S65 Valve Cover Replacement, HydroDip, Repaint?

[MPower7]

I have a used unwarped set for sale. I didn't need to buy the brand new ones but oh well.

[Vedubin01]

Originally Posted by MPower7

I have a used unwarped set for sale. I didn't need to buy the brand new ones but oh well.

dont want to turn this into a fs thread, can you PM me?

[Vedubin01]

Picked up a set of covers from Mpower7 the other day and sent them to powder coating. Transaction was flawless.

My question is for the baffles inside, what TQ spec do you torque them down to and would you use loctite to secure them?


TIA

[gc86]

Has anyone tried removing the coating all together and running them bare magnesium? is this possible?

[Davisca455]

Originally Posted by Richbot

Might actually be a good candidate for metal deposition additive manufacturing. Would still need some mill time but not ages like billet would

I had the same thought, 3D Printing would make a high quality part, but it's still a pretty spendy process. And you're correct, there might still need to be a final machining process after printing, but maybe only to tap threaded holes on this part.
The costs are driven by powder consumption and run time.
And there are size constraints for printed parts as well.


Here's a 3D aluminum part I designed recently that costs $4500 to print, then needs to get finish machined and hard clear anodized. For scale, it would fit into a 9" x 8" x 6" box.

[jjm3uk]

Does anyone know the torque for the 10 x T25 screws that hold on the metal cover under the valve cover?

[Redd]

Reviving an old thread. My new valve covers have started bubbling again after only 36k kms. No leaks yet but a blister has popped up near the oil cap.

What's the consensus on re-finishing the valve cover? Which works best - powdercoat, cerakote, high temp crinkle paint? Any long term reports from those who attempted a refinish earlier?

[Vedubin01]

Originally Posted by Redd

Reviving an old thread. My new valve covers have started bubbling again after only 36k kms. No leaks yet but a blister as popped up near the oil cap.

What's the concensus on re-finishing the valve cover? Which works best - powdercoat, cerakote, high temp crinkle paint? Any long term reports from those who attempted a refinish earlier?

Redd, as a side hustle I have been refinishing quality covers by powder coating them. It's quite durable and holds up very well with out the issues of it bubbling. You can also Cerakote them. It's a wonderful product that will last a life time. I've been painting firearms for over 20 years now and currently use Cerakote. I would stay away from high temp paint and would not coat underneath the covers.

[Redd]

Originally Posted by Vedubin01

Redd, as a side hustle I have been refinishing quality covers by powder coating them. It's quite durable and holds up very well with out the issues of it bubbling. You can also Cerakote them. It's a wonderful product that will last a life time. I've been painting firearms for over 20 years now and currently use Cerakote. I would stay away from high temp paint and would not coat underneath the covers.

Thanks for that! From your experience should I get the covers refinished now? Or is it OK to wait til they get a little worse and the gaskets start to leak before I get them all done at the same time?

Also, do the newer valve covers still warp, or are they good to use for many miles after replacing the gaskets only?

[Vedubin01]

Originally Posted by Redd

Thanks for that! From your experience should I get the covers refinished now? Or is it OK to wait til they get a little worse and the gaskets start to leak before I get them all done at the same time?

Also, do the newer valve covers still warp, or are they good to use for many miles after replacing the gaskets only?

Honestly that's up to you and how anal you are. It's quite expensive to replace the gaskets because BMW says to replace the bolts plus the gaskets tubes etc. and while you are there minus as well keep going with new plugs etc.

I had just completed a set of covers for myself to match the BBK I did last year. When dealing with the PS issue I had last week I noticed the covers were weeping a bit more than I would like so I just ordered all the gaskets etc to do it this coming month when I have time.

As for the newer covers I have not seen a warped one but I also buy from a supplier that I pay a premium to verify that the covers I get from him are not warped and no issues. I don't accept cores due to lack of quality control and the headaches that come with a warped set.

[Redd]

Hmm maybe I'll just pickup my next set from FCP Euro and change them every time they blister/leak lol. Thanks for the input, very helpful!

[kooolaid]

I just took off my valve covers. Funny thing is that my gaskets look perfectly fine without any crack or crush. But paint on covers are chipping and bubbling to take off. I'm assuming oil leak was due to cracked paint. So I think I will be either powder coat or cerakote covers outside only. Btw, what do you guys think about going little higher torque on valve cover bolts? I think it's supposed to be 10nm (7.4ft lb), so maybe 11nm? When I unscrewed them, they kind of felt like bolts were not tight enough....?

One tip is when removing the cover on passenger side, I was able to do it without removing the coolant reservoir. I lifted it up and pushed it toward to the front bumper. I had to disconnect a connector at the bottom and work the hose at the bottom through narrow gap.

[DimitrisM3]

What grid is the best ? 80-100-150 ?
To strip the paint

[aus]

Looks like new ones are $975 each on FCP with new tubes at $25 each!
The gaskets are $54/$56 and the bolts are $9 each x 26.

https://www.fcpeuro.com/BMW-parts/M3...=valve%20cover

I have a little leak and bubbling around the oil cap only. It's a dusting of oil after a track day.
Is this bubbling worth changing out?
But also want to change out my Vanos caps too and I'm due for plugs.
.

[nycplumber]

@aus makes sense to powder coat them if you are removing them and it isn't your DD. You can buy the tubes for a lot cheaper from ECS. I bought everything else on FCP so I can replace in another 50k miles. I wouldn't buy new covers unless you can't afford the downtime.

[Mpow-wow]

Powder coated, cost me $120 to strip, $200 to powder.

[Oreo Cat]

Originally Posted by Mpow-wow

Powder coated, cost me $120 to strip, $200 to powder.

chemical strip or sandblast? i had one side sandblasted and the shop doesn't want to do the other side because the one side i just had done was apparently a huge pain so looking into new options

[Mpow-wow]

Originally Posted by Oreo Cat

chemical strip or sandblast? i had one side sandblasted and the shop doesn't want to do the other side because the one side i just had done was apparently a huge pain so looking into new options

Originally Posted by Oreo Cat

chemical strip or sandblast? i had one side sandblasted and the shop doesn't want to do the other side because the one side i just had done was apparently a huge pain so looking into new options

Paint stripper and vapor blasted, all though I've heard it's better to glass bead blast. Sand is to aggressive for the magnesium.

[Vedubin01]

Aluminum oxide media blast. About 3 hours to do a set. I've done about 50 sets so far and this has been the best method to date

That's also compressor restricted at times

[chutak]

Originally Posted by Oreo Cat

chemical strip or sandblast? i had one side sandblasted and the shop doesn't want to do the other side because the one side i just had done was apparently a huge pain so looking into new options

I got mine powder coated by these guys: https://boneheadperformance.com
Overall, I thought they did a pretty good job.

Went with whatever was closest to OEM gray (textured). Had to remove the baffles inside prior to shipping. Both covers only cost $130 plus shipping for each way. They also did an excellent job of packing to prevent any damage from shipping, which I was kinda worried about.

[x3sm]

Originally Posted by chutak

I got mine powder coated by these guys: https://boneheadperformance.com
Overall, I thought they did a pretty good job.

Went with whatever was closest to OEM gray (textured). Had to remove the baffles inside prior to shipping. Both covers only cost $130 plus shipping for each way. They also did an excellent job of packing to prevent any damage from shipping, which I was kinda worried about.

Those look great! What type of blasting material did they use?

[chutak]

Originally Posted by x3sm

Those look great! What type of blasting material did they use?

Can't remember, but I think they said sandblasting.