Alpina B10 V8 S Valve cover oil leaks bolts and fixings

[John Ness]

I have had a 2003 B10 4.8S for 6 weeks, it had an oil burn at over 4000 rpm on hard acceleration but it stops as soon as you throttle back. When cold I could see oil reaching the manifold.
So a common fault and not the end of the world it appeared...
My local mechanic found the root cause to be the breather and the valve gaskets were in fine shape but the threads were stripped on a number of the bolts. The issue is these are the bolts that go into the cam "U" top bearing clamps in the centre however a helicoil is not that straightforward as there is also an oil way in the tap.
I am told that the replacement of the 8 "U" top bearing clamps is not a straight swap as they were line bored ?
Anyone had this problem and solved it with a helicoil etc ?
Regards
John

[Metrics]

Hi John

This is a common problem and will become more common in these engines as with age and various repairs they'll be exposed to, these threads strip. They strip very easily.
My own car has this same issue and as I'm still letting my local BMW dealer loose on the car they have had to deal with this problem on many recent repairs my car has had in this part of the engine.
My understanding is they are just about fixing it by helicoiling, but it's not easy and a point will come where this solution is no longer viable. Apparently then the only option is new heads Although this may be the BMW solution and there may be a engineering solution others know of.
Who's doing the work on your car?
I will ask the master tech who works on my car more about it and report back if I can add to this, but for now this is all I can tell you from my limited knowledge.

Btw welcome to the forum and V8S ownership, they are truly wonderful and rare cars, I absolutely love mine, when I actually have it and it's not being repaired!
Can you share details of which number car you have? And pics are a must!

Keep us posted with progress, it would be good to know if you find a work around. All the best.

[John Ness]

Thanks for sharing the knowledge, I am waiting for the guy to arrive to carry out the helicoiling and critical forming of a new oilway in the cam caps, if he can do it (apparently no one else can if this guy cannot) and I get back on the road and in the right mood ! I'll share the pictures, car no. etc
Everything crossed right now !!

[Metrics]

Best of luck John, hope it works out to plan. Keep us posted.