Leaky Valve Covers - Real Danger?

[motion732]

I had my valve cover gaskets replaced after discovering they were leaking (mild sweat/weep, no pool of oil under car, etc.) a bit. Since then, they've continued to leak, leading me to believe they're possibly warped.

Spoke with M specialist and BMW dealership for a quote to replace the covers and it was around $2300 incl. tax, as expected.

He also said as long as I keep the covers clean, meaning degrease and make sure the oil isn't leaking on components/hoses/etc., there isn't any real risk to the motor. This is particularly surprising coming from a dealer service center (guy also owns an e92 m3) where they're mostly out to charge you for everything.

I've done a lot of reading on this and haven't been able to find anything concrete that specifically cites any danger of letting the leaks continue as long as they're kept under control.

If you're aware of any specific dangers, can you please let me know?

Thanks!

[SAMM3Y]

No danger, just a smelly mess with oil dripping on hot components. If the paint was peeling off the covers and they didn't replace all the hardware (26 bolts with grommets), the new gaskets won't stand a chance. Check your oil cap too, mine was leaking. That's a $17 easy fix. Those covers won't just warp by themselves..

[motion732]

Originally Posted by SAMM3Y

No danger, just a smelly mess with oil dripping on hot components. If the paint was peeling off the covers and they didn't replace all the hardware (26 bolts with grommets), the new gaskets won't stand a chance. Check your oil cap too, mine was leaking. That's a $17 easy fix. Those covers won't just warp by themselves..

Thank you. I'll be sure to check all of the hardware is there but I haven't noticed anything missing.

Funny, the oil cap leaks slightly too - i replaced it but still going. Has to do w/ the valve cover...

[Mvy]

No danger other than constant oil leaks that get worse over time. Replacing the gaskets and oil cap wont stop the leak in most cases because its caused by a bad seal due to flaking coating or warping. If you took them off and cleaned them up really well it would buy you time but I have read others who said it just went back to leaking again. I went through all this a year ago and decided to replace the covers. It was a good decision, though it was costly. FCP euro guarantees for life so if you go that route it will be the last time you pay for it.

[SAMM3Y]

Originally Posted by motion732

Thank you. I'll be sure to check all of the hardware is there but I haven't noticed anything missing.

Funny, the oil cap leaks slightly too - i replaced it but still going. Has to do w/ the valve cover...

I mean the hardware should have been replaced with new hardware when the gaskets were changed, the grommets aren't available separately from the vc bolts.

[Redd]

No real danger. I drove over 2 years 40k kms with slightly weeping valve covers before I got around to replacing them.

[Dr. Dre]

You would need heavy oil flow for it to become a danger.

[M3JayM]

I have about 62k miles on my car and I’m scheduled to have my valve cover replaced (1-4 side) and all the gaskets due to a “medium” leak.. that’s how the shop described it. Every few days since I’ve been wiping off oil from the cap area that’s dripping down. I replaced the cap but the leaking persisted. Unfortunately the parts for the VC replacement didn’t ship to the shop before I have to leave on a long road trip.


Was hoping to get the work done beforehand but it’ll be another ~1500 miles before I can take it in. I’m bringing some extra oil even though I haven’t gotten low engine oil notification yet. Car shows right at midway point for engine oil level. I’ll basically be on cruise control at 80mph or about 3250 (?) rpm for 9 hours on i75 south tomorrow.

Relived from the responses in this thread that this doesn’t seem to be a huge concern and shouldn’t cause additional harm anywhere. If anyone else could chime in and offer some more encouragement, for lack of a better word, that’d be great. TIA!

[exVtekGuy]

Looks like there are few aluminum options out there now that turner and vtt sell. I have no knowledge of their durability or quality but just fyi.

[atopa2002]

Originally Posted by M3JayM

I have about 62k miles on my car and I’m scheduled to have my valve cover replaced (1-4 side) and all the gaskets due to a “medium” leak.. that’s how the shop described it. Every few days since I’ve been wiping off oil from the cap area that’s dripping down. I replaced the cap but the leaking persisted. Unfortunately the parts for the VC replacement didn’t ship to the shop before I have to leave on a long road trip.


Was hoping to get the work done beforehand but it’ll be another ~1500 miles before I can take it in. I’m bringing some extra oil even though I haven’t gotten low engine oil notification yet. Car shows right at midway point for engine oil level. I’ll basically be on cruise control at 80mph or about 3250 (?) rpm for 9 hours on i75 south tomorrow.

Relived from the responses in this thread that this doesn’t seem to be a huge concern and shouldn’t cause additional harm anywhere. If anyone else could chime in and offer some more encouragement, for lack of a better word, that’d be great. TIA!

gissshh
do not do that to it, rip it up to 8400 a few 100 miles of drive if you can see far ahead