Jason- I got sober 2.5 years ago and my gift to myself recently was to get a car I always wanted but knew the maintenance would kill me, an e46 330ci stick. You gave me the extra bit of confidence to work on it myself. I've done the rear dif bushing, vanos, ccv, valve cover, tune up, cooling etc watching your vids. Thank you for inspiring a car guy to become a car guy who tinkers on his own cars now. This car is highly rewarding if you take care of it. Thanks for the inspiration, hope all is well. -cheers
Drew David I used to have a stick 330ci and I loved it- i did some minor work to it and it was fun until someone crashed into it! got myself a cheaper 325i which needs a lot more work for which I am going to have fun with. Best of luck!
Kid, you are not only a fearless mechanic, your videographer skills are excellent. In my opinion, you have the best mechanical videos on the Tube. Please keep up the great work.
50sKid thank you sir for helping me find my vacuum leak. these videos have been more than informative and have supported me through everything. you are the best
I recently (still am) repaired the suction jet (didnt want to spend money on a part if i can just fix it lol) and I looked at your video on how to remove the Intake....fantastic videos. I've owned a BMW for 6 months, and have watched your videos for about that amount of time. Keep up the good work! I seriously would love to know as much as you when dealing with this car!
Thanks again!!! My son and I completed this yesterday step by step with this video. The smoking and burnt oil smell stopped!!! He is excited to drive this as his first car. Great Father Son project. You're awesome!!!
Video is 6 years old and still proving useful! Just changed out my valve cover gasket using this video and it went flawlessly. I'm hoping this is the cause of the white smoke and burning oil smell ive noticed after driving my 2005 330i ZHP sedan with just over 100K miles. One thing i'll point out, my harness and ignition coils differ on my car than the video. They are the BMW direct ignition coils like you see on an e46 m3. So that disassembly works slightly different. Also, my $10 purchase of a telescoping magnet proved well-worth the investment. Thanks 50s kid!
The beauty of the in-line 6 -valve Cover is that It fits a myriad of models from the 3 series all the way through the X5 and even in Europe, the 7 series. One valve cover that covers over a decade of engines! 😎🇩🇪🚙
Love this guy. He makes it look easy. Here's some additional things I encountered when doing this job on my 2006 E46 with 96k mi. It's really helpful to have a magnetic tool with a light on the end for recovering the screws/nuts you will inevitably drop. Ditto for a 'grabber' tool for the non-magnetic rubber seals. The beamer has a lot of places where dropped tools and parts get stuck - count your blessings when you hear them hit the floor! At least then you can recover them! You might want to just buy some spare valve cover cap nuts, washers and seals. The dropped and lost fasteners will eventually find their way out... down the road somewhere! A 10mm swivel socket would be good for the difficult rear and lower fasteners. The rubber boot on one of my coils was stuck to the spark plug and ripped and stayed attached to the plug, so good to have a spare coil. I used needle nose pliers to remove it piece by piece. My old valve cover gasket had deteriorated between the round plug seals inside the valve cover. Pieces had fallen in and were sitting in there. When putting it back together, look down all the plug holes before torqueing the valve cover and make sure the valve cover seals around the plugs have not dislodged and blocked the hole! The valve cover fasteners consist of a cap nut, a metal washer, and a rubber seal. The seals sometimes want to stay put and sometimes the washers too. On reassembly make sure each position has one and only one rubber seal, one washer before putting the cap nut on. It's easy to think there's a washer there when there is not and you'll find out when torqueing something is wrong. Other than all that chaos, all good! ;-) Again, the 50's kid is great. He's my first stop whenever I need to work on my car. I didn't need to buy that expensive shop manual.
Thanks for the experience and heads up man because I'm about to do this on my 2000 323i. Going to get everything prepared and ready it's smoking pretty bad and I just had did the fan clutch thermostat and water pump and also change the oil last night.. but yeah that valve cover gasket got so worse.. it's never smoked like this before
You are one of the best mechanical video filming guys out there. Your description is missing nothing. It is excellent! Keep up the great videos. Thanks so much!
Good job brotha! There’s way too many mechanics that like to pretend this is a hard and tedious job...way over charging labor but after watching your video...I know i can handle this install with no problems!
THANK YOU 50s kid. I have followed many of your videos and changed valve cover gasket, spark plugs, engine oil, gear box oil, cooling fluids, and the thingy in the back of the dash that fails and stops the heat/air blowing. Really great videos. I have learnt a lot and having fun doing the work.
Well even though this video was made 6 years ago I'm watching it now and finding it extremely useful and the most informational and best filmed video I can find! Good stuff! Thank you for the awesome content!!!
I got out of the BMW game in '96 and now I'm sucked back into it since my daughter bought a 2000 323CI. Your video's have helped me replace the ignition coil for cylinder number 6 and the O2 sensor for bank one (I replaced both since the engine has 125k miles). Since it is leaking oil pretty badly through the valve cover, I will be replacing the gasket this weekend. Your videos and your explanation throughout has been invaluable while I perform these tasks. Your video's have saved me well over $1,000 in labor costs!
