Head bolts

[NTRCOOL]

Should I get new head bolts or are the old ones reusable?

[FestYboy]

reuse them after a good cleaning and a LIGHT coating of oil.

[Festy46]

And run a tap down each head bolt hole to clean the threads so you get a good correct torque.

[perucho]

Should I get new head bolts or are the old ones reusable?

Measure them! If they are within specs, use them. If they are too long throw them away.

[NTRCOOL]

What is the spec length? the reason I'm asking because when I pulled the head after I seen a major amount of steam coming between the head and the block, there was burn marks between each cylinder but the outside seemed fine. I am also worried that the head also might be warpped.

[perucho]

What is the spec length? ... I am also worried that the head also might be warpped.

I just looked in the manual and couldn't find the head bolt length. You can probably go to your local dealer or auto parts store and measure a new head bolt.

Your head is warped. Have it machined before you put everything back together or you will be doing it all over again.

[FestYboy]

there is no head bolt length spec.... that's for TTY bolts, which we don't have.

[perucho]

there is no head bolt length spec.... that's for TTY bolts, which we don't have.

There has to be a design length for those bolts. If the stock bolts have been stretched too much they are useless and he should be replacing them.

[Movin]

Use your micrometer eye..

[fastivaB6TG25MR]

i just put em all side by side and if they are all the same reuse them. there is little chance they all stretched equally.

[denguy]

"Trust but verify". I, for one, would like to know where it is officially written that the factory festy head bolts are not "TTY", torque to yield.

[iceracerdude]

In the haynes manual for one. The second clue columbo, is the tightening sequence.
If you've ever had experience with tty bolts, you'd know that there's more than three steps involved and at least one of those steps involves degrees or angle, not foot pounds.
New bolts are not that expensive by the way, if you did want to go with that. That is, if you don't go ARP.
I will give you a litte bit of advice from my experience. After you have re-placed the festy/aspire/b3/b6 head, heat cycle the engine a few times, figure a few trips totaling a couple hundred miles. Pull the valve cover back off, and do a re-torque. Don' be surprized to see some of the bolts might need it! good luck.

[denguy]

I kinda thought the car companies used TTY head bolts because when they tighten them down at the factory they are like rubbery or elastic so that they keep pulling down on the head after any initial shifting around takes place, taking up any differences that might occur after the new car is driven. That way all the customers don't have to take their cars back to the dealer to have the heads re-torked. TTY bolts, I think, lose that feature after they are used once and probably don't respond the same way to the tork specs. ARP bolts are made different and can be re-used, but should be re-toked after a few heat cycles. Anyway, how's that sound?

[perucho]

Sounds like you kinda thought

[nitrofarm]

ARP bolts are made different and can be re-used, but should be re-toked after a few heat cycles. Anyway, how's that sound?

I always like "Re-Toking" after my heat cycle. Or should I saaaayyy my "Bake" cycle.