Originally Posted by Pray for Mojo

If it ain't broke don't fix it. No one knows for sure why they seize after OFHG, there's theories but nothing concrete. I wouldn't change it if it isn't leaking, just do the valve cover and monitor the OFHG. It has to be leaking badly to cause the belt the slip.

+1


And install a new valve cover. ya I know the genuine part runs about $500 but....

[khj24]

Originally Posted by F32Fleet

+1


And install a new valve cover. ya I know the genuine part runs about $500 but....

I reused the valve cover, I think its fine for the first time, but probably on the second time it would be worth it to replace the whole thing because the PCV valve is likely to be falling apart. Think aftermarket is upper 200's and BMW is mid 400's. Mahle is the brand of the gasket(I bought genuine BMW which has the Mahle branding on it) so save money and get the Mahle one.


I am also very worried about these cases after the OFHG job, and I am almost leaning towards getting a shop to do it if they by some chance agree to warranty it even if it costs me a large premium. I am definitely not touching mine until it starts leaking.

[TSA8151]

I replaced my valve cover with the URO aftermarket one. Everything good so far. I would replace the whole valve cover since the PCV system is probably worn out.

[Logicoeur]

I don't see how a VCG or OFHG change could starve anything of oil, especially the bearings. For either of those jobs the only sub task related to the bearings is draining the oil. If there was any supporting proof that the failure was related then a simple oil change should and would cause the same kind of failure.

[Pray for Mojo]

Originally Posted by Logicoeur

I don't see how a VCG or OFHG change could starve anything of oil, especially the bearings. For either of those jobs the only sub task related to the bearings is draining the oil. If there was any supporting proof that the failure was related then a simple oil change should and would cause the same kind of failure.

There's too much smoke for there not to be something to it. BMW released a TSB about priming after a bunch of shop failures. Whether it's debris falling down the galley or something else we just don't know.

[Logicoeur]

Originally Posted by Pray for Mojo

There's too much smoke for there not to be something to it. BMW released a TSB about priming after a bunch of shop failures. Whether it's debris falling down the galley or something else we just don't know.

I have yet to see the F30 forums produce an instance of this failure. The two times someone has posted asking they only mention posts from the E90 forums.

[jh_f30]

Personal anecdotal evidence. I have done my OFHG twice (88.5k & 102.2k miles), VCG once (113.8k miles), and oil changes every 5-6k miles all in my garage. No special priming procedures done. Currently at over 126K miles. Feel free to take it for what it's worth.

[Tpriest7893]

Like I told you Bmw was going to replace my oil filter area but they decided to just do the valve cover and want me to come back after 1,000 mile to see if the bottom is actually leaking or it's just oil dripping. I wouldn't do it unless you end up seeing that is truly needs to be replaced. Good luck with the valve cover man! You'll just need patience lol

[Tpriest7893]

Originally Posted by jh_f30

Personal anecdotal evidence. I have done my OFHG twice (88.5k & 102.2k miles), VCG once (113.8k miles), and oil changes every 5-6k miles all in my garage. No special priming procedures done. Currently at over 126K miles. Feel free to take it for what it's worth.

Car still run strong with 126k? I too plan on keeping my 335i as long as I can. The longer I go without a car payment the better 😄😄

[Bl00DY F30]

Yes the same thing happened to me a few months back with an engine failure and it wasn't any concrete proof i made a post about it as well. But the shops that looked at my car said it could have been due to the car not being primed properly just like what you've heard. Being that is the case they stated it could cause air bubbles of some sort to get to the oil pump and then thats what causes the starvation of oil and result in a spun bearing.

[Eschmacher]

I was doing some reading on rod bearings and read that pouring oil into the oil filter housing goes straight to the oil pump. This should prime the system so it has oil pressure immediately...

[jh_f30]

Originally Posted by Tpriest7893

Car still run strong with 126k? I too plan on keeping my 335i as long as I can. The longer I go without a car payment the better 😄😄

So far, so good! *fingers crossed* *knock on wood*

I'm gonna see if I can get to 200k+

[Tpriest7893]

Originally Posted by jh_f30

So far, so good! *fingers crossed* *knock on wood*

I'm gonna see if I can get to 200k+

That's what I want lol. Gotta get wife 3rd row SUV and I want a truck soon too so if i can keep my n55 for years to come I would be thrilled

[Tpriest7893]

Originally Posted by jh_f30

So far, so good! *fingers crossed* *knock on wood*

I'm gonna see if I can get to 200k+

Are you tuned n stuff?