Once again very accurate description of what to do. I'm lucky a s the gasket just fell out. One thing Id like to add is that BMW put a layer of gasket goop on the low side of the cover to stop oil drips. Makes sense to me so I'm doing the same thing. Once again you saved me a lot of money. You're a legend for a fifties kid lol. A big thankyou. I wish you did videos on outboard repairs. You make it easy.
Just did this on my e46, had misfire codes and vacuum leak codes causing extremely rough idle and shaking when accelerating. Ultimately decided to change the valve cover gaskets and ignition coils and now the car runs like butter. Thank you for the video.
I am buying a non-running e46 and with your help am extremely confident I will have it running in no time. Thank you for taking the time to make these videos.
live2day I bought the victor reinz oem one that came with all the gromets and spark plug rings too I could have bought the cheap 20$ one but you don’t want to cheap out and buy the economy gasket especially when it’s your precious inline 6 motor we’re talking about. Mine is still holding strong to this day
@@e36fanatics i never said your wouldnt i just said i went with victor reinz bc it is better quality than the 20$ ones i had the option to get them for 20$ too but i got the victor reinz one
I have already changed few things on my 330ci because of your videos and I do really enjoy it. Makes me very happy to do small jobs around my car by myself and give me an idea what state my car is. Thanks very much for all your videos!
60’s kid here. My gasket is leaking oil on my exhaust. I have the gaskets and seals. This looks easy easy! Going to wallymart for red pvc. Thank you so much for the discovery video.
one of the clearest videos I have watched in a while, you only stated the "extra" things that really needed to be put into consideration, no rambling no wasting anyone time. its hard to catch anyone attention nowadays but your video is awesome! great job man!!!
@@B0JACK i had already had the engine plenum covers removed, and used an electric impact for most bolts. if i had just used hand tools it would have took me like 4 hours too haha good shit. no leaks still this much time on?
I almost totally replaced the parts on mine and have been following these videos for quite some time. What I have discovered is that I am pretty good at mechanics. I would place my car at about five years old mechanically. Beyond I have had no problems with the parts I have replaced which has always been a norm for me . I believe that is due to the way the vehicle is driven cleaned and generally maintained. Thank you 50sKid very educational and easy to understand videos .
if there was a double like button I'll hit it twice!! please keep making videos like this. videos like this is building up my confidence to buy a BMW. I've heard for many years that these cars are expensive to maintain and very difficult to work on. but as I do more research, videos like yours has been proven them wrong.
I’ve only had mine for almost 2 years I knew NOTHING and haven’t taken it to the shop for anything at all except putting my suspension on. I did this, camshaft position sensors, brakes, fuel pump, belts, pulleys, radiator lines, coils, spark plugs, headlight lenses, dews mods.. I could go on and on and I did it by myself w RUclips videos.
Well done. Need to do mine very soon. Did you buy Ebay or BMW gasket? I Need them 15 rubber grommets aswell. BMW is £41 without grommets. Or whole kit Ebay £28.. Hmm.
@@mikeymagic117 I actually got mine off Amazon. It was the $15 for the gasket and $10 for the grommets. I have yet to see how that will hold up but so far so good. Just make sure you torque it properly. I ripped my secondary air pump vacuum hose like the video explained might happen so I drove up to BMW and bought the replacement for $65 the same day. If yours has never been replaced, chances are it'll crumble upon disassembly.
I've been working on cars all my life about 20 years I'm 42 however never had a German card till this E46 and I appreciate your videos they helped me get through the things that I do not know about the f* * * ing BMW LOL.
Getting a used 2002 BMW 325i E46 with 180.000 miles on it, in less than a week hopefully, so I'll be watching your channel ALOT! Gained a new Subscriber here!
I have vacuum leaks right now. I'll be replacing my valve cover gasket next Saturday. Thanks for the very informative video. I really enjoy all the details, it makes it so much easier when I get in front of the car.
50sKid you have the highest quality maintenance videos on youtube. Keep up the good work. Can you also do a video on dual vanos removal, rebuild and repair? Thanks in advance.
Hi I have a little question.. are the coils the same in the 320i 2001 they look identical as the one in your vid.. and also is it the same valve cover gasket ?? in all 3 series models from 2001
One of the best how to videos on RUclips. Even down to every little detail. Thanks again and now I have to order new valve cover bolts seals they didn't come with my kit, ha ha.
I think you and I are going to become the best of friends 😎. Just bought a E46 and I am probably going to need to watch all of your videos. Seriously, thank you so much. Great videos!
