MJLamberson Posted February 23, 2009 Share Posted February 23, 2009 SO all but one of the ARP head studs was loose and threaded out by hand, yes, the studs. One of them was broken in half... The gasket was blown but not as bad as I was expecting. The only good news is my pistons and other internals are fine and my head doesnt looked warped. Looks like Im going to have to reuse some of the head bolts off my other engine, I know this is frowned upon but Ive searched and people have said that it isnt all that bad. It will only be temporary and Im not even going to reinstall my boost controller. Im just so pissed, why is it not one thing can just go smoothly!!! not one damn thing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ben280zx Posted February 23, 2009 Share Posted February 23, 2009 Sorry to hear man. I know exactly what you mean. But the final result with be worth it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
naviathan Posted February 23, 2009 Share Posted February 23, 2009 How did you snap an ARP stud???? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Evan Purple240zt Posted February 23, 2009 Share Posted February 23, 2009 You overtorqued them, thats how it broke. Don't reuse stock bolts, unless you wanna pull it apart again to remove the one you busted off. Trust me dude, I have done it Good luck getting it back together. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MJLamberson Posted February 23, 2009 Author Share Posted February 23, 2009 It was broken before I got to it, I found it when I was taking everything apart. I havnt even started to put anything back together yet, just finished cleaning the block and head surfaces. I lost motivation for a bit, but then my headgasket came in the mail and I figured I had to finish it. So anybody else have any opinions about reusing head bolts? I could just have all ARP and one old bolt, idk. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
naviathan Posted February 23, 2009 Share Posted February 23, 2009 It's not recommended to re-use head bolts. I'd just get a new set of ARP studs and clean everything up and torque them properly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mack Posted February 23, 2009 Share Posted February 23, 2009 Its not recommended, but it will work. I reused the stock bolts on my 11.5:1 motor and that was about 3 years and probably 30,000 miles ago. and I dont drive it nice. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
roye@hrewheels.com Posted February 23, 2009 Share Posted February 23, 2009 You could also order a sigle replacement stud from ARP. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zcarnut Posted February 23, 2009 Share Posted February 23, 2009 I have re-used head bolts and never had a problem. And over the last thirty years I have re-built over a dozen L-series engines and probably replaced that many blow head gaskets on other L-series engines. Of course never reuse a bolt that has obvious damage like rust pitting. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MJLamberson Posted February 23, 2009 Author Share Posted February 23, 2009 Hey guys thanks a lot, I didnt even think about ordering a single replacement, But it looks like I am going to just use 1 of my other head bolts, I REALLY need my car right now so I will just have to hope it works... anyways, Im putting the head back on now, should have her running tonight, unless I run out of energy, in that case it will be tomorrow, thanks again guys. I miss my Z! cant wait to be able to drive her again! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FlatBlack Posted February 23, 2009 Share Posted February 23, 2009 MJ how did you install the studs? Did you tighten them with the allen wrench hole on the top before you torqued them? Just wondering, I just put the ARPs in my motor. [i screwed up the timing though so its not running yet] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
z-ya Posted February 24, 2009 Share Posted February 24, 2009 You can reuse OEM head bolts (done it many times). Never used ARP bolts, so I have no experience in reusing them. I'm on the 4th or 5th torquing of the same set of OEM turbo bolts. I would check with ARP, and if you can reuse them (i expect that you can), see if you can get one bolt. The other option would be to use a complete set of OEM used or new turbo head bolts. I wouldn't mix and match the ARP with OEM. Pete Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
woldson Posted February 24, 2009 Share Posted February 24, 2009 I agree with Zya, the thermal expansion and contraction of that bolt,,,, I would bet is quite different. Could end up causing stress cracks to the head. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
grumpyvette Posted February 24, 2009 Share Posted February 24, 2009 studs are SUPPOSED TO BE INSTALLED IN THE BLOCK so they are not tightened. and yes use of the arp torque specs and instal instructions is mandatory its simple! run a tap thru the threads, test screw the clean/dry stud by hand to verify no clearance or binding then ,clean them and dry the threads on the block and studs,before you start the assembly, and just dip the total threaded surface on the lower studs course thread end of the stud that screws into the block into the correct sealant. spin it in your fingers slowly as you move the stud to the hole in the block to keep from dripping sealant on the deck, thread it into the block full depth , back it out a 1/2 turn and let it set up for a few minutes before assembling the head gaskets and heads,but assemble the heads while the sealants still fresh/liquid, torque too spec and let the engine set for a few hours (preferably over night) http://www.devcon.com/products/products.cfm?familyID=386 http://forum.grumpysperformance.com/viewtopic.php?f=50&t=50&hilit=+studs Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mobythevan Posted February 24, 2009 Share Posted February 24, 2009 The original post implies that something is wrong if the studs are only hand tight, but that is OK. You put them in hand tight and that is it. I just removed mine on my 4G63 and all the studs came out easily by hand after removing the nuts. Also, make sure you use the ARP moly lube and correct torque specs with the lube. The moly lube makes a huge difference on getting the correct torque without friction becoming an issue. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WizardBlack Posted March 21, 2009 Share Posted March 21, 2009 studs are SUPPOSED TO BE INSTALLED IN THE BLOCK so they are not tightened. and yes use of the arp torque specs and instal instructions is mandatory its simple! run a tap thru the threads, test screw the clean/dry stud by hand to verify no clearance or binding then ,clean them and dry the threads on the block and studs,before you start the assembly, and just dip the total threaded surface on the lower studs course thread end of the stud that screws into the block into the correct sealant. spin it in your fingers slowly as you move the stud to the hole in the block to keep from dripping sealant on the deck, thread it into the block full depth , back it out a 1/2 turn and let it set up for a few minutes before assembling the head gaskets and heads,but assemble the heads while the sealants still fresh/liquid, torque too spec and let the engine set for a few hours (preferably over night) http://www.devcon.com/products/products.cfm?familyID=386 http://forum.grumpysperformance.com/viewtopic.php?f=50&t=50&hilit=+studs That's odd, because all the turbo jap cars I used to work on was completely different: Clean threads Lube studs and install to finger tight Torque to spec in stages Warm car up to full temp Retorque while still warm Done. Doing it that way, they don't come out with just finger pressure. What's the point of studs if they don't bottom out and give you some initial counter-tension before you tighten them with the nuts? For the OP, when modifying Evo VIII's, they only take so much before they will blow the headgaskets due to stock head bolts (like, maybe 360+ whp). If the car comes to us with relatively low miles (like 15k miles or less), we will take out one headbolt at a time and install an ARP stud in it's place at about half torque until they are all in and then torque them in proper order to proper spec. Can be done in much less time (just remove the valve cover for access). You can probably run a replacement bolt for now and install a replacement ARP stud as soon as it comes in. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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