Taking off the engine cover

[leofloresnp]

2013 328i. Because of a misfire in cylinder 1, I must investigate the coil packs. How can I take the cover off the engine? There are a lot of videos online, and some of them would have me take the cowl area apart in all sorts of ways. It was suggested in at least one post that I could remove the cover without removing any bolts by just lifting it and sliding it forward. Is there a quick and easy way?

[priya.johnsonxc]

Surely you're using the N51/N52 motor, right? If you want to take off the engine cover on your 2008 328i, you'll need to take off the cowl first, because there are two hex bolts on the back that you'll need to unscrew.

To remove the engine cover, follow this helpful guide from Pelican Parts:

[priya.johnsonxc]

https://www.pelicanparts.com/BMW/techar ... moving.htm

[leofloresnp]

The hex bolts were merely ornamental, and the cover was fastened with rubber grommets, as I recall reading in another thread.

[priya.johnsonxc]

Hmm, I'm not sure... The engine cover is held down by all the N52/51 engines that I have worked on or seen. I may be mistaken, but I don't believe it was secured with rubber grommets until the N2x and N55 engines.

Take your time and don't try to skip this step; the cabin air filter cowl is simply fastened with two 8mm hex screws—I might have counted four in total—but trust me, it's easy.

[leofloresnp]

Indeed, three bolts with an allen head are required. The first two were simple; however, I encountered difficulty removing the cover after attempting to use a modified allen wrench to remove the aft bolt. I managed to elevate it to a level where I could reach the 1 and 2 coil packs and swap them out. The malfunction moved to cylinder 2 from cylinder 1. Headed out to get a coil pack. Really appreciate your assistance.