I finished this job today thanks to your great video. I have a 2001 BMW 325xi and the whole process was really easy except for removing the old gasket. That alone took me about 2 hours. The center circular pieces of the gasket were so stuck in there I had to drill out little slits in the rubber to pry them out. Obviously this job was long overdue. On to everything else made of rubber in this car.
thank you very much for doing these videos because your videos are very detailed and instructional so i always look for your videos first when dealing with my BMW issues
Just did this today. Broke the CCV hose leading to the valve cover. Ugh! Went to the parts store and found some hose that fit over the orginal hose and clamped it on. Now I need to check out your CCV video. BTW, love your videos. Thank you.
Thanks man for this video, I was scared that this was gonna be hard and expensive but because of your video it showed me that it’s the opposite thank you so much
Just want to thank you for this video! I completed this task myself on Saturday and your video really helped by warning of the little things that can go wrong. Your little hints and tips throughout the video were invaluable! Thank you so much, it is genuinely appreciated. David, UK.
50K, another great video. You helped me do mine on our '05 X3,however I couldn't get that #%*@ gasket to stay in the valve cover. I finally had to use red RTV to hold it when I flipped it and slid it in place. Your videos are all so informative. Thanks and keep it up. Bill from SC
Great Video 50sKid! Followed your instructions on my E39 M54 valve cover gasket replacement without any issue, I will say cleaning the mental surface, bolts and washers took quite a while. I also replaced the rubber shimmers as they are not re-usable, the middle holes are leaking oil in my case. Since I got the torque wrenches now, doubled checked all spark plugs measure, they were too loose, all tightened up to 25 Nm.
Just followed your instructions and it went off without a hitch. Took me a while to get the spark plug gaskets out of the cover, but eventually managed with small wire cutters and a screwdriver. Thanks for the help! Hope i did it right and i stop getting oil on my headers!
I watch this vid twice. Then had it with me as I did the work. Want to give a huge thank you to you sir! This vid is spot on and so easy to follow. I drove the car around for about 20 minutes and no leaks! Only thing is it's still smoking at the back of the engine on the exhaust...but that is where the main leak was and I think it's just residual caked up oil from the it. Have you experienced this situation? Apparently it's been leaking a while and my son never told me so there is a lot of oil on the undercarriage. Couldn't get the o2 sensors loose but I didn't have a breaker bar so I'm going to do that later. Thanks again sir! Ever come to DALLAS I'll buy the first couple of rounds!
Awesome video. Very clear. My E46 has been slowly leaking oil for the past couple months now and I suspect it to be the valve cover since I've already replaced the oil pan gasket (which was the source of my first leak). Hopefully it's nothing more serious. Thanks for the video man!
+50sKid Thank you so much.....this common problem is one of the reasons I have been on the fence about purchasing my first E46 Wagon, but this is so simple. I would assume OEM or higher quality gaskets is crucial. Thank you so much
Exactly what I thought, i had issues with my CVV system in the past, there was a video for that too 👍. My rocker gasket has now given up, so time to replace.
Absolutely brilliant tutorial video and great knowledge. This is my next job when the weather warms up here in the North East of England. 2005 e46 Silver convertible 320i. (Wish i went for the 330i but its in unbelievable condition) Keep up the good work. Thanks
Good job my man like the you explain everything in detail.That is a plus for me there should be a lot of bmw owners thanking you for a in-depth review and also saving them a ton of money!! thanks.
Thanks very much for your excellent tutorials. I have just been "doing" my E46 330Ci today and would like to suggest that people use nail puller pliers to lift the old gasket/seal out of the plastic channel. I couldn't believe how hard a seal could get in 100,000km and for sure it would easily break the cover as it did for you. The nail puller pincher pliers lift vertically so reduce the risk of sideways pull breaking the channel. Well done - my go to source of info for my BMW maintenance.
Love your videos man. I recently bought a 2004 330xi that needs a good amount of parts replaced since the owner before never did anything (literally) to it. Very good quality and you seem to know your stuff, so plan on learning a bunch from your videos.
Took me longer than 30 minutes... The inner cover on the spark plug holes was completely bonded on my 22 yo E46. As I broke it off, it shattered and lots of junk fell into the spark plug holes. After I put the new cover on, I blew out the holes with compressed air. I wasn't completely able to remove all traces of the old cover. If I find that I have oil in my spark plug holes, I will know where it is coming from. I didn't use RTV on the corners. But I did retorque the valve cover bolts twice - once on installation and once 1 day later after I borrowed the compresser to blow out he holes. I guess if it leaks in a few months I will invest in some RTV. Oh yeah, the magnet is very handy. Thanks so much for the guidance. Couldn't have done it with you.
Does this help with longevity of the gasket? I did my M54's valve cover gasket maybe 6 months ago, and it's already leaking down the spark plug holes and also onto my headers.
@@MrYourfavoritesub I haven't done it myself but the CCV was replaced by the previous owner, and I have the O2 pilot mod done to increase crankcase vacuum. I just redid the valve cover gasket a few days ago. Did a much better job than last time using scotch brite to clean up old gasket material, and I used a little bit more rtv than previously. Pretty sure the issue is warped valve cover, the corners are lifted about 1-2mm above the head.
