Re-torque head bolts at 1000 miles?

[Spokerider]

Wondering about whether or not, the head gasket bolts on my 1993 AAZ need to be re-torqued after 1000 miles on it.

 The engine [ long block ] was rebuilt in 2008 at a specialty VW shop in Vancouver, which is where I bought it from in 2008. I don't know the brand of head gasket that was installed, it is likely a genuine VW part, as all of the other parts that have been replaced that I have noticed have all been genuine VW parts. So if I had to guess, I would assume it is a genuine VW part. 

I can see by looking at the bit that sticks out from between the head / block that it is a 3 hole gasket, but other than that, I have no way knowing if it is a steel gasket or a ?fiber? gasket. Is there a way to tell?

Re-torque @ 1000 miles or not?

thanks.

[theman53]

To my knowledge the aaz never had a fiber gasket option, so you maybe ok to assume it has a MLS gasket. It may have had it but I haven't seen it listed, but I am a US guy and we didn't get them down here.

As far as the retorque I would consult the Bentley manual. It says to after 1000km IIRC not 1000miles. At any rate most people have had luck not doing the retorque. I personally always did in the 1.6l and had a great success rate retorquing the bolts. Also, the Bentley procedure says to do it that way...I would guess it is personal preference. I went to studs and if I had to do the stretch bolts again I would probably not retorque. YRMV. I just hated the way the metal sounded when it was yielding.

[Spokerider]

1000kms not miles, thanks for that info.

On the gasket near the 3 holes, it has the number; 30 2085 00
I tried googling it, but nothing came up.

Yes, I have new TTY head bolts. That was one reason I was wondering........ if it was re-torqued with those TTY bolts.....knowing that they are already stretched to max.
 I thought I had read somewhere that the *new* steel gaskets did not require re-torqueing, but I can't seen to find any posts that say yes / no. Many of the old AAZ posts on the diesel forums that I read in 2008 are long gone.

[burn_your_money]

From what my Bentley tells me, the AAZ engine had a fiber gasket in 1992 in the Passat only (in North America). I've never seen one, and they have all been superseded by the metal gaskets. That might be a publishers error, I really don't know.

I'm fairly certain that the Bentley says that a retorque is not needed on the metal gaskets. I don't have it handy or I would double check for you.

[745 turbogreasel]

Metal gaskets have holes, fiber ones have notches.  I have never seen an exception to thins on VAG products.

[Spokerider]

Metal gaskets have holes, fiber ones have notches.  I have never seen an exception to thins on VAG products.

That makes it easy to differentiate between the two.

Thanks all for the info. It's one less thing I need to do during engine break in.

[TylerDurden]

Metal gaskets have holes, fiber ones have notches.  I have never seen an exception to thins on VAG products.

Fiber can have holes. I'm driving one on my 86TD. It's a Reinz.

[theman53]

I heard a parts store guy say that the mech valve head gaskets were notches and the hydro holes? Enough of a cross section to not say one way or the other for sure I would guess.

[TylerDurden]

Seems mech have holes too. 

[vanbcguy]

If it's metal on the top/bottom of the part sticking out of the block then it's MLS. If it's not metal then it isn't.

Sent from my HTC One XL using Tapatalk

[Spokerider]

If it's metal on the top/bottom of the part sticking out of the block then it's MLS. If it's not metal then it isn't.

Sent from my HTC One XL using Tapatalk

Yep, that tab sticking out from the head / block IS metal.