L

lordluke1995

New Member
right going to buy head gasket today,

do i really need to replace head bolts ? bit skint and dont know how much they will cost :/ going to get it skimmed/cracked

off on a completely different note, anyone got the wiring diagram for a 200 alternator ? ..

sorry i have searched but no ones beed clear in their titles ;)
 
iv rang two garages, one said you can reuse and its only the td4/5 that need them, and the other said every 3rd head gasket ? heeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeelllllllllppppppppppppppp
 
So long as they weren't over-tightened and retain their original 'new' length when taken out they can be re-used. 3 gaskets is a 'rule of thumb'.

(Very simplistically) When they are originally put in, head bolts stretch a little, elastically, to achieve a known clamping force at a known torque. After a couple of uses they lose an amount of this elasticity and won't apply the same force when tightened to the correct torque so need replacing. If you can get the exact length of a new, unused one, and measure the old you can get an idea of how far they've stretched and whether they're re-usable. I wouldn't re-use bolts more than about 3% elongated. And I wouldn't try to over torque to compensate, as many bodgers do, it's the elasticity providing the clamping force, not how tight they are!
 
For the sake of £20 is it worth not replacing them???

AND do you know how many times they might have been used before???

Daz
 
Last edited:
DISCOVERY1-DAZ said:
For the sake of £20 is it worth not replacing them???

AND do you know how many times they might have been used before???

Daz
Click to expand...

But he asked if he can ... to which the answer is yes, mostly, you're answering a different question is all .. ;)
 
right i see, well seen as im spending 50 quid on crack + skim and water pump as well i might aswell !

in answer to your question, no i dont know how many times theyve been done, will price it all up today ....
 
I thought you might notice that :lol: but I have no problem using B***part headset (less head gasket) and I think the bolts would be ok too..
But if you want to spend £55 on bolts then be my guest :)
 
well yes i suppose, i see your point ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

i looked on autodata and it says ya dont have to ! ... so what ya all going to say to that !
 
Just to get a few things straight. Stretch head bolts are not designed to stretch when being torqued as many think. They are designed to stretch in use. On the first alloy headed engines solid heavy studs were used. As the head expanded and contracted in use the alloy wore away under the head nut washers causing the head to loosen. Stretch bolt just stretch and contract with the head expansion to prevent this from happening. They can be reused several times.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

A
P38A Head Gasket Kit & ARP Bolts ?
2
Replies
23
Views
780
enjoi
enjoi
C
300tdi head gasket failure issues
Replies
2
Views
1K
Chris6640
C
MikeFl4
P38A Possible coolant in oil
Replies
9
Views
915
Datatek
Datatek
xDParis64
Freelander 1 Converting from wasted spark to distributor (or Visa Versa)
Replies
0
Views
326
xDParis64
xDParis64
Intestinalworm
Disco 2 Head Gasket Renewal - Other Items?
Replies
19
Views
2K
Intestinalworm
Intestinalworm