Just replace the Rocker cover gasket on my 2001 325ci vert 2 1/2hrs and a tea break and extremely enjoyable to do ( it was relaxing to do with your guidance 👍👍👍) thank you.
ATTENTION VIEWERS: Before you put the valve cover back on DOUBLE CHECK the front lip by the timing chains. There are two small half moon dips in the mating surface of the head and an even smaller grooves in these dips that collects trash and particulate as you pull the cover off. Make double sure you clean and inspect this area before reinstalling the cover. Any tiny bits in here will cause a failure of the gasket in that area.
Wow your the damn man...thanks a whole lot just by watching this video 3 times today I just installed my valve cover gasket with grommets, also replaced spark plugs and all ignition coils since they were all there since birth on my 04 BMW 325i(163k). I noticed gasket that was installed by prior owner was still fresh which was weird to me really thought it would be hard. Leak was coming from grommets which he didn't change cause most were broken and that's where I was getting leak but still replaced gasket anyway. Took me a little over 3 hours but I took my time cleaning oil around engine block...Car runs a lot better now I had rough idle due to very corroded plugs and coils that had 163k miles on them. Thanks again will search to see if you have a coolant thermostat replacement video 😂
Thank you for all your helpful & informative DIY Videos. On this one, I’ll try to avoid the most mistake you´ve warned about! :-)! Ones again, Thanks you very much!😊
Jason- I got sober 2.5 years ago and my gift to myself recently was to get a car I always wanted but knew the maintenance would kill me, an e46 330ci stick. You gave me the extra bit of confidence to work on it myself. I've done the rear dif bushing, vanos, ccv, valve cover, tune up, cooling etc watching your vids. Thank you for inspiring a car guy to become a car guy who tinkers on his own cars now. This car is highly rewarding if you take care of it. Thanks for the inspiration, hope all is well.
-cheers
Drew David I used to have a stick 330ci and I loved it- i did some minor work to it and it was fun until someone crashed into it! got myself a cheaper 325i which needs a lot more work for which I am going to have fun with. Best of luck!
THE VERY BEST TO YOU MATE IN YOUR EFFORTS AND TRAVELS, STAY POSITIVE AND AWESOME, WELCOME BACK BROTHER !1
Kid, you are not only a fearless mechanic, your videographer skills are excellent. In my opinion, you have the best mechanical videos on the Tube. Please keep up the great work.
+Dale Yurk Thank you very much!
50sKid thank you sir for helping me find my vacuum leak. these videos have been more than informative and have supported me through everything. you are the best
I recently (still am) repaired the suction jet (didnt want to spend money on a part if i can just fix it lol) and I looked at your video on how to remove the Intake....fantastic videos. I've owned a BMW for 6 months, and have watched your videos for about that amount of time. Keep up the good work! I seriously would love to know as much as you when dealing with this car!
Thanks so much for your videos
I second that
Thanks again!!! My son and I completed this yesterday step by step with this video. The smoking and burnt oil smell stopped!!! He is excited to drive this as his first car. Great Father Son project. You're awesome!!!
That's awesome!
Video is 6 years old and still proving useful! Just changed out my valve cover gasket using this video and it went flawlessly. I'm hoping this is the cause of the white smoke and burning oil smell ive noticed after driving my 2005 330i ZHP sedan with just over 100K miles. One thing i'll point out, my harness and ignition coils differ on my car than the video. They are the BMW direct ignition coils like you see on an e46 m3. So that disassembly works slightly different. Also, my $10 purchase of a telescoping magnet proved well-worth the investment. Thanks 50s kid!
I don't think that would explain white smoke. Did you overheat your engine at some point?
watching this about to attempt this thinking to myself, "damn glad I bought a magnet scope" hahaha
The beauty of the in-line 6 -valve Cover is that It fits a myriad of models from the 3 series all the way through the X5 and even in Europe, the 7 series. One valve cover that covers over a decade of engines! 😎🇩🇪🚙
Failing all different kinds of engines over the decades
Outstanding Job. He couldn't have made the job any easier for me unless he came to my garage and did it for me.
You’re my first source for e46 videos because of your clear explanation, the gotchas, and steady camera work. Great resource, thank you!
Love this guy. He makes it look easy. Here's some additional things I encountered when doing this job on my 2006 E46 with 96k mi.
It's really helpful to have a magnetic tool with a light on the end for recovering the screws/nuts you will inevitably drop. Ditto for a 'grabber' tool for the non-magnetic rubber seals. The beamer has a lot of places where dropped tools and parts get stuck - count your blessings when you hear them hit the floor! At least then you can recover them! You might want to just buy some spare valve cover cap nuts, washers and seals. The dropped and lost fasteners will eventually find their way out... down the road somewhere! A 10mm swivel socket would be good for the difficult rear and lower fasteners.
