head bolt idea
 

I dont have a blown head gasket but i was thinking of either replacing the head bolts one at a time or simply re-torquing the factory ones to a higher spec. Can this be done and if so what bolt order should I go in?

consult your local tsrm for bolt pattern removal.. heres the link
Cylinder Head

I wouldn't recommend simply replacing the bolts one at a time because you should chase the threads on the block to get a proper reading on the torque setting. I would have the head off to chase..

Not to mention that taking them out 1 at a time (leaving all of the other bolts torqued, as I understand it) will likely cause head warping, as well as destroying the gasket. Like Green7mgte said, follow the TSRM in that link he gave you.

oh god no don't take them out one at a time...

remove them all in the correct ORDER in 2 passes.. that means loosen them in one pass.. then remove them in the other.

put your bolts in with a helicoil or something of the like and torque them to spec. few warm up / cool down cycles later torque them to spec again..



question..
with a helicoil or the like, is retorqueing still necessary?

why helicoil? didn't see anything about stripped threads???


Anyway I'd say don't do anything if it's not blown. (and certainly DON'T take the bolts out one at a time or in any other order than by the book!!!) Just wait till the first signs of it going (and it will eventually) and then follow the tsrm replacement guide but either use upgraded bolts/studs following their torquing instructions, or use new stock bolts (which are fine) just following the upgraded torque level & not the original 58lb rubbish :)

And when done, remember to burp the cooling system unless you enjoyed it so much you wanna do it all over again next week... :eek3:

why helicoil.. so they don't back out. or something else along those lines.
don't see why thats such an awful idea.
here.. buy concrete lag bolts and shove those babys in there.. they won't back out. hows that for bad ideas.

there is no problem with re torquing your head bolts. if you want to do it, just do it correctly. waiting untill you see signs of a BHG to start applying fixes is two steps backwards in theory and in pocket. if re torquing them now will save you failure in the future i see no reason not to do it, besides the guy above me saying not to.. =)

Helicoils don't stop bolts from coming back out. They are for when the threads are no longer useable and you still want to use the same bolt size as the original. They work well but the hole must be drilled out larger.

It is hard to say though without the milage and age to see if the hg may have already been done. Since a 20 plus year old car can get passed around alot over the years.

yes im well aware of what they are. just stating they are a solution if your having problems with your bolts backing out..

so uh :uh: . yea if you can get away with the same size bolt do it.. but if you have to retap them to a larger size just be slow and careful with it. make sure your bit is level for god sakes.

is the op even reading this thread any longer?

It can suck if you have to go with a larger size though if the hole for the bolt in the head is not large enough for the new bolt. I unfortunatly learned alittle on the subject when my brother and I did the hg on a 93 cavalier and snaped off 2 head bolts in the block.

I don't think the op is on here anymore. It seems we get quite a bit of new people that post a few times and dissapear.

i have a stripped exhaust bolt. i just used a concrete lag bolt lol..

What ever works for you. Me personally, am a bit of a perfectionist and that would bother me.

it does work. maybe ill get around to doing it the right way come summer. I was holding off until i slapped on another exhaust header. but the exhaust leak was driving me crazy

What the f#$% are you people talking about?!? I think we've got a couple conversations going on here or something.

FIRST, if the HG is blown there's no point in replacing the bolts one at a time... even if it weren't a HORRIBLE idea.... you still have to replace the damned HG and check for warpage.

SECOND, I wouldn't run a helicoil in 90% of the blocks on the market, not for the head bolt part of the equation.... there's just not enough meat in the surrounding material for me to consider it reliable after I drill the hole 3 to 4mm wider for the insert.

THIRD, Green, from what you're saying I assume you're actually talking about the manifold fastener holes (particularly the exhaust side). Two passes here is fine, on the head bolts or studs I recommend 3 or more passes at small increments but not so small that striction hits.

FOURTH, 72ft lbs for head bolts and 95 for studs... IIRC. :p

3 passes you say? ill write that down if i have to take my head off again.

yea i was talking about the exhaust manifold