What would you Do

[icanfixall]

If you had an engine on the stand. Had the heads on it torqued down and someone gave you a set of ARP studs. Would you feel its ok to remove one bolt and install a stud thinking it will compress the head gasket more and be ok. Or would you remove the heads. Clean the heads and install the studs with new head gaskets. We knoew a member did just this and has since left us but it worked for him. ?As for long term I can't really say how it going. We had a member that installed a banks sidewinder turbo and could not get the bellhousing oil port plug out so he took the plug out of the rear oil cooler header ahd fed that dirty oil to the new turbo. The drive to the east coast went well till he got back to AZ and lost all boost... I guess the turbo bearing left him somewheres because of dirty oil. I understand dirty oi is better than no oil but gees... Destroying a new turbo is tuff to handle. So what would you guys do on the head gaskets and studs.

 

[Wyreth]

I would pull the heads and redo it properly. Figure if you get a chance to put in studs for the price of just a HG set, it's worth it!

 

['94IDITurbo7.3]

pull heads, clean out the holes in the block and buy NEW head gaskets. install studs, gaskets, heads, torque 'em down to what every your little heart desires.

BTW, am i the only one that thinks it's BS that hg's are sold individually for these engines?

 

[icanfixall]

Felpro sell just the head gaskets as a set but I don't think they sell just one individual head gasket at a time.. Maybe they do. I just have never tried to buy just one. I'm sure a shop may do that if they are into an engine and don't need to remove the other head...

 

[Wyreth]

BTW, am i the only one that thinks it's BS that hg's are sold individually for these engines?

No, you're certainly not. I didn't know they did that.... The concept is just...
....
I'm out of words...

 

['94IDITurbo7.3]

when i got my head set from rock auto i got felpro. both HG were shrink wrapped in the same package. when i had to pull the heads back off to clean out the holes for the studs i got the gaskets from oriley auto parts. they were sold individually. that's all i could find. they were $70 for two HG's.

 

[riotwarrior]

Remove head bolts, heads, gaskets

Clean bolt bosses in block if not previously done...do it again if done....

Add thread sealant where needed if studs that are in bosses that pass into water jackets

Install OLD gaskets....TORQUE DOWN STUDS required 5 times! My god that's alot of turning of torque wrench.....Undo nuts after final torque...

Remove heads, remove OLD head gaskets...

Install NEW head gaskets, install heads, torque down nuts properly and your done...GOLDEN...

That's what I would do...

JM2CW


All too often things like this fall into the.....NEVER TIME TO DO IT RIGHT....but always TIME to do it OVER category!

Do it right...to the MAX the first time...and don't worry bout doin it again!

 

[icanfixall]

None of our thread holes in the block that hold down the heads enter any coolant passages. Now if you are working on a big block chevy you have to seal the threads on every head bold because they al enter the water jacket areas and coolant will leak up past the threads. Both the front and back of the crank needs to have sealant on the bolts. The flywheel bolts enter the oil side of the pan and oil will leaks out past those threads. The front dampner bolt does not enter the oil side of the pan but the keyway groove does. So it needs a dab of rtv placed on it between the washer and the grove so no oil leaks past. Thats a little known secret too..

 

[Knuckledragger]

Maybe I'm living in paradise, but if I were to get a set of studs after torquing the head bolts, I would just untorque the bolts and install the studs. No need to replace gaskets that have never been run. If the heads do not move, the crush and seal achieved with the bolts will not be lost with the studs, presuming they are properly installed.

 

[Can30Diesel]

For the price of head gaskets I would put new ones on. Then there is no wondering later on down the line.

 

['94IDITurbo7.3]

al, so you would re-use the old gaskets. torque the studs down then take the studs our and pull the heads again and put new gaskets in?

There is no need to loosen the nuts on the studs after the final torque btw. you just leave them be after the final torque, no backing them off and re-tightening.

 

[icanfixall]

al, so you would re-use the old gaskets. torque the studs down then take the studs our and pull the heads again and put new gaskets in?

There is no need to loosen the nuts on the studs after the final torque btw. you just leave them be after the final torque, no backing them off and re-tightening.

I believe something was missed in this statement. What I read was to remove the bolts. Install the studs and torque them down and loosen them the required 5 times.... THEN... Remove the studs and the heads. Remove the old head gaskets. clean the surfaces and then install new head gaskets and the studs. Torque down and be done with it. Only reason to leave the old gaskets in when you temporyarily install the studs is to have a base to tworue all the studs to using the once torqued down but never fired up head gaskets. I got the 5 times deal from the engineers at ARP when I went up there visitng to ask questions. I also showed them my DPS 270,000 psi studs I broke... Nive group of guys too.

 

['94IDITurbo7.3]

Gary, that's exactly what i got out of Al's post. why is there any need to torque them down and then take them back off? the arp instructions say nothing about torquing and loosening. NMB2 & racinNdrummin just torqued them down, they didn't loosen them up. they are running SIGNIFICANTLY more boost than the average IDI guy is as well.

what torque were you at that broke the 270Kpsi stud?

 

[sle2115]

pull heads, clean out the holes in the block and buy NEW head gaskets. install studs, gaskets, heads, torque 'em down to what every your little heart desires.

BTW, am i the only one that thinks it's BS that hg's are sold individually for these engines?

You prolly wouldn't question it if you accidentially ruined one in the install process! Not that I ever have!

 

['94IDITurbo7.3]

You prolly wouldn't question it if you accidentially ruined one in the install process! Not that I ever have!

that's what happened to me lol