The rubber boot on one of my coils was stuck to the spark plug and ripped and stayed attached to the plug, so good to have a spare coil. I used needle nose pliers to remove it piece by piece. My old valve cover gasket had deteriorated between the round plug seals inside the valve cover. Pieces had fallen in and were sitting in there. When putting it back together, look down all the plug holes before torqueing the valve cover and make sure the valve cover seals around the plugs have not dislodged and blocked the hole!
The valve cover fasteners consist of a cap nut, a metal washer, and a rubber seal. The seals sometimes want to stay put and sometimes the washers too. On reassembly make sure each position has one and only one rubber seal, one washer before putting the cap nut on. It's easy to think there's a washer there when there is not and you'll find out when torqueing something is wrong. Other than all that chaos, all good! ;-)
Again, the 50's kid is great. He's my first stop whenever I need to work on my car. I didn't need to buy that expensive shop manual.
Thanks for the experience and heads up man because I'm about to do this on my 2000 323i. Going to get everything prepared and ready it's smoking pretty bad and I just had did the fan clutch thermostat and water pump and also change the oil last night.. but yeah that valve cover gasket got so worse.. it's never smoked like this before
You are one of the best mechanical video filming guys out there. Your description is missing nothing. It is excellent! Keep up the great videos.
Thanks so much!
Awesome job. Clearly explained without all the fluff, straight to the point. Subbed!
thanks!
Good job brotha! There’s way too many mechanics that like to pretend this is a hard and tedious job...way over charging labor but after watching your video...I know i can handle this install with no problems!
how did you get on with the job?
THANK YOU 50s kid. I have followed many of your videos and changed valve cover gasket, spark plugs, engine oil, gear box oil, cooling fluids, and the thingy in the back of the dash that fails and stops the heat/air blowing. Really great videos. I have learnt a lot and having fun doing the work.
Well even though this video was made 6 years ago I'm watching it now and finding it extremely useful and the most informational and best filmed video I can find! Good stuff! Thank you for the awesome content!!!
I got out of the BMW game in '96 and now I'm sucked back into it since my daughter bought a 2000 323CI. Your video's have helped me replace the ignition coil for cylinder number 6 and the O2 sensor for bank one (I replaced both since the engine has 125k miles). Since it is leaking oil pretty badly through the valve cover, I will be replacing the gasket this weekend. Your videos and your explanation throughout has been invaluable while I perform these tasks. Your video's have saved me well over $1,000 in labor costs!
MrJacobIV hey do you need to drain oil when doing this ?
Hands like a surgeon. Also - always have the right tools for the job. Makes things go so much more smooth! (Magnet, pan, angled socket, torque wrench)
Once again very accurate description of what to do. I'm lucky a s the gasket just fell out. One thing Id like to add is that BMW put a layer of gasket goop on the low side of the cover to stop oil drips. Makes sense to me so I'm doing the same thing. Once again you saved me a lot of money. You're a legend for a fifties kid lol. A big thankyou. I wish you did videos on outboard repairs. You make it easy.
Just did this on my e46, had misfire codes and vacuum leak codes causing extremely rough idle and shaking when accelerating. Ultimately decided to change the valve cover gaskets and ignition coils and now the car runs like butter. Thank you for the video.
50sKid - this was a fantastic video. I was able to do it in about 3 hours -- you saved me big bucks! Thanks for posting this video
I am buying a non-running e46 and with your help am extremely confident I will have it running in no time. Thank you for taking the time to make these videos.
How did it turn out?
$594.27 crazy dealership quote on this one for my 2002 330CI. I'm surprised they haven't paid RUclips to shut you down yet!
did mine for 60$
@@startingtech3900 the gasket was like 20 bucks for me... so yeah thats how much it all cost me LOL
live2day I bought the victor reinz oem one that came with all the gromets and spark plug rings too I could have bought the cheap 20$ one but you don’t want to cheap out and buy the economy gasket especially when it’s your precious inline 6 motor we’re talking about. Mine is still holding strong to this day
@@startingtech3900 Tell me exactly why my gaskets wont last and yours will? its literally oem quality replacement... oem quality for me is enough
@@e36fanatics i never said your wouldnt i just said i went with victor reinz bc it is better quality than the 20$ ones i had the option to get them for 20$ too but i got the victor reinz one
I have already changed few things on my 330ci because of your videos and I do really enjoy it. Makes me very happy to do small jobs around my car by myself and give me an idea what state my car is.
Thanks very much for all your videos!
Replaced the rocker cover gasket and spark plugs on my 325ti today - your videos were invaluable! Thank you so much.
60’s kid here. My gasket is leaking oil on my exhaust. I have the gaskets and seals. This looks easy easy! Going to wallymart for red pvc. Thank you so much for the discovery video.
one of the clearest videos I have watched in a while, you only stated the "extra" things that really needed to be put into consideration, no rambling no wasting anyone time. its hard to catch anyone attention nowadays but your video is awesome! great job man!!!
