Thoughts and advise please people. I have an ASZ-engined VRS. I thought I'd do the swap over to the ARL head bolts to avoid problems in the future.  I've done a few head gaskets in the past, but never done a bolt swap, so I'm wondering if I got it wrong.

 

I bought the bolts from Darkside, and swapped them over one at a time, taking the first one in the tightening sequence out and swapping it first, and so on to the last. I did this before doing the final 90 degree tighten. So essentially.:

 

Take bolt number 1 out. Replace bolt number 1, tighten to 40Nm, give it a minute, tighten to 60Nm, give it a minute, add 90 degrees.

Did the rest, then went back to number 1 and gave it another 90, then the same for the rest.

 

I did about 60 miles today, and might be getting paranoid, but I think I saw a bit more vapour than usual in the exhaust. There's also a bit of wet oil in the exhaust tip. I've filled the coolant and oil to the max lines, so i can keep an eye on it. 

 

Have I done anything wrong? Annoyingly, the bolts I took out look the same as the ones I put in, so I think someone might have already done the job in the past, but you only get to know this when you've pulled a bolt out.

I would have replaced the head gasket and fitted the new bolts tightening them in the correct sequence. Not sure what distortion would take place by removing one bolt at a time and then replacing them. 

Yeah, I'd probably have done the same, but a fair few people on here seem to have just changed the bolts and pulled it off, so I thought I'd give it a shot.

Why didn't you just go FT on each one before moving onto the next, that's the way it's supposed to be done.

Give it a few days, I think your paranoia idea might be all there is to it.

@Wino Here's hoping!

 

1 hour ago, sepulchrave said:

Why didn't you just go FT on each one before moving onto the next, that's the way it's supposed to be done.

 

Go 'til the torque wrench clicks, then keep turning until you hear tyres sliding on gravel? 

Edited 12 March, 20197 yr by StevesTruck

3 minutes ago, StevesTruck said:

Go 'til the torque wrench clicks, then keep turning until you hear tyres sliding on gravel? 

 

I mean you didn't do the final 90 until you had changed them all so the head was unevenly compressed during the operation.

 

FT means fully tight.

Thanks, I'm with you now. Sorry, FT means Fg tight in my social circle 

 

My thinking was use the last 90 to pull out any uneveness. 

Edited 12 March, 20197 yr by StevesTruck

In the words of Garbage..... I think I'm paranoid. 

 

I did about 30 miles on some back roads giving it a bit of beans today and the coolant doesn't look to have gone down. No signs of vapour from the exhaust, so it must have been spray.

 

Still feeling a bit twitchy about it though 

3 minutes ago, StevesTruck said:

In the words of Garbage..... I think I'm paranoid. 

 

I did about 30 miles on some back roads giving it a bit of beans today and the coolant doesn't look to have gone down. No signs of vapour from the exhaust, so it must have been spray.

 

Still feeling a bit twitchy about it though 

 

So pucker up and be patient, only time will tell.