N62 Valve Cover, how to torque?
 

I just pulled the valve covers and all I could think was there is no way to get a torque wrench on those bolts! How do you torque these things and what is He torque value?

Hope these help. For what its worth I've worked on a lot of N62s both in and outside the vehicle. From valve cover gaskets to full tear downs & rebuilds. Doing valve cover gaskets n the car isn't to bad, its the worse in the E60 5 Series, not a lot of space to work with. My advice, put a little grease on the spark plug tubes so that they seat properly in the valve cover. Also if you are having trouble getting the cap nuts to thread with the new grommets you can microwave a cup of water for a couple minutes and put the new grommets in the water to let them soften up a little it. Tightening them in sequence definitely helps in the proper seating of the valve cover. Most techs will not use a torque wrench on the valve covers. Use a 1/4 drive ratchet and tighten them down, you will feel when the cap nuts can't be tightened anymore without using an excessive amount of force. The five bolts can be torqued down if you desire but again if you are familiar with working on your own vehicles you can do it by feel and will know when they have been significantly tightened. Best of luck.

Thanks so much! Wonderful post. I used to working on the 6 cylinder bmws, this is my first v8 BMW.

No worries. Between my X5, my sisters 545i, and my dad's 645Ci we currently have three N62s. My mom also had one in her E65 745i. Each of them has their quirks when working on them, different accessory layout, space to work, etc. They have their problems but even by today's measure they are a strong pulling V8 and I love driving them when they are running right.

Driving the N62 across different chassis also really shows how BMW was able to tune and adapt this engine across different platforms to suit the type of vehicle it was going in. E53 has a lot of torque down low to get all that weight moving with a nice rumble in the exhaust. E60 nice get up off the line but really opens up in the higher revs with a higher pitched exhaust. E63 is definitely feels the most aggressive with torque everywhere and a deep throaty exhaust. While in the E65 everything is more toned down, very comfortable and smooth but of course the power is always there when you need it with an exhaust to match the more relaxed driving style. Sorry for the rant, point is even though the N62 has its problems it is still a very capable engine that was able to fit a broad range of applications.

That is good to hear. Right now I'm regretting my purchase, first time I've ever bought poorly. Hopefully if I fix all this stuff and catch up all the deferredmaintenqnce it will be problem free for a while but after reading the forums it sounds doubtful. Thanks for the input!

Don't read too much into the forum about any relationship to your vehicle. Most people only post when there is an issue or they are unable to determine the fault that is creating an issue. You will notice 80-90% of the posters are answering the inquiry not whining about a failed part.

All of the common issues are posted, and the test, replacement and resetting are all documented. I personally think 80% of the posts could be eliminated by newbies just using the search features and re-reading the postings from year gone by.

I have found these vehicles to be fun to drive, provide a great bang for the buck, reliable, have a timeless styling, and are not ridiculous $$$ to maintain over their lives.

The biggest challenge is buying the best one out there. One that was owned by someone who kept on top of every item as it failed or was worn out. The problem is not everyone who buys a vehicle does that. Most treat a vehicle as a refrigerator: run it, ignore the noises, when it pukes- dump it. As they have neither the skills to DIY or the tolerance for anything other than going to point A to B and making the monthly car payment. That is 80% of the high end market. They are steerers not drivers...no involvement in ownership other than a check book.

I unfortunately live in a care taker world so everything gets cleaned and pampered. Now I am off to order some Night Breakers and HI Beam bulbs for my E39 wagon...I love working from home once in awhile. Allows one to catch up on part orders.......

I would like in the e60 and e65 forums for information regarding your n62 as well as the need arises. I have learned several things from each of those forums regarding taking care of my 545i. One thing I will say about working in tight spaces is, it is nothing compared to working on my sport bikes. So many things are done by feel with those that doing it on cars seem much easier because there is an extra few inches instead of millimeters to play with.