Strange Headgasket Question

[Joe Cool]

While I was talking with a friend recently he informed me that every car he has done a headgasket/headstud job on has blown it's bottom end apart not too long after. I thought this was interesting because I'd never heard of such a problem myself and assumed that those cars were having other problems.

But as the time comes for me to finish my car I grow more and more concerned about the issue.

I planned on getting MAP's special Cometic/ARP combo and calling it good. But I am now worried about blowing my bottom end out. My car is my daily driver. It's a stock 7 bolt with about 145 on the clock. I haven't recently done a compression test but one done when I purchased the car returned numbers that were above ther service limits.

From my previous automotive knowledge, knowledge of respected local tuners, and common sense it has always been my understanding that you need to do the gaskets and studs if you want to push a lot more boost or you are going to end up lifting the head and pushing coolant.

I have known ONE person who runs an HX35 and 28 lbs of boost on stock head studs and gasket. He tunes with SAFC and he has not pushed any coolant to date. He has been running this setup for almost a year. From what I understand, this is the exception, not the rule.

So my question is simply "Can a headgasket/headstud job really endanger my internals?"

 

[Rob10_99]

No, thats complete bullshit.

If anything you would be victim of a leaky install or it will work perfectly for most things you throw at it.
Just don't throw knock at it!

fyi... don't let your friend touch your car if he can't do a HG without it blowing.

 

[400hp93talon]

That is the most rediculous thing I have ever heard.....I'm sorry but it is....if every car this kid changes headgaskets on blow up....dont let him work on your shit!!! Just make sure you change the oil afterwards and dont screw up the timing!! thats your main concern. As long as your car has been maintaned well it should last quite a bit longer!!

 

[dsm-onster]

From my previous automotive knowledge, knowledge of respected local tuners, and common sense it has always been my understanding that you need to do the gaskets and studs if you want to push a lot more boost or you are going to end up lifting the head and pushing coolant.

I have known ONE person who runs an HX35 and 28 lbs of boost on stock head studs and gasket. He tunes with SAFC and he has not pushed any coolant to date. He has been running this setup for almost a year. From what I understand, this is the exception, not the rule.

A side. . . Was this guy running a 6bolt block? they have larger head bolts. And they can take this kind of beating all day long with a decent tune. But yes a 7bolt would need an upgrade for me to feel it were reliable at such a level.

 

[Calan]

While I was talking with a friend recently he informed me that every car he has done a headgasket/headstud job on has blown it's bottom end apart not too long after.

If you think about it a minute, this isn't as far-fetched as it sounds, especially on a 7-bolt. Here's a thought experiment:

Take a completely stock motor with some miles on it and upgrade the HG, put ARP studs in it, and then crank the boost to 30psi (with proper supporting mods)...what do you think will be the first thing to fail?

I think depending on the condition of the bottom end and how well the top end is put together, it's perfectly plausible. Failure will always move to the weakest link, and the upgraded top could just be shifting that weak link to the bottom end.

EDIT:

Damn I type slow.

 

[tenn-gsx]

This is actually fairly common for high mileage cars. You seal up the top real good and it becomes too much for the old half worn rings. Its even more common when you do a complete head rebuild. Not to say its going to happen every time. Just means that if there is a problem starting on the bottom end it will show its face alot sooner.

 

[steve]

Heck, it can also be a simple as letting the coolant contaminate the bearings and oil.
Maybe he forgets to drain the engine before taking the head off.

 

[donniekak]

A side. . . Was this guy running a 6bolt block? they have larger head bolts. And they can take this kind of beating all day long with a decent tune. But yes a 7bolt would need an upgrade for me to feel it were reliable at such a level.

I have run high boost on stock headbolts and a composite gasket on a 6-bolt. I think the key was e-85. I firmly believe that the 1g headbolts are stronger than the 7-bolt regular arp's and just as strong as the regulat 6-bolt arp's. Case in point, the 3000gt headbolts are the same diameter and thread pitch as the 6-bolt headbolts, people have made 1,000 whp with them.

 

[Joe Cool]

A side. . . Was this guy running a 6bolt block? they have larger head bolts. And they can take this kind of beating all day long with a decent tune. But yes a 7bolt would need an upgrade for me to feel it were reliable at such a level.

It was a stock seven bolt.

So then what is recommended that I do? Its a stock seven bolt with around 150k on the clock. I don't want to risk my bottom end. I want as little risk as possible. I haven't had any issues with pushing coolant yet but I am worried that with the my new setup (e316g water/meth e85 going for 11's) that I may push coolant. I am using ecmlink v3 speed density and I have a well known and reliable tuner doing my work. The car is fully supported. Advice is greatly appreciated and needed.

 

[Afroclipse]

While I was talking with a friend recently he informed me that every car he has done a headgasket/headstud job on has blown it's bottom end apart not too long after. I thought this was interesting because I'd never heard of such a problem myself and assumed that those cars were having other problems.

But as the time comes for me to finish my car I grow more and more concerned about the issue.

I planned on getting MAP's special Cometic/ARP combo and calling it good. But I am now worried about blowing my bottom end out. My car is my daily driver. It's a stock 7 bolt with about 145 on the clock. I haven't recently done a compression test but one done when I purchased the car returned numbers that were above ther service limits.

From my previous automotive knowledge, knowledge of respected local tuners, and common sense it has always been my understanding that you need to do the gaskets and studs if you want to push a lot more boost or you are going to end up lifting the head and pushing coolant.

I have known ONE person who runs an HX35 and 28 lbs of boost on stock head studs and gasket. He tunes with SAFC and he has not pushed any coolant to date. He has been running this setup for almost a year. From what I understand, this is the exception, not the rule.

So my question is simply "Can a headgasket/headstud job really endanger my internals?"

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[jrohner]

While I was talking with a friend recently he informed me that every car he has done a headgasket/headstud job on has blown it's bottom end apart not too long after.

Then he overheated the engine really bad when the head gasket blew, basically wrecking the engine at that time, noticing it AFTER he thought he fixed it by putting in the head gasket and studs (or simply finished off his already fried engine once he got it on the road again). Or: he got a lot of antifreeze in the oil and didn't change the oil, which ate the bearings.

 

[Calan]

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WTF is that ^^^ ?

 

[400hp93talon]

Thats what I was thinkin calan....!

 

[Afroclipse]

Got it from a local site, when ever somebody says or does something that makes you say mmhhmmmm.