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Valve Stems, Valve Cover, Timing Cover, Valley Pan, Rear Cover, etc...All Leaking

36K views 421 replies 23 participants last post by  BabyUnicornTaco 
#1 ·
Well, I made it 153,000 miles and it finally came. 7,000 mile oil change intervals, mostly highway driving for the last 60,000 miles. Hopefully this post can be informative and help with others who encounter this. It is not normal for these seals to last this long but they all have started to fail. My valve stems seals, valve cover gaskets, timing case cover gaskets, oil cooler gasket, rear cover, transfer pipe, etc., are all leaking. Only the oil cooler gasket has ever been replaced at 82,000 miles. These usually do not fail all at once but now I am faced with the big decision. I either replace the external leaks and try to ride it as far as I can before valve stem seals and transfer pipe completely blow or do everything. Luckily I have a good relationship with my Indy shop and a brother in law who is a euro mechanic. I cannot stress enough how important it is to have a good relationship with a good local Indy shop. One of the guys I speak to often that works there said he saw my car come in and took personal responsibility to look it over. Peace of mind means a lot. He is assembling an estimate for external leaks and an estimate that covers everything. The decision is whether to try to get away cheaper repairs and ride as long as possible or have it all done and have a nice clean engine that drives as new and is good for indefinite miles. I lean toward having it all done. The coolant leaks are not bad yet but they will be. The oil leaks have begun to drip all around. I made a good run but the time has come to address it. Many owners I read about have one failure, replace it, and then see another failure months later. I am interested in hearing about other accounts that are similar or any advice. Since I have a good relationship with these guys, I plan on having them photo document the steps so I can relay this information. I'm sure I left something out but if my hardship helps someone else then thats great. Others may try a magic bottle of engine sealer and try to sell it but that just isn't the right thing to do. I have a beer in hand as I wrap my head around the days of labor but the renewed driving happens that follows. This may have a drawn out conclusion but the diagnosis was made today. This shop pulls out the engine and hand cleans. My father in law had the same thing done with his 550i (same engine) and it still is leak free.
 
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#392 ·
My 2013 valve stem seals was done in Feb by a local BMW dealer under the campaign, still burning 1qt of oil little over 1000 miles, took back to the dealer that had the job done, was told it is normal for 1qt oil consumption over 1000 miles, I am now keep tracking to see if oil consumption is going under 1000 miles per qt, then bring the car back to the dealer again.
 
#404 ·
Thanks for taking the time to read it over. The good news is that all the work I completed previously is still holding up after 10,000 miles. Thats a big success for someone with my complete lack of experience before attempting. It takes at least about 3 minutes of idling to get the visible smoke so maybe I have a little bit of time if I can deal with the oil consumption. I'm still searching for any random other sources but it will probably circle me back to VSS.
 
#405 ·
For those of you that keep up, here is my update that may put me at the X5 crossroad. I have not completed the valve stem seal replacement yet. Oil consumption improved a little and the smoke has somewhat lessened after long idles but still there slightly. CCV diaphragms are good. Found my oil level low as well. Maybe at 1/4 on the dipstick. No warning in I-Drive. Also got a coolant level low warning. No evidence of leaks. No drips. Weep hole is dry. Took 1-2 quarts of 50/50. Also found that the rear side and corner of the passenger side valve cover is leaking after 14,000 miles. Power has diminished. Coolant looks clear and oil is clean. So here are a few questions:

1. Any way that the valve cover leak in that area could ever cause smoke from the exhaust tips?

2. Where did my coolant go?

3. Suggestions?

As usual, thank you all for the support and ideas.



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#407 ·
1. No. How would outside oil make it to the inside of the exhaust? Also: Drips on the cats burns blue.
2. A pressure test of the cooling system seems what you need to do.

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Yeah. Pressure test for sure. That's a pretty big loss of coolant for no visual leaks, but I have tested before and can do it again.

I'm guessing my loss of performance is most likely the vacuum leak from the VCG. At least the leak tells me that my oil consumption is not solely due to my VSS and will be fixed with the VSS.

Thanks for the reply. Remember I am far from a mechanic. 14,000 miles from the VCG is disappointing.

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#408 ·
I had both symptoms: oil consumption (1 quart per 600 miles) and low coolant warning without apparent leaks. Stem valve seals is a must job for 4.8, it fixed the oil consumption/smoke (since the job after 2000 miles the oil level has been unchanged on idrive). The coolant was the valley pan gasket. The coolant pooled in V part of the engine and evaporated (it explained the odor after driving in my case). Once the leak got worse, the coolant started dripping from the back side of the engine overnight. While doing these two jobs, I also cleaned injectors professionally with new micro filters and put a stent in the coolant pipe as a preventative maintenance. The power gain was tremendous, so I am really happy how the job turned out. The car is now at 92k. It is 2009...
 
