How to Replace Valve Cover Gaskets on a BMW 330ci

1. Open the front hood to access the motor. Remove the small, round plastic trim pieces on the engine covers that conceal the engine-cover bolts with a small flat-head screwdriver. Use a 10 mm socket to remove the bolts that hold the engine covers on.
2. Mark which wire goes to which coil with a piece of tape and a marker. The 330ci's engine has six cylinders. Pry off the metal clips that fasten the wiring harnesses to each coil with a screwdriver. Move the main wiring harness that the coil wires come out of out of the way of the valve covers. If necessary, remove the small clips that hold the harness in place.
3. Remove the 10 mm nuts that hold each coil in place on the head. Unbolt the grounds for the coils, noting their location on the engine. Remove the coils from the plugs by pulling them straight out.
4. Use a 10 mm socket to remove the 15 bolts that hold the valve cover on, noting where the different-sized bolts are threaded in. To remove the valve cover, gently tap on it with a rubber mallet while pulling up on it with your hands. Remove the old gasket material from the depression in the valve cover and from the head as well. You can use gasket remover and a plastic scraper if needed.
5. Wipe the depression in the valve cover where the gasket goes with brake cleaner until it is completely smooth and clean. Flip the valve cover upside-down and place the new gasket into the depression.
6. Apply a small amount of RTV gasket sealant to the corners of the valve cover. Do not apply the sealant to the entire edge of the valve cover. Reinstall the valve cover on the head. Make sure the gasket is still in place and then install the valve-cover bolts in the proper holes, progressively tightening them in a “Z” pattern to 89 ft-lbs. with a torque wrench.
7. Reinstall the coils onto the plugs with the two 10 mm nuts that hold them in place. Reinstall the grounds for the coils into the proper place. Reconnect the wiring harness with the clips that hold them on. Reinstall the engine covers with the bolts and then install the plastic trim pieces that go over the bolts.