zigg
Full Access Member
I just got off the phone with the Mechanic at DAS(major diesel engine rebuilder close to here) and had a great talk with him. He didn't know about our little website here, and was quite excited to know there are as many guys who still love the old 6.9! He did say that on some blocks,(but not all) that the bolt holes do extend down into the coolant areas.
He felt that it is possible that the threads on the studs may be cut slightly different such that the coolant could find it's way up the thread channel to come out the top. He thought it was odd too, but although rare, he had seen it before. I got my heads through them, and he assured me that they are pressure tested to 150psi, and any cracks would have surely shown up.
He didn't think the heads were gonna be cracked, and he also said almost always with cracks they leak to a valve(thus into the cylinder) or to an oil gallery(water in oil), not to the bolt holes, and he said it'd be impossible to do it with 3 of them. One maybe, but not 3.
So, he recommended just pulling each bolt at a time and put sealant on the threads and put it back together. They re-use head bolts all the time there, and once in a while one will break at torquing, and they just pull that one and replace it, and he said they've never had a cracked head as a result.
So,the forecast is for rain for the next 2 weeks, so, I guess once the rain stops, I know what I'll be doing...(sigh)
Zigg
He felt that it is possible that the threads on the studs may be cut slightly different such that the coolant could find it's way up the thread channel to come out the top. He thought it was odd too, but although rare, he had seen it before. I got my heads through them, and he assured me that they are pressure tested to 150psi, and any cracks would have surely shown up.
He didn't think the heads were gonna be cracked, and he also said almost always with cracks they leak to a valve(thus into the cylinder) or to an oil gallery(water in oil), not to the bolt holes, and he said it'd be impossible to do it with 3 of them. One maybe, but not 3.
So, he recommended just pulling each bolt at a time and put sealant on the threads and put it back together. They re-use head bolts all the time there, and once in a while one will break at torquing, and they just pull that one and replace it, and he said they've never had a cracked head as a result.
So,the forecast is for rain for the next 2 weeks, so, I guess once the rain stops, I know what I'll be doing...(sigh)
Zigg