Agreed
Wish me luck boys I'm doing this weekend
Successful job!
how did it go just did mine in about 2 hours but i really wanted to take my time and not rush
Starting Tech it took me like 5 hours lol
@@B0JACK i had already had the engine plenum covers removed, and used an electric impact for most bolts. if i had just used hand tools it would have took me like 4 hours too haha good shit. no leaks still this much time on?
@@B0JACK did you use rtv sealer??
thanks 50s kid hope you return soon! just did this by watching your vid.
You and your videos are the sole reason why I'm getting a 330 ci very soon. I can't wait!!!!!! To start wrenching on it!!!
Really well done. One of the best I’ve seen in years. Much more information than just the gasket replacement. Thank you
I almost totally replaced the parts on mine and have been following these videos for quite some time. What I have discovered is that I am pretty good at mechanics. I would place my car at about five years old mechanically. Beyond I have had no problems with the parts I have replaced which has always been a norm for me . I believe that is due to the way the vehicle is driven cleaned and generally maintained. Thank you 50sKid very educational and easy to understand videos
.
Thanks!
Thank you man. Watched everything an learned so much. I really appreciate what you are doing for the e46 community
if there was a double like button I'll hit it twice!! please keep making videos like this. videos like this is building up my confidence to buy a BMW. I've heard for many years that these cars are expensive to maintain and very difficult to work on. but as I do more research, videos like yours has been proven them wrong.
Thanks
I’ve only had mine for almost 2 years I knew NOTHING and haven’t taken it to the shop for anything at all except putting my suspension on. I did this, camshaft position sensors, brakes, fuel pump, belts, pulleys, radiator lines, coils, spark plugs, headlight lenses, dews mods.. I could go on and on and I did it by myself w RUclips videos.
Few* mods
Awesome job you have done on these videos You have kept me upon the road for the past ten -fifteen years now...Thank you
This took me 8 hours to do including driving around the city buying parts but Thank God For This Man And This Video. Perfectly explained
Well done. Need to do mine very soon. Did you buy Ebay or BMW gasket? I Need them 15 rubber grommets aswell. BMW is £41 without grommets. Or whole kit Ebay £28.. Hmm.
@@mikeymagic117 I actually got mine off Amazon. It was the $15 for the gasket and $10 for the grommets. I have yet to see how that will hold up but so far so good. Just make sure you torque it properly. I ripped my secondary air pump vacuum hose like the video explained might happen so I drove up to BMW and bought the replacement for $65 the same day. If yours has never been replaced, chances are it'll crumble upon disassembly.
you just helped me with the little ground wires. I couldn't remember where they went back on. thanks!
That’s why I came back. Did not remember which grounding goes where. 😭 much appreciated thank you for the video.
I've been working on cars all my life about 20 years I'm 42 however never had a German card till this E46 and I appreciate your videos they helped me get through the things that I do not know about the f* * * ing BMW LOL.
Very helpful!! I got 330i a week ago. Now I need most of your vids more then ever. I really thank you. You are a gift.
You are a literal Godsend. Thank you for so clearly sharing your knowledge on YT. Ppl like you are saints!
Getting a used 2002 BMW 325i E46 with 180.000 miles on it, in less than a week hopefully, so I'll be watching your channel ALOT! Gained a new Subscriber here!
I have vacuum leaks right now. I'll be replacing my valve cover gasket next Saturday. Thanks for the very informative video. I really enjoy all the details, it makes it so much easier when I get in front of the car.
Video was useful for me today, thanks man keep making these e46 videos! Very helpful and also fun to watch for a BMW enthusiast like myself.
Highest quality most bestest instructional video I have ever seen on utube. Really outstanding!
Your videos are always on point. Even though I've done 50 VCG's it's good to watch your videos before hand to get the little tricks n tips.
thank you brother , I got my 2003 e46 running and purring again because of your incredible videos!!!
50sKid you have the highest quality maintenance videos on youtube. Keep up the good work. Can you also do a video on dual vanos removal, rebuild and repair? Thanks in advance.
+bimmer audi I have and it's coming soon. Not this weekend but next.
Awesome. Thanks...
Hi I have a little question.. are the coils the same in the 320i 2001 they look identical as the one in your vid.. and also is it the same valve cover gasket ?? in all 3 series models from 2001
Yep, it appears that all the coils are identical.
*ChrisFix entered the chat*
New e46 owner here, great channel...thanks for all the clear and concise how-to's.
One of the best how to videos on RUclips. Even down to every little detail. Thanks again and now I have to order new valve cover bolts seals they didn't come with my kit, ha ha.
I think you and I are going to become the best of friends 😎. Just bought a E46 and I am probably going to need to watch all of your videos. Seriously, thank you so much. Great videos!
Thank you for all the great videos and tips. It has made repairing my E46 ZHP much easier.
