m60 timing cover oil leak

[compmore]

94 540I 308,000 kms

Leaking a bit of oil and am told it's from the timing cover.Local guys say it's a big job and it may even be easier to pull engine to do it.

Just wondering how big a job it would be to do with engine in and what else I should look at checking/replacing if I'm gonna do it.The car has 308,000 kms mostly highway miles and i intend to keep it long term


geoff b

[bimmo_2007]

I just did valve cover gaskets in my 540i/E34 a month ago. You dont have to pull out the engine. I wouldnt describe it as piece of cake but though its not a hard job at all, it took me about 3 hours for each bank, most of the time spent was in cleaning the sealing surfaces (the cover grooves) as it contained lots of deposits on it.
The hardest part was removing the power steering/ASC oil canister hoses (the large hoses) to get access to the area to remove and install the driver's side cover easily.

Check out these links!

http://www.bmwtips.com/tipsntricks/valvecover/valvecover.htm
http://www.bimmerboard.com/forums/posts/264840
http://www.bimmerboard.com/forums/posts/124059

[Bo525i]

I did my valvecover gaskets and I didn´t remove any power steering/canister hoses, just all the connections on top (watch out for the little clips attached to the wiring box :) ) using this as a guide: http://www.bimmerboard.com/forums/posts/124059

[yaofeng]

He has a leak on the timing cover, not the valve cover. Timing cover removal is not for the light hearted.

[Bo525i]

True that.. Upper or lower, daunting challenge!

[bimmo_2007]

He has a leak on the timing cover, not the valve cover. Timing cover removal is not for the light hearted.

That's true! I didnt read the message very well:p

[bimmo_2007]

I did my valvecover gaskets and I didn´t remove any power steering/canister hoses, just all the connections on top (watch out for the little clips attached to the wiring box :) ) using this as a guide: http://www.bimmerboard.com/forums/posts/124059

Yeah, in many E32/E34s you dont need to remove any hose, but mine equipped with ASC+T(one with LAD big oil canister), there is a big hose come across the driver's side valve cover lower edge making the job almost impossible without this hose removal.

[compmore]

guys its not the valve cover gaskets but the front timing cover i need the info on

[yaofeng]

Don't just rely on the words of your indy. Verify yourself the leak is from the timing cover. The much more common occurrence is of course from the valve cover. Open the valve cover to see if there is oil in the spark plug holes. If there is the leak is from the valve cover. Of course this is not to say your timing cover is not leaking. But replacing the timing cover gasket is a huge undertaking you do not want to take lightly. If it is the case your indy is correct the engine may have to be removed.

Look at the pictures. I am not sure you can do it without removing the heads either.

http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b274/yaofengchen/BMW_95_540/DSC_2713-1.jpg

http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b274/yaofengchen/BMW_95_540/DSC_2714.jpg

http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b274/yaofengchen/BMW_95_540/DSC_2727.jpg

http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b274/yaofengchen/BMW_95_540/DSC_2751.jpg

[Jehu]

I had been told my LOWER TC Cover gasket was leaking and believed that for a long time. It turned out there were several leak points but none from the Lower Timing Chain cover gaskets. The upper Driver side was leaking as well as Valve Cover gaskets and the oil filter housing lines to and from the block and their O-rings.. I also had power steering hose leaks . If you're forced to have a shop do it it ran me around $1,000 for the oil leaks where just the Upper timing chain cover gasket was done

pasted from an invoice;

REPAIR ORDER

Print Date : 02/17/2009


1995 BMW - 540i




MFG Date : 12/13/1994

Last Service : Current Odometer : 273438 Previous Odometer : Elapsed Mileage :

Engine : 4.0L, V8, VIN (3)








LABOR - INSPECT FOR LEAKS


11 12 9 069 872 Valve Cover Gasket Set without Washers 1.00 29.51 29.51

11 12 9 069 871 Valve Cover Gasket Set without Washers 1.00 29.51 29.51
11 12 1 437 395 Valve Cover Seal Washer 22.00 1.12 24.64
11 14 1 433 305 Timing Cover Gasket Set 1.00 12.40 12.40
11 14 1 433 306 Timing Cover Gasket Set 1.00 12.24 12.24
12 13 1 730 521 Spark Plug Connector 8.00 13.44 107.52
3199. Spark Plug BKR6EQUP NGK 8.00 14.78 118.24
7402 Spark Plug FR 7 LDC+ 8.00
LABOR - TIMING CASE COVER 578.00 578.00
LABOR - POWER STEERING 51.00 51.00
Estimated Parts $25.00
Subtract $67.00 to use Bosch FR 7 LDC+ Spark plugs instead of the NGK
189099107 Cleaning Solvent - Aerosol 14.39oz Can 3.00 5.44 16.32
Revision # 1, Previous Estimate Amount - 13.60, Additional Cost - 1004.38, Revised Estimate - 1017.98
Parts: $375.38, Labor: $629.00, Sublet: $0.00, Taxes & Fees: $0.00
Date-02/17/2009, Time - 05:14PM.





Parts : $ 375.38 Labor : $ 629.00 $ 0.00 Total : $ 1,004.38


that was for both sides... the oil filter lines were done at another time and were a few hundred dollars, power steering was around $600. I also had a Transmission selector shaft seal leak and had that repaired as well for a few hundred but had a UUC short shift installed then too and since the exhaust connecting flange was broken when the exhaust was removed for that a little more ..oh there were other things done as well . Water Pump+ T-Stat, a new pulley, new serpantine belt, new lower oil pan gasket, resealed the Intake manifold and a new Intake manifold cover and gasket. new throttle body gasket.... think about things which you can replace while doing this leak that you'll most likley end up needing if you plan on keeping and driving it.


Interestingly enough I rolled past 320,000 miles last night. Just about 50K miles since this work with no leaks so I consider myself to have been fortunate it wasn't the Lower.

[RobZR]

If it's the crankshaft seal that is leaking I believe you can pry it out without taking the cover off. The problem is getting the Jesus bolt off in the car to take the pulley flange off.(see the last 3 pics above. Mine seeped a little on my last 540I. I had the ambition to replace it, till I got to getting the Jesus bolt off, it wouldn't budge with a 18" breaker with a 3ft pipe on it. I even made a bar to bolt to the flange to keep it from turning the crank.

I gave up and lived with the seeping. I figuring the engine needs to come out or the whole front end ( radiator,condensor,etc.) to get a BFH impact on the sucker. the torque spec on it is ~350lb so you need a serious impact to get it off.

if you decide to fix it replace the water pump while your at it since you did all the work already to get to it.

good luck


Rob

'95 540i/6
'01 740iL sport

[yaofeng]

BMW calls for torqing the M18x1.5 bolt on the front seal to only 100 Nm and then 150 degrees more in three stages. So it is a torque to yield bolt. I got it off but did not replace it. A grade 10.9 M18x1.5 bolt is to be torqued to 440 Nm. I didn't get that either after putting in the new seal.

http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b274/yaofengchen/BMW_95_540/DSC_2716.jpg

http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b274/yaofengchen/BMW_95_540/DSC_2718.jpg

[compmore]

thanks guys for the info and pics.Indy was also talking about 1k for the job but i'm gonna check it out carefully before i do anything

geoff b