How to Change the Valve Cover Gaskets on a BMW 330Ci

1. Open the hood. Remove the small, round covers that conceal the engine-cover bolts. The covers can be gently pried out with a screwdriver. Use a 10 mm socket to remove the engine-cover bolts. Set the engine covers aside.
2. Remove the wiring harnesses that go to the coils by prying up the metal clips on the coils. This will allow the wiring harness to come off. Label each wiring harness with a piece of tape and a marker so that you know which cylinder they go to.
3. Remove the two 10 mm bolts that hold each coil on and remove the coils from the engine’s cylinder head one at a time. Set the coils aside.
4. Remove the 15 bolts that fasten the valve cover to the engine’s head. Some of the bolts are longer than others, so note where each bolt goes. Gently tap the valve cover with a rubber mallet or plastic hammer and pull up on it with your hands to remove it. Pull the old gasket off the valve cover. Clean the surface where the valve cover installs as well as the ridge in the valve cover itself where the gasket goes with brake cleaner so there is no old gasket material, oil or debris.
5. Place a small film of RTV gasket sealant on the corners of the valve-cover gasket. Do not put a bead of sealant around the entire edge of the valve cover. Install the valve cover and new gasket onto the cylinder head. Make sure the gasket is in the proper place and then install and tighten the bolts that hold the valve cover on. Progressively tighten the bolts in a “Z” pattern with a torque wrench to 89 ft-lbs.
6. Reinstall the coils onto the spark plugs and tighten the pair of 10 mm bolts that hold each coil on to 10 ft-lbs. Plug the wiring harnesses onto each plug in the proper order. Make sure there are no leaks by starting the engine. Install the engine covers and the put the plastic trim covers over the bolts.