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325e: Oily head bolt, what does it mean?



Hello gang,

Got around to replacing my hex-headed head bolts with the proper
TORX ones this weekend, and noticed that one of the old bolts was
excessively oily/grungy.  It's the very top left one (on the 6th
cylinder, near the firewall, closest to the center of the engine),
and I am worried as I have been consuming some oil lately.  Until
seeing this, I attributed the oil loss to leakage at the valve
cover, but now I'm worried.  I also noticed that this head bolt
also was not torqued down nearly as much as the other 13.  Given the
big washer, I can't see how oil would leak down from beneath the
valve cover.  I don't know how else oil would get in there, except
maybe from an oil passage over there (uh-oh).  I'll be checking the
plugs and compression here shortly.  Make me feel better with some
good information.

regards,

- -bob
'86 325e