Valve cover gasket question for newbie

[328ic98]

So I will be putting back together the car - Do I need to put a bead of sealer around the entire perimeter of the gaskets, or just problematic areas? Many thanks!

[johnnyBgood]

Originally Posted by 328ic98

So I will be putting back together the car - Do I need to put a bead of sealer around the entire perimeter of the gaskets, or just problematic areas? Many thanks!

The BMW factory manuals recommend adding some sealant to some leak-prone sections of the cylinder head. I chose to use Permatex High-Temp RTV, and it worked very well for sealing these areas. Specifically, the factory recommends adding sealant at the interface where the VANOS unit or front mounting timing chain cover meet (Figure 19 and Figure 20). They also recommend a small bit of sealant at the rear of the cover (Figure 21).

Pelican Technical Article: BMW Valve Cover Replacement

johnny,

[328ic98]

Thanks, Johnny- maybe I won't screw this up so bad now!