Put together screen caps of instructions on replacing the N54 Valve Cover Gasket.
UPDATED 1-31-18
Thought I'd include some tips/trick I noticed while doing this over the weekend
UPDATED 1-31-18
Thought I'd include some tips/trick I noticed while doing this over the weekend
- You don't have to remove injectors. Removing them will make the process easier though. Personal preference here.
- When removing plastic clips for the injectors, heat them up for 20-30 seconds with a hair dryer on high. Use a small pick to pop them open (I used the 4 piece orange handle set from HF). I didn't break any clips using this method. Probably good general advice when working with plastic clips.
- Use bungie cords to pull the wire harness up off the motor. Makes work easier.
- Remove the heat shield above the turbos and clean it up. It will likely be coated in oil and have oil in the bent sheet metal crevices. This oil will weep from heat after you do the job and make it look like the VC is leaking again. It's four E8 screws (see picture).
- Before removing the heat shield, you may want to remove the boost solenoids. The top nut must be completely removed, but the bottom one just needs to be removed ~80% of the way. Then the solenoids can tilt forward and slide off their posts.
- You can install the spark plug shields after installing the VC. Use a 7/8 socket to press down on them to fully seat them.
- Using the glycerin (as spec'd) seems pretty smart. It's a slippery substance but is viscous. So it's sticky enough to keep the gasket in the VC valley, but still slippery enough to prevent it from binding up when tightening (similar to lubing an oil filter gasket).
- Hand tighten all of the VC bolts in the correct order a few times. It took me ~5 passes before the bolts stopped loosening after I tightened the other bolts around them. Just be patient and don't go for the full torque right away.
- If it's in the budget, but a whole valve cover from FCPEuro. Lifetime warranty, don't have to worry about broken bolts, and you know it's not cracked from heat cycling.
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