I did it😁 thanks 50s kid you saved me so much in mechanic bills and its worked great👍
I finished this job today thanks to your great video. I have a 2001 BMW 325xi and the whole process was really easy except for removing the old gasket. That alone took me about 2 hours. The center circular pieces of the gasket were so stuck in there I had to drill out little slits in the rubber to pry them out. Obviously this job was long overdue. On to everything else made of rubber in this car.
thank you very much for doing these videos because your videos are very detailed and instructional so i always look for your videos first when dealing with my BMW issues
Casual confidence - you make this look so easy! The dealer quote to fix mine is $1,700.
Thieves
This guy is simply a genius!... More then a teacher like...
Thank you brother, for giving us mortals the confidence to do this. Just bought an 04 330 and guess what ... leaky valve cover. Subscribed!
Just did this today. Broke the CCV hose leading to the valve cover. Ugh! Went to the parts store and found some hose that fit over the orginal hose and clamped it on. Now I need to check out your CCV video. BTW, love your videos. Thank you.
Thanks man for this video, I was scared that this was gonna be hard and expensive but because of your video it showed me that it’s the opposite thank you so much
Bro!!personal thanks from me .learned so much about my e46 just off you.
Just want to thank you for this video! I completed this task myself on Saturday and your video really helped by warning of the little things that can go wrong. Your little hints and tips throughout the video were invaluable! Thank you so much, it is genuinely appreciated. David, UK.
Best E46 videos on RUclips! Greetings from the UK 👍
50's kid!!!! excellent video as always!!! keep the e46 videos coming!!! thanks champ!!!
50K, another great video. You helped me do mine on our '05 X3,however I couldn't get that #%*@ gasket to stay in the valve cover. I finally had to use red RTV to hold it when I flipped it and slid it in place. Your videos are all so informative. Thanks and keep it up. Bill from SC
just wanna say thanks for videos. even having language barrier, I'm still understand everything and fix car with your help!
Awesome, I'm glad!
You could learn on mute haha
Great Video 50sKid! Followed your instructions on my E39 M54 valve cover gasket replacement without any issue, I will say cleaning the mental surface, bolts and washers took quite a while. I also replaced the rubber shimmers as they are not re-usable, the middle holes are leaking oil in my case.
Since I got the torque wrenches now, doubled checked all spark plugs measure, they were too loose, all tightened up to 25 Nm.
Just followed your instructions and it went off without a hitch. Took me a while to get the spark plug gaskets out of the cover, but eventually managed with small wire cutters and a screwdriver. Thanks for the help! Hope i did it right and i stop getting oil on my headers!
I watch this vid twice. Then had it with me as I did the work. Want to give a huge thank you to you sir! This vid is spot on and so easy to follow. I drove the car around for about 20 minutes and no leaks! Only thing is it's still smoking at the back of the engine on the exhaust...but that is where the main leak was and I think it's just residual caked up oil from the it. Have you experienced this situation? Apparently it's been leaking a while and my son never told me so there is a lot of oil on the undercarriage. Couldn't get the o2 sensors loose but I didn't have a breaker bar so I'm going to do that later. Thanks again sir! Ever come to DALLAS I'll buy the first couple of rounds!
Thanks! Yeah if you had a leak for a long time the oil is gonna be caked on the exhaust--it will burn off for sure.
I am considering an 05 325 ci and these videos are helping me understand the car. Extremely helpful and well made, keep it up! thanks
Awesome video. Very clear. My E46 has been slowly leaking oil for the past couple months now and I suspect it to be the valve cover since I've already replaced the oil pan gasket (which was the source of my first leak). Hopefully it's nothing more serious. Thanks for the video man!
+50sKid Thank you so much.....this common problem is one of the reasons I have been on the fence about purchasing my first E46 Wagon, but this is so simple. I would assume OEM or higher quality gaskets is crucial. Thank you so much
if you read reviews of cheap, say £18 quid ones on Amazon, they seem to be fine.
Everything I need to do on my e46, you have video for it. Thank you!! :-)
Exactly what I thought, i had issues with my CVV system in the past, there was a video for that too 👍. My rocker gasket has now given up, so time to replace.
Thank you, saved so much and so far so good! you really are the "friend I go to before working on my car" lol
Yes he is
This will be my next job. I trust you the most and you make look so easy. Thanks mang.
What a pleasant man and car doctor. Hope you are well and thanks for the video. Champion
Absolutely brilliant tutorial video and great knowledge. This is my next job when the weather warms up here in the North East of England. 2005 e46 Silver convertible 320i. (Wish i went for the 330i but its in unbelievable condition) Keep up the good work. Thanks
Your a very big help I have a 02 530i and I learned everything from u. Thanks and please keep helping guys like us. 💯💯
Good job my man like the you explain everything in detail.That is a plus for me there should be a lot of bmw owners thanking you for a in-depth review and also saving them a ton of money!! thanks.
