[morphomeman]

I had been noticing a burning smell for a few days (no noticeable leaks) and finally gave in and brought the car into my local trusted indy. The verdict: the PCV valve is shot at a little under 65K miles. Trust BMW to incorporate the PCV valve into the valve cover in such a way that you need to replace the whole thing. A bit over $1000 will cover the whole job and she will be as good as new. The car is 9 years old and I have had few problems (no breakdowns, knock wood), so I won't complain.

[zombem235]

I think the oem pcv can be cut out and a new one installed. I installed an aluminum valve cover and it fortunately came with a pcv that clips on and can be removed. If the valve cover aint leaking i think ur pcv can just be replaced.(cut off) Ive seen a couple videos on it and there are new ones out there that can hust clip on to install. Just a suggestion.

[Kernel Kurtz]

Originally Posted by morphomeman

I had been noticing a burning smell for a few days (no noticeable leaks) and finally gave in and brought the car into my local trusted indy. The verdict: the PCV valve is shot at a little under 65K miles. Trust BMW to incorporate the PCV valve into the valve cover in such a way that you need to replace the whole thing. A bit over $1000 will cover the whole job and she will be as good as new. The car is 9 years old and I have had few problems (no breakdowns, knock wood), so I won't complain.

I'd try this first.

[morphomeman]

Thanks! Apparently, the odor was coming from burn-off from a leak in the valve cover gasket, caused by a build-up of pressure from the faulty PCV valve. So unfortunately, it looks like the whole cover will need to be replaced. Well, it is still costing me way less to maintain this car than the monthly cost of buying a new one. Besides which, as many have posted on this forum, there is really nothing out there that appeals to us true F22-3 fanatics.