Head Studs Need Info Stat !!!

[dwc4g63]

Hello, just did a fresh rebuild including all the maintenence/timing parts with OEM parts. I get the thing running and it immediately overheats(at idle for 30 seconds before i turned it off) and blows heaps of white smoke everywhere. I tore it back apart today to try to figure out what it was, both mating surfaces were machined,new ARP studs torqued to 85 with moly lube, and a mitsu 4 layer metal gasket, this was used on my old car but only has 500 miles on it and according to the add it is reusable?. It was leaking so bad i didnt even bother with a compression or leak down test, as it was extremely obvious there was coolant in the cylinders. So i get it all apart and everything looks fine, there's no warpage in the head, and their are no visual blemishes on the gasket, but theres puddles of coolant/oil in all four cylinder walls and in every crack and crevice in the block. So it doesnt look like the gasket was sealed anywhere!?! The only thing im not sure about is when i was taking the head studs out after I broke the torque and got the nut off, the stud could be turned easily by hand? Is it supposed to be able to do that I never torqued the studs to the block just the nuts after the head was on, is this right?

1. did I torque the studs right?
2. other than the oil and coolant do i need to replace anything else?
3. Is this head gasket reusable? (either way im getting a new one, just trying to figure out what went wrong here.

 

[luv2rallye]

Don't EVER re-use a head gasket whether they say it's possible or not. And don't put anything on it (no sealants). Did you torque the head in the proper cross pattern in 3 step layers? Are the studs with nuts you refer to holding the intake or exhaust manifolds or what? If so, yes you just torque the nuts. Did you replace the water pump and it's o-ring?

 

[SinaiTSi]

Did you torque your studs in the proper sequence? If you didn't, it's possible that you warped your head. There is a sequence in the service manual on how to loosen your head bolts and then, when you tighten them, it's the opposite. If you were looking down head on at your engine bay from the front of the car, this is the tightening sequence.

7 5 2 4 10
9 3 1 6 8

You should also torque them gradually, going from 30 then 65 then 90 (ft./lbs.) When putting the studs directly in the block, I tightened them by hand, then took vice grips to the non-threaded part and made them a little more snug. I just did a head rebuild 1500 miles ago with no problems whatsoever and those are the steps I used. As far as replacing anything other than coolant and oil, it's very possible that you warped your head even if it was resurfaced before you reinstalled it if you didn't tighten the ARP's correctly. You might want to check that. Hope that all helps.

 

[dwc4g63]

I am talking about the head studs here... Yes I did follow the sequence for tightening and for loosening the bolts, right out of the haynes manual, and yes i did torque them down in stages. I also installed the gasket dry. Is it possible to check the head in my garage with common tools or do i need to take this to a machine shop? Once again, it looks like there werent any parts of the gasket that sealed it was leaking in all 4 cylinders and to the outside of the block, is this common for a warped head or does it sound like i used a bogus gasket? Also are you saying i need to replace the water pump and 0 ring again? They are brand new and now have literally .2 miles on them?

 

[luv2rallye]

You can check the head for flatness by placing a very sturdy, absolutely straight, METAL straightedge (like a thick 24" metal square) diagonally across the flat surface. There should be no gaps underneath (check with feeler gauge). Off hand I wouldn't think a warped head would leak in all 4 cylinders unless it was really bad. Sounds more like you have a bad gasket or used the wrong one. I would go talk to a professional engine machine shop guy that does heads to get his opinion (and take the head with you if it's out). I was just asking if you changed the water pump - no you don't have to get another one.

 

[SinaiTSi]

Yeah, if you did torque them down in that sequence and gradually, then you shouldn't have warped anything. The only thing I can think of is that both surfaces weren't perfectly flat, even though you said they were, it's possible that they weren't done perfectly, high unlikely though. What I really believe that problem is that it's just a bad gasket somehow. The metal gaskets are great for holding boost, the only problem is that everything has to be perfectly flat and all seal up good for it not too leak. I was gonna suggest just going with the oem gasket, since they are softer, they will conform to their surface better in turn sealing better, obviously the only problem is they won't hold as much boost. But it looks like you are building your car up pretty good and you'll need a stronger gasket. Like luv2rallye suggested, have a experienced guy at a machine shop look at your surfaces, and then get a new gasket. Good luck.

 

[jasteel13]

as long as all the threads are in the block the stud can be somewhat loose before tightening the nuts, i have had mine loose a few times after breaking the nut loose. When you torque down the nut it puts pressure on all the threads in the block.