Project 9: Replacing the Valve Cover Gasket

[MarshallG]

Thanks, Wayne. Just completed this project on my 1996 328i. I'm sure I saved a bundle, and I'm glad I ignored the people who told me it would be too difficult. There's no way I could have taken this on without your book.

The gasket you sold me was top-notch. Everything went flawlessly, although removing some of the old gasket from the spark plug holes took a lot of work.

My comments:

1) I think the photo of the installed gasket, on page 36, is wrong. The gasket has a flat side and a raised, beaded side. In the photo, the flat side of the gasket has been laid onto the engine, awaiting the valve cover. I don't think this will work... the beaded side of the gasket needs to be pressed into the valve cover, then you put the cover (with attached gasket) onto the engine. If you do it as shown in the photo, I doubt that the gasket's bead will fit into the valve cover.

2) The book says you might want to sand-blast the valve cover, but on my 1996 E36, the valve cover is plastic. Can you sand blast plastic? I wasn't sure how to clean the cover.