Oil leak on Passenger side??? Smoke from engine!

[Gee3]

I was driving home and noticed a smoky smell and saw smoking coming from under the hood of my car. When I got home I popped the hood and it looks like there is a small leak on the passenger's side of the engine.

Not sure if it's a valve cover gasket or something else. Not a lot of room to look around in there. But I did see some burnt oil on an aluminum piece on the side of the valve cover area. (see pics).

Does anyone know where it can be from so I don't end up tearing up apart the whole car to find what I hope is a simple fix? Any good online repair manuals/engine diagrams?

Car info:
2004 2.5i
80k miles
Auto tranny
Mobil 1 oil (due for a change in about 3k miles)
No other leaks

Thanks in advance for your help and suggestions!
Gary

[neilrmp]

I had the same issue and it was the valve cover gasket, it's an easy fix, there are lots of information on this forum showing you the procedures.

[Gee3]

Cool! Much easier fix! I'll check into it. How much should I expect to pay for the gasket? Thanks!

[neilrmp]

It's about $25 at autohausaz.com

[Gee3]

Thanks!!

Anyone have any tips on removing the valve cover and replacing the gasket? I've never touched the engine on the X3 aside from changing the oil. It just looks like it can get cramped in the rear of the engine bay. Ugh!

[wallyx5]

It's a simple straight forward job. Do a search there is a DIY somewhere. You basically remove the 10 bolts that hold it down and remove the gasket. Put the new one in and bolt it back up. Good luck.

[Gee3]

Thanks wallyx5... I'll do a search. But that's exactly the type of work I was hoping for. Sounds pretty straight forward.

[Gee3]

thanks everyone!! I changed the valve cover gasket and spark plugs and it was a pretty straight forward job. The hardest part was getting that last vc bolt in the back next to the passenger's side firewall. But with the right tools and some patience I got it out.

It looks like the spark plug gaskets were the culprit of the leak. And I can see why the gasket fails. I have 80k miles on the car and the gasket was getting pretty brittle. It had lost it's pliability.

I used the following tutorial to take me through the process:
BMW330ci.net - Changing Your Valve Cover Gasket And Spark Plugs (Do-It-Yourself)

It was really easy to follow and well done. So if I can do it, anyone can!