So, after purchasing a used BMW 325i 2002 I decided to check out some common issues that are prevalent in a car with 130,000 miles on it. An oil leak with really worn belts, I still think I got a good deal. During a valve cover gasket replace is a good time to check the ignition coils, spark plugs, a valve cover air circulation and other items. Digging in one saturday morning I felt the task at hand would take about 2 to 3 hours… and it did. Once into the top of the valve head I was very pleasantly surprised to find the the ignition coils were all new and replaced in October of 2013, along with the ignition coil harness with the OEM markings and labels. the valve cover gasket was replaced, along with all belts and pulley wheels with the tensioner too. everything went very smoothly and went together quickly after the part replacement.

This was a fun photoshop of the engine and the hood closed… I made the engine 40% transparent and the layered the engine on top of the photo of the Bimmer with the hood closed… click on the photo to really see the detail as it will pop open in full size.

Cover for the valve head looked great, no heavy slug from water in the oil and the air circulatory tubes were also replace.

Removing the spark plugs to check the condition… they all looked great and must have been replaced when the ignition coils were done… no wonder i am getting 25 miles to the gallon!

The Vanos pump will need a rebuild soon as if seems to be leaking from the seals.  

All back together minus the air cabin filter housing… since I had a new one, I replaced that too… it was full of dirt and road grim… so it was time.

open hood    closed hood… mating the two images is how I got the first image of the car with the “like” see through hood!

Sports package = Sports rims, sports suspension, bucket seats, three spoke steering wheel, lowered about 2 inches compared to a normal 325i and a Harmon Kardon sound system. Not to bad for a commuter car!   Next up will be  to inspect the wheel bushings and brakes….