Hi,

Does anyone know which ones are stretch bolts and need replacing when doing the timing belt on a 2004 Mk1 1.9 1u5 Octy?

AI is doing my head in today telling me different numbers

Cheers

Vijay

When I did my MK2 I just reused the originals and have had no problems although I believe they are stretch bolts so should have been replaced. Think if it gives a torque and then a degree angle they are stretch. If its just a torque setting then they are not.

Alasdair

Hello bud,

Exactly as I've read, anything 1/4 torn are stretch. Ai tells me they are an extra turn but I'll try and look into it further. Someone on a fb page said he's always just reused them without a worry

Angle tightening is essential for fasteners that are taken into the plastic region, but far more often it is simply a far more accurate way of tensioning a(ny) bolt compared to torque alone.

The impact and variability of friction when tightening only by torque creates wide uncertainty in the achieved pre-tension.

Angle tightening is independent of friction because the bolt extension is directly related to thread pitch and the angle used.

Smaller torque plus angle gives a far more predictable outcome.

So it's just a better way of tightening important fasteners, not a guarantee that the bolt in question is permanently lengthened in each usage.