#409 ·
Yeah. I replaced my valley pan and transfer pipe. No apparent leaks there. I'm back up to 2,000 miles on the oil consumption but I have the black tailpipes showing the smoke residue. And can make it smoke after a long idle. At almost 170,000 miles I am pushing it on original VSS. I'm guessing I have a hidden coolant leak from a hose, most oil leaving from the VCG, and the impending VSS job. Pressure test coming up first. Then planning.

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#413 ·
At this point I made another oil change and was almost at max oil level after 2,000 miles but after a long hot idle I have some smoke. I also for the first time since my repairs found a coolant drip under the X5. I did find that the orange CCV diaphragms that we’re new 14,000 miles ago did not wear evenly. The one on the drivers side was flimsy but still intact. The one on the passenger side was hardened on the outside ring. I just replaced the flimsy one with a proven diaphragm. At this point I think my valve stem seals may be ok but I battle potential engine mount and a new coolant leak issue at the rear of the engine.


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#415 · (Edited)
...While doing tranny new seals+oil drain/fill I also noticed a small coolant leak from the back of the engine. The leak comes out from the bottom in between the back of the engine and the transmission. I suspect the dreadful backplate leak since the valley pan had been done recently. The fix would require removal of the 200 lb transmission which is beyond my DIY at least for now. It sounds that you might have the same issue...with BMW high pressure cooling system- you fix one leak and the pressure find the next weak link In the system.

Agree 100% - Having an extra car in the garage provides a tremendous peace of mind for bimmer projects - VSS alone is best when done steady and slow over a couple of weeks...just buy something more reliable
 
#416 · (Edited)
Adding an update. After some more research, I torqued the valve cover bolts in the wrong sequence 15,000 miles ago. I used a document that many others use and it is wrong. Probably the source of my slow oil leak. My oil consumption is back to probably 4,000 miles per quart. I had my brother in law do a whole bunch of expensive scan tool tests and calibrations and my engine runs super smooth. The calibrations adjust some timing and relearn adaptations. This might also improve my oil consumption. My rear cover may have a drop or too leak of coolant but only in really cold weather. My engine mounts are now bad. Drivers side of the engine shoots up on acceleration and I have an idle vibration. Seeing the great health of my engine tells me to continue to drive and maintain. Up next is engine mounts and a/c pulley replacement.


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#418 ·
I'm very reluctant to believe you can loose a quart through the valve cover gasket. A quart is a huge lot of drops. You should be smoking and burning oil on the cats all the time.

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I'm losing it through the valve stem seals as well. They will still smoke after a longer idle.

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#420 ·
I know this post is starting to age, but I found really helpful and encouraging. My 550i had 67k on it when I bought it 4-1/2 years ago. The dealer had just replaced the VCG and Timing chain covers. It's now up to 97k and I am 99% sure the alternator bracket, vacuum pump, and the valve stem seals are leaking. I did the URO pipe myself and got stuck in limp mode because I did not complete reconnect one of the cam position sensors! The DIY valve stem seals seems to be a bit risky for me, there is a lot going on in there with the Valvetronic system. So I just want to hats off to you and keep up the good work!
 
#421 ·
I know this post is starting to age, but I found really helpful and encouraging. My 550i had 67k on it when I bought it 4-1/2 years ago. The dealer had just replaced the VCG and Timing chain covers. It's now up to 97k and I am 99% sure the alternator bracket, vacuum pump, and the valve stem seals are leaking. I did the URO pipe myself and got stuck in limp mode because I did not complete reconnect one of the cam position sensors! The DIY valve stem seals seems to be a bit risky for me, there is a lot going on in there with the Valvetronic system. So I just want to hats off to you and keep up the good work!
All the work is not too bad. The rule of thumb with the VSS is that the hardest part of replacing them is removing the valve covers, other than that it's just time And tedious.

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#422 · (Edited)
Figured I’d update this. I’m still the proud owner of this X5. 204,000 miles. New water pump 1/22. Replaced VCGs and TCGs in April. New Oil Cooler Thermostat Gasket today. URO transfer pipe still running strong. Both of my valvetronic motors took a dump. Replaced those. Crankshaft sensor also went bye bye. New Alternator 1/22 as well. Valve Stem Seals are still original at 204,000 miles and I do not have oil consumption issues.


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