stravi757 Posted November 13, 2009 Share Posted November 13, 2009 I built up a block and ive put a few hundred miles on it so i was going to loosen and re torque the head bolts. well when I loosened the head bolts some coolant leaked. Not to much but this definitetely concerned me. Ive never re torqued the head bolts before so I dont know if this is normal but it doesnt seem like it should be. Do I have the replace the head gasket again now? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
woldson Posted November 14, 2009 Share Posted November 14, 2009 Was the engine at ambient temp? What head gasket? Where was the leak? Too opened ended. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stravi757 Posted November 14, 2009 Author Share Posted November 14, 2009 YES IT WAS AMBIENT TEMP, I bought the head gasket from msa(just like the 25.00 one) and it leaked from both sides of the block just all over though, a bunch of drips that made a small puddle under the car. I think I loosened the bolts too much:( Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eec564 Posted November 14, 2009 Share Posted November 14, 2009 Were you loosening them one at a time or all at once? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stravi757 Posted November 14, 2009 Author Share Posted November 14, 2009 I loosened them all at once. then torqued the back on to spec. so do yous think my gasket is bad now? or is it fine? I did a comp test and my numbers are perfect still. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cygnusx1 Posted November 14, 2009 Share Posted November 14, 2009 Might as well drive it a little, taking care to check the oil and water levels very frequently for a while. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eec564 Posted November 14, 2009 Share Posted November 14, 2009 Yea, re-torquing head bolts is done one at a time on a cold engine. Loosen one, re-torque to spec, in the factory order of installation. If you lifted the head enough to with the engine full of coolant enough to spill any, odds are you have quite a bit in your oil and vise-versa. Take a very close look at your oil for any signs of milkyness - a change of oil and flush of coolant system may very well be in order. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stravi757 Posted November 14, 2009 Author Share Posted November 14, 2009 Yea, re-torquing head bolts is done one at a time on a cold engine. Loosen one, re-torque to spec, in the factory order of installation. If you lifted the head enough to with the engine full of coolant enough to spill any, odds are you have quite a bit in your oil and vise-versa. Take a very close look at your oil for any signs of milkyness - a change of oil and flush of coolant system may very well be in order. Okay, so the fluids may have mixed a little bit, but do you guys think the gasket itself will be fine? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cygnusx1 Posted November 15, 2009 Share Posted November 15, 2009 I had a head gasket get oil on it during assembly due to some oil that was still pooled in a stud hole. That gasket never sealed right. I had to change it again. You could get lucky but I would consider it a marginal part at this point. Use with extreme caution. Keep your eyes peeled. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
morbidsunroof Posted November 24, 2009 Share Posted November 24, 2009 Oil in a stud hole is bad. Fluid is non compressible. It will cause a false torque in best case and a cracked block in worst. BLOW OUT ANY FLUID before assembly. Stravi should be OK albeit with a shorter life expectancy for the gasket. Nick Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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