leaking oil into plug socket ?

[stormcock]

BMW E36 318is 1994 - 86,000 miles

Hi, I'm new to the forum, i'm hoping someone can help with my problem - i had a misfire that used to come and go so i changed the plugs as a starting point, that was when i noticed that the third plug from the front of the engine had oil around the threads but not on the electrode, am i right in thinking that this might be caused by a leaking rocker cover gasket, if so can anyone give me any advise on doing this job myself. Also the heater has stopped working i presume that this is the thermostat so this job could also be done at the same time, many thanks for a great forum keep up the good work.

[Manolito]

I've not done it, but I expect that all you should need is a 3/8" ratchet with metric sockets and an extension, about $25 worth of gaskets, and about an hour.

This is routine maintenance for a 10-15 year-old car.

Note that you have one gasket that goes around the valve cover, and two different types of spark plug hole seals, one of one type and three of the other type.

[Jeron]

Very easy job.

You should also use a very small dab of RTV sealer at the corners of the semi-circles and at the seam where the head meets the front cover.

Make sure to order the (14?) rubber gaskets for the valve cover bolts.

[stormcock]

Many thanks manolito and jeron, i'll keep these things in mind when i tackle the job this week, by the way the overheating was down to an air lock which makes me think this may have caused the gasket to blow !.

[Jeron]

When you pull the old gasket make note of areas that are brittle.