Anyone replaced valve stem seals on 50i?

[DuSh]

I know this was a big issue in E70 50i, but supposedly BMW improved it in F15, but would be nice to know if anyone have done it?

[r33_RGSport]

What issue are you having?

[DuSh]

Originally Posted by r33_RGSport

What issue are you having?

No issues at all. It's just I read German x5 f15 forums (using Google translate lol) and owners talk about valve stem issue that was present in N63 (not N63TU). Apparently due to excessive heat from cats that are very close to engine - it destroys and dries out rubber valve stem seals and they become rigid and oil consumption goes sky high. $4-5k to replace them at indy shop and around $9k at BMW (mostly labor as valve stem seals themselves are pennies).
So apparently many owners argued that this issue is still present in N63TU as nothing changed in design of engine - cats are still in the same place and heat from them is slowly destroying hoses, gaskets and valve stem seals. They say basically after 50k miles i'ts almost guaranteed n63tu can have this issue. So for me that's right after warranty Extending warranty is almost same $6k lol (remedies they described are much cheaper to implement tho - that's why I'm just thinking how true that is)

There were 2 remedies to help prolong life of 50i engine:
1. Install catless downpipes (but smell is a major con in this case). I guess high-flow cats can be a "silver bullet" solution, not sure
2. Install 90 Celsius "cold" thermostat that will open earlier and help keep engine cooler
Many recommend doing both together.
Now the thing is I have no idea how true is that, but folks there seemed to be knowledgeable IMHO and this info seems to be confirmed in E70 forum here too. However, I'm still not sure if revised n63tu have this issue to same extent

So to sum it up (sorry for long post) I was thinking a sport cats (high-flow) cats can eliminate smell, prolong life of engine, pass emissions and will make me sleep better at nights knowing my n63tu is not going to need expensive repair. They are more expensive than regular downpipes, but for sure cheaper than buying an extended warranty or paying for valve stem seals job down the road. In addition they reduce turbo spool times and make x5 more responsive and with a tune add serious power too. Seems like a win-win, but I'm still on the fence

[r33_RGSport]

Hmm, which valve stem are we talking about here?

[Iaro]

Check this out

I don't know if this problem is as common as in in N63 but these guys did create a tool for it, maybe it is a little more common than we think. I'm just praying this doesn't happen to me.

[DuSh]

I was thinking at least use some oil additives (with every oil change or in between) that rejuvenate elasticity of valve stem seals (An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure lol)
If someone has any recommendations for that please share. So far I found ATP AT-205 Re-Seal Additive AT-205 as recommended on neighboring E70 forum

[Doanster]

I'm with Ben... totally assumed you were talking about TIRE valve stems and was going respond with something snarky.

[DuSh]

Originally Posted by Doanster

I'm with Ben... totally assumed you were talking about TIRE valve stems and was going respond with something snarky.

Oh lol, now I see haha. I totally forgot about that

[r33_RGSport]

OMG, they call that Valve Stem? Haha.

[DuSh]

Originally Posted by r33_RGSport

OMG, they call that Valve Stem? Haha.

It's even more confusing for me - English is my second language that I started to learn in 2009, but I can't complain, at least I am understood in majority of situations

[turboawd]

Originally Posted by Iaro

Check this out

I don't know if this problem is as common as in in N63 but these guys did create a tool for it, maybe it is a little more common than we think. I'm just praying this doesn't happen to me.

he makes some nice tools. i bought his kit to change the valve stem seals in my old 550i. and as far as i know, even the latest generation v8 will have this issue. the telltale sign of worn seals is smoke out of exhaust after extended idling.

[DuSh]

Originally Posted by turboawd

he makes some nice tools. i bought his kit to change the valve stem seals in my old 550i. and as far as i know, even the latest generation v8 will have this issue. the telltale sign of worn seals is smoke out of exhaust after extended idling.

Wow, you did it yourself? Without removing the engine? How long it took you?

[turboawd]

Originally Posted by DuSh

Wow, you did it yourself? Without removing the engine? How long it took you?

yes. his kit allows you to change the seals without removing the engine or the heads either. just had to remove intake manifold and valve covers.
i did the seals in two partial days. perhaps 6 to 8 hours.

if bmw were to do this job, they remove the cylinder heads from the engine, which involves taking off the timing chains. this guy's kit saves a lot of time.

[ALLUC]

My valve stem seals went bad at 46k miles. Had them replaced under warranty. Then at just under 50k noticed oil consumption. They scoped the motor and found two cylinders were scored after the valve stem seal job. Replaced the whole motor and top end. All under warranty. So yeah it can happen.

[turboawd]

Originally Posted by ALLUC

My valve stem seals went bad at 46k miles. Had them replaced under warranty. Then at just under 50k noticed oil consumption. They scoped the motor and found two cylinders were scored after the valve stem seal job. Replaced the whole motor and top end. All under warranty. So yeah it can happen.

on your 2014 x5? i'm surprised bmw still puts out that motor with the long history of issues.

[DuSh]

I posted a thread in neighboring E70 forum yesterday and so far folks there said our n63tu engine should be fine. Some said this was already improved in n63 (E70) - at least number of incidents are not as high as in n62. Also there are some owners of E70 n63 50i that drove over 100k miles and so far "knock on the wood" they avoided this issue. So maybe at least it's not that common I hope
Maybe BMW did improve it in n63tu after-all? At least I want to believe that It's just very nerve-wracking to not know the truth

In any case, IMHO I think we need to decrease oil change interval, but it's easy for me to say, not every 50i owner wants to do that for financial reasons

[Iaro]

I notice people that do oil changes every 5k reduce consumption to nothing. That is what I'm going to do. Oil change on this engine is so easy and can be done under $100 with good oil and oem oil filter.

[kanvas]

That extended warranty is starting to become more of a necessity than an option...

[soniic11]

Main reason why I got extended warranty was because of what ALLAC stated. My 14 50i is at the shop getting a valve stem seal job. I ended up going with Mercury for a 3yr 75k extended warranty plan. Piece of mind man, god forbid something horrible happens and your left with no warranty.

[turboawd]

Originally Posted by soniic11

Main reason why I got extended warranty was because of what ALLAC stated. My 14 50i is at the shop getting a valve stem seal job. I ended up going with Mercury for a 3yr 75k extended warranty plan. Piece of mind man, god forbid something horrible happens and your left with no warranty.

how many miles you got?

[perry8912]

Anyone has done walnut blasting due to carbon buildup on intake values??
The 50i is my daily driver, and has been stuck in city traffic a lot recently .....

[pits200]

Originally Posted by perry8912

Anyone has done walnut blasting due to carbon buildup on intake values??
The 50i is my daily driver, and has been stuck in city traffic a lot recently .....

Unlike the n54 and other v6 variants which make walnut blast a tough but not a too difficult job. But on the n63 due to the engine orientation, walnut blasting would be a nightmare and probably why no one has done it.