N62 engine valve stem seals

[pieter4458]

I sit with a engine doing the smoke screen trick at traffic lights or then crawling in traffic and then accelerating. Feedback from my mech i that the N62 engine - 4.8is is a valve stem seal problem child and it cost a bag full of money. the car done only 110 000 km!

the proposal is to do the following:

1. Take heads off, recon heads, new head gasket, replace valve guides and seals - most expensive option
2. Keep heads on vehicle with compressed air in piston and only do the Valve guides - Cheaper option

Now the question is: which one?

[SlickGT1]

What year is your car?
The option choice is up to you.

How does one do option 2 anyway?

[TwinTurboGTR]

What year is it again? Please put your info in your sig. Just as Slick and I have. You may be able to call BMW for a goodwill fix. It is not a guarentee, but what do you have to lose? Worse case they say "no". Good case they say they will pay 50% of the cost, best is that they cover the entire nut!

[pieter4458]

The car is just out of its maintenance plan period (100 000km plan) and it is a 2005 4.8is with 110000km.

[TwinTurboGTR]

Doesn't matter. A lot of members here has major problems and reached out to BMW and they offered to provide assistance to some owners. Situation vary and results vary as well. It doesn't hurt to give it a try.

[Franksauto]

There should be a recall on that freaking engine!!!! Everyone that has a 4.8 is experiancing an exhaust smoke issue to some degree. Unlike the 4.4 where its usually just a crankcase vent valve, the 4.8 is the guides and stem seals. Replacing the stem seals is just a temporary fix if anything. The guides wear which creating play between the stem and the guide causing side to side play or a rocking motion. The seals, no matter how tight will leak from this rocking motion. A new pair of heads is the way to go. New heads with all nessesary parts and labor will run over $10K from BMW. Average cost for valve setm seals from BMW is over $3500 and they will not gaurentee valve seal replacement will cure the smoke. In other words you will be throwing your money away. How can a $70k plus vehicle have this on going problem and no recourse? I really think you will see a class action suit against BMW in the near future. Just my 2 cents.

[pieter4458]

I am so glad there is more people in the world feeling this way. The bad thing is the Dealer knows this and let you run the the maintenance plan out and tel you bull shit stories of vent valves and all BMW engines uses oil and when the F&*($#@ car is out of maintenance plan, they just say: Sorry your problem, please pay!

For the average man out there to pay these ridiculous prices to fix a recall problem is not on. Even the price of stupid valve stem seals are totally overpriced (Maybe it is made of crude oil and Platinum).

The only option is to make it someone else problem and sell it, but this passing the problem onto a next sucker to complain. There must we a way to stop this bully tactic of "big Brother"

[SlickGT1]

You guys know you can replace the stem seals without taring the entire engine to pieces. You use compressed air to hold the valve up, so that it doesn't fall into the cylinder. Work from the top, and you can replace the stem seals fairly easy.

You will need a cylinder compression tester type of tool though to pump air into the cylinder.

[IanP]

Originally Posted by SlickGT1

You guys know you can replace the stem seals without taring the entire engine to pieces. You use compressed air to hold the valve up, so that it doesn't fall into the cylinder. Work from the top, and you can replace the stem seals fairly easy.

You will need a cylinder compression tester type of tool though to pump air into the cylinder.

Out of interest how do you compress the valve springs to remove the collets? Took a bit of doing with the heads off and using a valve spring compressor when I did mine.

[pieter4458]

To do the compressed air method is much cheaper, but are the valve guides not shot as well when the seals goes?