Xoutpost.com - Time for valve stem seals... 2005, 4.4i, 113,000 miles

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When my dad had to have his VSS done on his E70, the dealership said they wouldn’t even quote him. It was that much...

Guy in NY, Anthony, does it for $2,500
I’ve collected quotes from various shops in my area just for reference: $3,800-5000

Purple- sorry if this has been asked in the previous pages. Did you rent the AGA tools?

CleanlsFast,

I am using the tool set from (I think it was) speed works, actually had it loned to me by an awesome member of the forum!!

It works amazingly well!

Quote:

Originally Posted by Purplefade (Post 1162271)

I couldn't agree more, my wife tells me all the time that i am "over-kill"... I have actually been turning the engine over one full cycle after I re-seat each of the rocker arms. It gives me an opportunity to review one full cycle of the engine immediately after I re-seat "that" valves keepers and take pressure off the spring, it's like a little "mini review" of each cylinder before the grand finale, (hand) crank event to make sure all's well for ignition :-)

For quotes I found everything from $2,100 + incidentals to $6,800 + incidentals. I found guys that would take responsibility for the cam sensors and eccentric shaft sensors and others who said if they crack, it's on you because they were old and brittle anyway - it really ran the gamete...

Time wise... WOW, I really went in to this with some misguided confidence... I can say that it isn't a "hard" job per say as much as it is a job were I.. think I may have invented a new language (and possibly cracked up just a little bit.. too :bustingup).

So far I have put in about 26 hours - about 6 on a nice, clean, methodical tear down and label shit day and the other 20 hours installing 20 of the 32 valve stem seals (I actually just finished the last of the exhaust valves this evening (bogger in the back on the driver side is a bitch to get a hold of to remove!) and have 12 of the intake seals yet go go... (and 2 of them are a royal pain) so I am guessing I have probably another 20 hours ahead of me with reassembling everything and cleaning up.

I can recall the difficulty in changing the rear ones on the driver side. I did them all by viewing on my surface laptop using the endoscope camera as I worked. Takes a lot of patience. A surgeon friend told me even surgery is no way near that hard:wow:

Quote:

Originally Posted by Purplefade (Post 1160687)

Parts List:
Valve Stem Seal Kit - 1134029751 x2
Valve Cover Gasket Left - 11127513195 x1
Valve Cover Gasket Right - 11127513194 x1
Cam Position Sensor O-Ring - 12141748398 x4
Valvetronic Actuator Seal O-Ring - 07119903596 x2
Valvetronic Actuator Seal Small Gasket - 11127518420 x2

I ordered a bunch of other stuff as well...

Quote:

Originally Posted by Purplefade (Post 1159863)

Just found this list:
Throttle body O-ring p/n 13547510433 (x1)
Right upper timing case seal p/n 11147506424 (x1)
Left upper timing case seal p/n 11147506425 (x1)
Solenoid big O-ring p/n 11367513222 (x4)
Solenoid small O-ring p/n 11367546379 (x4)
Vacuum pump O-ring p/n 11667509080 (x1)
Valve cover seal right p/n 11127513194 (x1)
Valve cover seal left p/n 11127513195 (x1)
Repair kit valve stem seal p/n 11340029751 (x2)
Eccentric shaft sensor seal p/n 11127518420 (x2)
Camshaft positioning sensor O-ring p/n 12141748398 (x4)
Valvetronic O-ring p/n 07119903596 (x2)
Optional:
Valvetronic spacer torx bolt p/n07129900465 (x2)

Is it necessary to pull the vacuum pump as implied in the second quote? Have any of you performed this repair using the OEM valve stem seals (assuming the material/design has been corrected)?

Also if anyone is in the Seattle area, i would be happy to lend an extra set of hands to help you expedite this process.

Time for valve stem seals... 2005, 4.4i, 113,000 miles

It’s only necessary to pull the vacuum pump if you are doing the upper timing covers as well, if you’re leaving those in place, the vacuum pump can stay in place as well. That said, if you don’t do the timing covers you also don’t have to pull the Vanos, so you wouldn’t need those o-rings either.

Edit- when I talked to Kelly BMW here in OH, they did tell me that the factory VSS were the updated version, what kept me from ordering them was that they wanted nearly 3 times the price for them over FCPEuro... that said, if they are the revised version, there shouldn’t be any issue with them.

One thing I've learned the hard way in my DIY adventures, is that when fixing A but B,C,D,E are easily accessible in the process, cheap and can fail, just replace all of them - A,B,C,D,E. For example, replacing the valve cover gaskets without replacing the upper timing cover gaskets will make you kick yourself really hard when sooner or later the timing gaskets start leaking, and you have to do the valve cover gaskets again.

Quote:

Originally Posted by X5only (Post 1162367)

One thing I've learned the hard way in my DIY adventures, is that when fixing A but B,C,D,E are easily accessible in the process and can fail, just replace all of them - A,B,C,D,E. For example, replacing the valve cover gaskets without replacing the upper timing cover gaskets will make you kick yourself really hard when sooner or later the timing gaskets start leaking, and therefore you have to do all the gaskets all over again.

AMEN TO THAT!

With this particular vehicle if “it” is in close proximity to what ever it is that I’m working on or “it” has to be moved, removed or other in the process... it gets replaced! I’m sure I lean way towards over doing preventative maintenance, but at the end of the day, I only want to have to work on “that” area one time!

To X5onlys point, timing cover gaskets are cheap, not too difficult to install with the VCs already off and WOW... it would suck to have them start weeping right after you put the VCs back on...

23/9 = 2.556 happiness factor! :-)

Time for valve stem seals... 2005, 4.4i, 113,000 miles

Quote:

Originally Posted by andrewwynn (Post 1162429)

23/9 = 2.556 happiness factor! :-)

They’re the darndest things, had one of the center intake valves take me 2.5 hours last night and then turned around tonight and knocked out the back 3 of the last 4 intake valves in 2 hours...

LoL - everything I’ve ever done I’ve gotten better at as I did it, but with valve stem seals on an N62, each seal is its own adventure with absolutely nothing in common with the seal you did before it 🤨.

Edit - That said, I have “lowered my expectations”, I now just get started with the goal “to just get as far as I can” [emoji106][emoji106]. And that has worked awesomely!