m42 questions w/ pic link

[blysccr]

I took off my valve cover to get it ready for the gasket that is arriving tomorrow. when i did this, i got good and bad results. A local e30 dude told me that i couldn't rev past 4500 is because of a bad spark plug gasket....they all appread to be really good. this is the bad [COLOR=blue! important][FONT='segoe UI', verdana, geneva, lucida, 'lucida grande', arial, helvetica, sans-serif][COLOR=blue! important][FONT='segoe UI', verdana, geneva, lucida, 'lucida grande', arial, helvetica, sans-serif]news[/FONT][/FONT][/COLOR][/COLOR], not a simple fix. the good news, everything looks immaculate under there. i guess that's good....lol please look at these pics on photobucket

http://s243.photobucket.com/albums/ff298/blysccr/
what do you think is the problem? also, when i put my new gasket on, is there any special torque sequence i need to follow? thanks

[KenC]

What is on the spark plug hold on the head on cyl #1? It looks really rough.

Why are you getting a new gasket?

If you look in the Bentley, it will give you torque specs for the bolts. DONT overtorque them or you will strip the head.

[blysccr]

i just took it off and snapped some pics......just oil, it wipped right off

i was told by a local e30 guy that the reason it cuts off at 4500 rpm is because of thevalve cover gasket and spark plus gaskets

i don't have an e36 manual, mind telling me the specs?

[n2motorsports]

cool another m42

actully the spark plug gasket is a very simple fix, just pop the old ones out and put the new ones in.

how's the teeth on your gears? you should take a pic from the side so we can see their condition. also, pull the oil pan to check for loose bolts; check out m42club.com, it's a great resource.

http://m42club.com/forums/showthread.php?t=594

[blysccr]

i'm just worried about the torque specs on the valve cover. the teeth look brand new. i looked that over specifically. i'll try to get a pic, but i'm super busy today and will be for a couple of days. i tried to register on that forum, but for some reason i can't post new topics, only search and send/recieve pm's. the oil thing is my next step once i get the dent fixed in the back. thanks for the input

[KenC]

Wait. Your engine cuts out at 4500rpms? That's not from the valve cover gasket. I'd guess ECU or AFM.

[blysccr]

how would i go about trouble shooting that by myself? i guess i could borrow a buddy's....nm i answered my question. would severe vacuum leaks cause that?