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Rant: Stop reusing head bolts on these old 12 valve motors, I keep seeing guys do it
Pulled a head on a 96 12 valve out of a Dodge that a guy brought in from Yakima last week, and every single head bolt had already been torqued twice. He told me he just wire wheeled them and ran them back in because the book didn't say not to. That is wrong and it matters, because those bolts stretch when you torque them and they do not spring back the way people think. I checked a handful with a straightedge and a caliper and a few were longer than spec by almost .008 inches, which means the clamping load is not even across the head anymore. First sign was coolant pushing past the gasket at cylinder 5 under boost, and it would have turned into a cracked head if he kept running it. New bolts are under $100 for the set and a head gasket job is a weekend you do not get back. Any of you guys measuring stretch on the old ones or just tossing them and starting fresh every time?
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sanchez.mary19d ago
Watched a buddy blow a head gasket same way, twice torqued bolts and all.
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