Oil in first cylinder Spark Plug Tube

[RVAzhp]

OK, I did the VCG back in december once i noticed it was leaking out of the back left corner and into the 1st cylinder spark plug tube.

not too out of the ordinary. replace VCG and spark plugs. Upon start-up post replacement, i start throwing SES light. no big deal it's a secondary airflow light, once car reaches idle, it's running fine.

June comes around and i notice some oil in the first cylinder spark plug tube again, not nearly as much. just a bit. car runs fine. still have SES, but it really doesn't bother me and spending money on this part just doesn't seem worth. take it into a shop (RaceWerks in Virginia Beach, VA) and he checks out the secondary intake confirms that it's no big deal, replaces VCG because, he says they fail every now and again. car still runs fine.

well now this is August and i randomly check the spark plug too and there's a little oil in that bitch again. Any thoughts on the issue would be greatly appreciated! Again car runs fine, and checked out well after Racewerks did the once over on it. idle seems good. occasional (once every few months) throwout bearing chatter, but clutch is Fine and i'm not replacing the T/O bearing until i do the clutch in the next 10-15k.

car has 122k on the ODO.

[Hornung418]

Did you replace the Spark plug gaskets? If he only replaced the outer VCG then that is plausible. There should be two sets of three circular gaskets that come with the set. The only other thing I could think of would be that they weren't seated properly.

[RVAzhp]

i replaced the spark plug gaskets back in December. i can't imagine why they wouldn't, i've been meaning to call the guy and discuss. it's sort of a mystery to me, car still feels good. lose about a quart of oil between oil changes depending on my driving habits, same as before the VCG issues, aside from when i was purging oil and warranted the first VCG replacement.

[kpro]

Did you get the residual oil out of the hole? That 3-ring gasket is the only thing that could be letting oil in, I would make sure that its sealed well.

[Whitexi]

I had a vcg/ spark plug gasket go bad in a year. I used an aftermarket set but this time just got it from the dealer. When you tightened up the bolts for the VC did you just snug them or did you crank them till they stopped on the head. There supposed to be turned all they way till the bolt stops. When I took my cover off the VC a few weeks ago there was oil everywhere.

[RVAzhp]

I used torque wrench and torqued to specs provided by the tech at the dealer as well as BMW gaskets. I need to call and talk to the guy at Racewerks. F it failed again, they'll replace it for free. Just a hassle to take it back down to VB since i live in Richmond.

[Hornung418]

So you used the torque wrench after you snugged the bolts down with a regular ratchet, correct? The bolts can sometimes bind on the Valve Cover itself leading to a false torque reading. I'd remove it and try again, before you head to the shop.

[Whitexi]

I followed the besian diy when I did my Vanos seals. It didn't say torque them it just said tighten them till the bolt stops.

[Hornung418]

Torque specifications for the Valve cover are 11 ft/lbs.

Another thing to consider is the tightening pattern. Did they follow the crisscross pattern? Not following the torque pattern could lead to an uneven seal, allowing Oil into the Spark Plug Cylinders.

[RVAzhp]

Torque specifications for the Valve cover are 11 ft/lbs.

Another thing to consider is the tightening pattern. Did they follow the crisscross pattern? Not following the torque pattern could lead to an uneven seal, allowing Oil into the Spark Plug Cylinders.

i did all of those things. yes. as for when the shop did it. i would assume so, they are probably the best BMW shop in Virginia Beach and i've heard nothing but good things from everyone who's ever been there.

They will do it all for free again if they for some reason muffed up the first install, there's no reason for me to even mess with it since it's under their warranty.

[Hornung418]

i did all of those things. yes. as for when the shop did it. i would assume so, they are probably the best BMW shop in Virginia Beach and i've heard nothing but good things from everyone who's ever been there.

They will do it all for free again if they for some reason muffed up the first install, there's no reason for me to even mess with it since it's under their warranty.

Gotcha.

RootedDROIDXstatus. Come at me, bro.

[billschusteriv]

Good stuff in this thread... looking forward to updates...

[RVAzhp]

it's good to hear all of the signs point to one thing again. i'll try and get an appointment setup in a couple of weeks or so to have them look at it. i have to coordinate between work and their schedule (usually appointments are 1-2 weeks out from when you call) to get down to VB and have them look at it.

[mikeyb74]

I've had to replace the vcg twice in 6 months. The second time was from oil flooding the spark plugs.