Materials to Maintain Your ZHP IIIII Hand Protection IIIII Tools to Maintain Your ZHP
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  1. #1
    Join Date
    Mar 2011
    Location
    Lynchburg VA
    Posts
    32

    Is my Valve Cover Gasket going?

    Here is the situation.....

    My car sat most of last weekend. On Sunday I took it out to drop a movie off at the Redbox and go to the store to pickup a few things. While sitting in the car waiting for my wife to get back from dropping the movie off I started smelling burning oil. After a couple of seconds it passed, so I dismissed it. A few minutes later it came back, and I noticed some smoke coming out of the hood. I cut the car off and popped the hood to get a closer look. When I opened the hood, it looked like the smoke was coming from the passenger side of the engine bay. From what I can tell it looks like oil was dripping on the exhaust (??) and since I had not driven the car in a few days, it pooled up, and burnt off once the exhaust got warm.


    My guess is the Valve Cover Gasket, but I just wanted to see if you guys had any other thoughts. I plan on doing a little closer inspection, and hopefully pin pointing the least this weekend, but I must say that this has me a little worried/concerned?

    Any thoughts of suggestions would be greatly appreciated!

    Thanks!

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Feb 2011
    Location
    Indiana
    Posts
    1,120
    From the info you've provided, the first / most obvious culprit would be the VCG, but definitely do as you're planning & get a closer / more thorough look at the VCG area. I imagine it'll be fairly obvious where the oil's coming from if you really get in there with a flashlight & perhaps a mirror. GL!!

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  3. #3
    Join Date
    Jan 1970
    Location
    Ocean County, NJ
    Posts
    7,273
    Yes, it's most likely your vcg. Most times, if you look at the passenger side rear of the motor, you'll see some burnt oil residue or pooling oil on the heat shield that covers the exhaust like you see in the pic below.

    -Be yourself; everyone else is already taken.
    ZHP Pre-Ride Briefing

    2005 ZHP, Alcantara, Silver Cube, Nav, Sharked, BMW Perf Intake, BMW Perf CF Strut Brace, CF Valve/Fuel Rail Covers,
    Shadowline Grills, CF Splitters, Fog Light Inserts, Euro-mirrors, CDV Delete, Beisan vanos, GAS DISA, BP Coded

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Mar 2011
    Location
    Lynchburg VA
    Posts
    32
    That picture is almost dead on.... not quite as much residue, but that is it ...

    Thanks for the info guys!

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  5. #5
    Join Date
    Jan 1970
    Location
    Liberty Township, OH
    Posts
    37,935
    Vcg.......totally. And do plugs while you're in there. NGK BKR6EQUP.

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  6. #6
    Yeah, as dw said, do the plugs. I guarantee some if not all are oil fouled.

  7. #7
    Join Date
    Mar 2011
    Location
    Lynchburg VA
    Posts
    32
    Bah, I just replaced the plugs last spring.... Oh well, guess I might as well replace them while I'm in there....

  8. #8
    Join Date
    Jan 1970
    Location
    Ocean County, NJ
    Posts
    7,273
    Definitely worth doing the plugs. My #5 & #6 were seriously oil fouled.

    Droid X. Tapatalk. Use it.
    -Be yourself; everyone else is already taken.
    ZHP Pre-Ride Briefing

    2005 ZHP, Alcantara, Silver Cube, Nav, Sharked, BMW Perf Intake, BMW Perf CF Strut Brace, CF Valve/Fuel Rail Covers,
    Shadowline Grills, CF Splitters, Fog Light Inserts, Euro-mirrors, CDV Delete, Beisan vanos, GAS DISA, BP Coded

  9. #9
    Join Date
    Apr 2011
    Location
    Dallas
    Posts
    822

    spark plugs: NGK or Bosch?

    Quote Originally Posted by danewilson77 View Post
    Vcg.......totally. And do plugs while you're in there. NGK BKR6EQUP.
    My VCG has started leaking too. Right on time -- the M54 in my former E39 did the same at the exact same mileage (~65k).

    Realoem lists a Bosch plug (FGR7DQP) in addition to the NGK quoted above. Pelican Parts sells both but the Bosch is a lot cheaper.

    Anyone have any opinions or knowledge on whether the NGK is worth the extra bucks?

    http://www.pelicanparts.com/BMW/cata..._pg1.htm#item0

  10. #10
    Join Date
    Jan 1970
    Location
    Ocean County, NJ
    Posts
    7,273
    I've always read that the NGK was a superior plug.

    Don't recall the exact reasons why, though.

    Droid X. Tapatalk. Use it.
    -Be yourself; everyone else is already taken.
    ZHP Pre-Ride Briefing

    2005 ZHP, Alcantara, Silver Cube, Nav, Sharked, BMW Perf Intake, BMW Perf CF Strut Brace, CF Valve/Fuel Rail Covers,
    Shadowline Grills, CF Splitters, Fog Light Inserts, Euro-mirrors, CDV Delete, Beisan vanos, GAS DISA, BP Coded

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