Thanks very much for your excellent tutorials. I have just been "doing" my E46 330Ci today and would like to suggest that people use nail puller pliers to lift the old gasket/seal out of the plastic channel. I couldn't believe how hard a seal could get in 100,000km and for sure it would easily break the cover as it did for you. The nail puller pincher pliers lift vertically so reduce the risk of sideways pull breaking the channel. Well done - my go to source of info for my BMW maintenance.
great vid, the best tutorial regarding the cover gasket replacement for e46 I found
He makes all his work look easy
Thanks for this helpful and informative video. It inspired me to do the job myself and everything went smoothly. Great work dude!
I just got one of theses rides and hopefully the leak she's got is only from the valve cover. Great real life video.
Love your videos man. I recently bought a 2004 330xi that needs a good amount of parts replaced since the owner before never did anything (literally) to it. Very good quality and you seem to know your stuff, so plan on learning a bunch from your videos.
Took me longer than 30 minutes...
The inner cover on the spark plug holes was completely bonded on my 22 yo E46. As I broke it off, it shattered and lots of junk fell into the spark plug holes. After I put the new cover on, I blew out the holes with compressed air. I wasn't completely able to remove all traces of the old cover. If I find that I have oil in my spark plug holes, I will know where it is coming from.
I didn't use RTV on the corners. But I did retorque the valve cover bolts twice - once on installation and once 1 day later after I borrowed the compresser to blow out he holes. I guess if it leaks in a few months I will invest in some RTV.
Oh yeah, the magnet is very handy.
Thanks so much for the guidance. Couldn't have done it with you.
Thank you so much for such an informational and clear video. I am able to see everything you are doing perfectly!
I changed my Gasket today. Thank you for the video!
Pro tip: Use high-tack spray-a-gasket on both sides of the whole gasket. This is what they did at the bmw dealership I worked at.
I use Permatex high temp copper spray a gasket and it works phenomenal compared to the squeeze tube.
Does this help with longevity of the gasket? I did my M54's valve cover gasket maybe 6 months ago, and it's already leaking down the spark plug holes and also onto my headers.
@@busterscrugs have you changed your pcv system? I know that if its clogged it can blow out your gasket.
@@MrYourfavoritesub I haven't done it myself but the CCV was replaced by the previous owner, and I have the O2 pilot mod done to increase crankcase vacuum. I just redid the valve cover gasket a few days ago. Did a much better job than last time using scotch brite to clean up old gasket material, and I used a little bit more rtv than previously. Pretty sure the issue is warped valve cover, the corners are lifted about 1-2mm above the head.
tyson505 I've got oil dripping down onto the spark plugs and it hunts when engaging the clutch. Is it the ccv?
THANK-YOU VERY MUCH FOR TAKING IT ALL APART FOR US . STAY SAFE !!
Just replace the Rocker cover gasket on my 2001 325ci vert 2 1/2hrs and a tea break and extremely enjoyable to do ( it was relaxing to do with your guidance 👍👍👍) thank you.
Yeah that is one of the best vids I have seen on this job. Great camera images too! Well done.
You rock man your videos are soo helpful
Love the video and it was very helpful I need to do this soon. Thanks for sharing
ATTENTION VIEWERS: Before you put the valve cover back on DOUBLE CHECK the front lip by the timing chains. There are two small half moon dips in the mating surface of the head and an even smaller grooves in these dips that collects trash and particulate as you pull the cover off. Make double sure you clean and inspect this area before reinstalling the cover. Any tiny bits in here will cause a failure of the gasket in that area.
Thank you for this, used this video whilst doing this job on my 02 330Ci really helpful.
Great video. Thank you for telling us the socket sizes.
50skid EXCELLENT job on this video. Very easy to understand and video work is great..
I like to know to car running fine only on when I car is stop its like missing
I really enjoyed your videos! I like the way you explained things to make really easy to understand. Keep up the good work!
Love Your videos. Well explained and full of small details. Exactly how I like it. Two thumbs up!!
Wow your the damn man...thanks a whole lot just by watching this video 3 times today I just installed my valve cover gasket with grommets, also replaced spark plugs and all ignition coils since they were all there since birth on my 04 BMW 325i(163k). I noticed gasket that was installed by prior owner was still fresh which was weird to me really thought it would be hard. Leak was coming from grommets which he didn't change cause most were broken and that's where I was getting leak but still replaced gasket anyway. Took me a little over 3 hours but I took my time cleaning oil around engine block...Car runs a lot better now I had rough idle due to very corroded plugs and coils that had 163k miles on them. Thanks again will search to see if you have a coolant thermostat replacement video 😂
Best VCG I’ve seen! Thank you for the detailed instructions. Question: Would you also recommend replacing he metal washers as well? Thanks!
Thank you for all your helpful & informative DIY Videos. On this one, I’ll try to avoid the most mistake you´ve warned about! :-)!
Ones again, Thanks you very much!😊
50’s Kid is the GOAT!!!