Bhg

[cvbikeguy]

even though i followed the tsrm i just wonder if i just f'ed something up of whatever. also i didnt get the new head machined but i did buy a rebuilt one on ebnay for $400 and it says it was already shaved and ready to be slapped on. you think i might have messed up on the head bolts?

[cvbikeguy]

Originally Posted by kamikazemkiii

Sorry to hear that man, ive got a new headgasket if you need it

how much? thanks

Originally Posted by cre

did you chase the head bolt threads with a tap? torque in multiple passes and in the right order me?

as long as the head and block aren't warped I'd redo the HG.

whats chase and tap? couldnt find it in the tsrm

[suprabahamut]

Did a shop rebuild the engine for you? I know a person who got there motor rebuilt, and the shop torqued the head bolts at the wrong torque, because it was listed wrong in the manual. He even told them to change the torque because it is a problem, but I guess they did not believe him. In the end the tech had to rebuild the motor at no charge, but they bought a replacement instead I guess cheaper. It took some time to get it back, but if some one did this to you, you can get it at least get it fixed at little to no charge.

[cvbikeguy]

Originally Posted by suprabahamut

Did a shop rebuild the engine for you? I know a person who got there motor rebuilt, and the shop torqued the head bolts at the wrong torque, because it was listed wrong in the manual. He even told them to change the torque because it is a problem, but I guess they did not believe him. In the end the tech had to rebuild the motor at no charge, but they bought a replacement instead I guess cheaper. It took some time to get it back, but if some one did this to you, you can get it at least get it fixed at little to no charge.

no i actually did it myself and torqued them down to 80lbs. but i think cre might be right about the chase and tap. too bad i dont know what the hell it is.

hey cre would i still be able to use my arp bolts?

[cre]

Chasing threads is a pretty standard practice. You get a tap (thing used to thread holes for bolts) of the same size and pitch of our headbolts and you thread it into the holes (and keep adding oil to lubricate and clear out debris). As you thread it in AND as you thread it out it cuts the metal of the threads back to the right shape and size for the bolts/studs. Not doing this may cause the bolt to reach a given torque level but not provide the actual axial clamping force you want (ie: the shit don't turn so easy so you think it's done too soon).

I really wish they made hollow studs for our cars.... that's the only way to get really close to a given clamping force. Hollow's are great.

Yes, the headbolts are reusable.

80lbs is high... don't go over manufacturer specs just becaust you think it'll be better... you'll break something.

Also, rebuilt of not, you don't know what shape the head was in... could have warped from inappropriate storage. Measure it with a machinist's straight edge (not just a metal ruler! ).

[cvbikeguy]

Originally Posted by cre

Chasing threads is a pretty standard practice. You get a tap (thing used to thread holes for bolts) of the same size and pitch of our headbolts and you thread it into the holes (and keep adding oil to lubricate and clear out debris). As you thread it in AND as you thread it out it cuts the metal of the threads back to the right shape and size for the bolts/studs. Not doing this may cause the bolt to reach a given torque level but not provide the actual axial clamping force you want (ie: the shit don't turn so easy so you think it's done too soon).

I really wish they made hollow studs for our cars.... that's the only way to get really close to a given clamping force. Hollow's are great.

Yes, the headbolts are reusable.

80lbs is high... don't go over manufacturer specs just becaust you think it'll be better... you'll break something.

Also, rebuilt of not, you don't know what shape the head was in... could have warped from inappropriate storage. Measure it with a machinist's straight edge (not just a metal ruler! ).

dang. how hard is it to chase threads yourself? and i want to make sure im doing this correctly. also i know the tsrm says 56lb for torque on the head and everyone says its too low. ive seen some do 70lb and then some do 90lb for arp. what do you recommend.

also i think im going to pull the engine out and put it on a stand. so i have a couple questions. how hard is it to drop in a fully assembled engine? would the wire harness be a problem. also i heard that cork oil pan gaskets are no good. whats the best way to seal this? im also going to be double checking all my seals and i think that my rear main seal might be leaking but should be fine.

im hoping that if all goes well i can swap out the tranny during this process.

thanks again guys, let me know if there is anything i should check that could be damaged from the engine.

[btwilson86]

Pulling the engine on these cars is fairly straightforward. You can leave it almost fully assembled if you pull the wiring harness with the engine. All you have to do is remove your glovebox, unplug the harness from the ECU, and push the wires and the grommet out through the firewall into the engine bay. Then just find the couple of connectors that go to body electronics, and you're good to go.

IMO, it's easiest to pull the transmission with the engine. Helps maintain the proper angle when removing it from the car, and then you don't have to deal with the PITA bolts at the top of the bellhousing.

And one last thing, remove your hood! First time I didn't think it through and halfway through the process I had to stop to get that thing out of the way

[cre]

Chasing the threads is easy. Just do it when you've got some energy and patience left. What you want is an "Intermediate" or "taper" type. I'll dig up the size when I have a moment. The only real trick is keeping the tap VERY well lubed and cleaning out the hole frequently (especially important with a block that hasn't had the threads chased in a long time). So, you take head off and clean out the bolt hole thoroughly, lube the tap with some lightweight motor oil, start threading the tap in (getting it started is the tricky part, DO NOT LET IT MISTHREAD!!!!!!!!!!!), then slowly and steadily thread the tap in half way or so. Now remove and clean the tap and finish threading it into the bolt hole. Remove the tap, clean it and the hole out thoroughly and thread the tap back into the hole and chase it the whole way to be sure everything is smooth. Remove the tap, clean out the hole and tap again and move on to the next.

When I say the manufacturer's specs I meant the manufacturer of the fastener... not the car. ARP specifies 75ft lbs for 7M head bolts and 90ft lbs for 7M head studs.

By the way, there is actually a difference between a "chase" and a "tap". A chase is generally a little undersized and doesn't cut the block material as much. These are intended to correct misshapen threads. Taps are intended for cutting new threads into a material. The difference with a cast iron block isn't a critical one, although I think with an aluminum block a tap in place of a chase would be a big no-no.