[jh_f30]

Originally Posted by Tpriest7893

Are you tuned n stuff?

Yeah, see my signature; almost FBO, minus FMIC.

[juliomadara7]

Originally Posted by Zyler

So i recently discovered that I have the typical valve cover gasket leak above the turbo which is causing oil to drip onto my downpipe resulting in alot of smoke. I want to DIY this, so I figured if I was going to replace this I might as well replace the oil filter housing gasket as well (as preventative maintenance) since the car has 78k miles, but then i started researching.

I came across alot of engine failure threads which apparently link the failure to the OFHG replacement, however i couldnt find any concrete reasons as to why it happens. I did find that BMW released documentation regarding the need to prime the engine first after "replacing anything that interrupts the engine oil supply circuit of the engine, including the Vanos gears, camshafts, bed plate sealing, engine oil pump, engine oil filter housing, cylinder hear, and engine oil cooler".

After reading this I thought maybe its best to just let a good indy shop do the work so i started calling shops that specialize in BMW's in my area. I called about 10, and only 2 of which heard about any type of relation to engine failures after the OFHG install. One of which went into detail about bearing clearances and that if you do not prime the system after the OFHG change then the bearings may not get enough oil and can potentially seize the motor. His shop has been following this priming procedure since BMW released it some time ago.
The second shop I spoke to the owner, who was/used to be a bmw master tech and he said that there is no need to prime the system after a OFHG install and that he does 10+ of these a week and has never done this and has never had any engines fail.

So finally to my questions:
1 - If i were to DIY this, should i replace the entire valve cover, or only the gasket. Is there any engine/oil priming that would be needed by replacing only the valve cover gasket or any other parts I should replace while doing this?
2 - Has anyone found a concrete reason that links the OFHG and engine failures?
3 - If you have replaced the OFHG, did you follow this priming procedure, and if not did you do anything specific to allow for a cleaner install (drain coolant and oil first, pour oil back into the OFHG after install, etc). Currently my OFHG is not leaking but Ive also read that if it does leak its possible that the oil can cause the serpentine belt to come off the HB, shread, and move past the front mail seal and into the motor.

I initially figured these would be easy DIY's but apparently thats not the case. Car currently has 78k miles, is outside of warranty, and never had any issues before this. My plan was to keep this car for a while.

Any info would be appreciated.

To the OP

How'd it go? I've been looking into this myself on the forums. If you DIY'd what pre-cautions did you take? What was the outcome? Any feedback is welcome

[Zyler]

Originally Posted by juliomadara7

To the OP

How'd it go? I've been looking into this myself on the forums. If you DIY'd what pre-cautions did you take? What was the outcome? Any feedback is welcome

I created another thread with tips -

https://f30.bimmerpost.com/forums/sh...php?p=25716635

[m3kgt]

I replaced my OFHG with a Mahle one from Carquest. Replaced both gaskets. No issues 10k miles later. I don't see how changing these gaskets will cause engine failure unless things fell into the oil/coolant passage way.

[Fourdirty5]

Originally Posted by Logicoeur

I don't see how a VCG or OFHG change could starve anything of oil, especially the bearings. For either of those jobs the only sub task related to the bearings is draining the oil. If there was any supporting proof that the failure was related then a simple oil change should and would cause the same kind of failure.

This. I did my valve cover gaskets as well as the oil filter housing gaskets in one go at the same time. At the time I knew no such thing as “priming” the bearings or whatever the fu%#. My engine did not “seize,” and has been running strong like a racehorse (and I absolutely abuse my car- though unintentional, I have a 20ton lead foot it seems).

[F32Fleet]

Originally Posted by m3kgt

I replaced my OFHG with a Mahle one from Carquest. Replaced both gaskets. No issues 10k miles later. I don't see how changing these gaskets will cause engine failure unless things fell into the oil/coolant passage way.

Man I wish I could do this job. It's so infuriating having to spend $375 in labor. F-ng BS.