I just had my head resurfaced (my wife said "it was about time!"), put a new 4 notch head gasket, like the old one, on it, and torqued it down with a set of stretch head bolts; thereby replacing the old non-stretch, 6 point hex bolts with the recommended "new-and-improved" star-point type.
As I was installing them - by the book, one of them would only torque to 55 lbs. So, fearing that I would twist the bolt apart, in my head, I decided that it was faulty, and went to the auto parts store to get another. Failing to get a single bolt replacement, and exasperated that he was unable to get me what I wanted, the parts guy told me that maybe a twist bolt was not recommended, and that I should use the non-twist type, since that was the OEM type.
My engine runs fine now, as it did before I had the head resurfaced, but the engine has the same problem that it did before: oil in the water.
I would like to know what I should do: put the original bolts back in the head, one by one, and torque it down; or, should I replace the stretch bolt with another one.
Thank you, in advance, for helping me to solve this mess.
Michael
The original 11mm head bolts do not thread very far into the block.
The one that won't torque is stripping the block.
Get a set of head studs from either Raceware, or ARP. The studs go allot deeper into the block, and will reach the good threads in the base of the hole that is stripped.
I had the same thing happen on my 1.5. Got the Raceware studs and everything is OK.
Here's the Raceware link:
http://www.raceware-fasteners.com/
How Much were those raceware studs?
I heard people telling outragous prices of 200$ for 10 bolts
is this true?
Here's the Raceware link: http://www.raceware-fasteners.com/
Wow ... that has got to be the worlds 3rd most useless website. Seriously bad marketing. There is almost NO information there. :roll:
Yep, the site is really basic, but it gets the pont accross. Studs are stronger than torque to yeild fasteners. Just shows that they don't spend money on on a marketing dude and an IS dude. (Nothing against marketing, I have a few years of marketing in my background) Their catalog is allot better.
I think the head studs are around $125 USD plus shipping.
I have had them in my 1.6TD, running 25PSI boost for over 4 years with no problems.
I would imagine the ARP studs would perform similarly, but I don't know their price
11mm raceware's are $189.05USD plus shipping
How Much were those raceware studs?
I heard people telling outragous prices of 200$ for 10 bolts
is this true?
Studs, not bolts. Reusability is the key difference, and if the studs' better holding characteristics save you from a block replacement (Stripped threads or cracking) or frequent head-gasket jobs (due to stock bolts' poor holding power, gasket sealing issues), is it worth the extra up-front cost?