Loose bolts
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Tuned
Joined: Aug 2007
Posts: 287
Likes: 1
Loose bolts
What's the concenses on retighting bolts after a engine rebuild?
I did mine 5000 miles ago with everything torqued to specs. I thought that was all I had to do. I had a coolant leak for the last few weeks that's been driving me nuts. By searching this forum I was able to pinpoint the problem - a leaking timing chain cover gasket. I thought I was in for a water pump/timing chain redo. I decided to try tightening the bolts and found they were all 1/4 to 1/2 turn loose! I tightened them up and that stopped the leak - hopefully for good. It's too cold to be chainging out parts.
Do other engine bolts need re torquing too?
I did mine 5000 miles ago with everything torqued to specs. I thought that was all I had to do. I had a coolant leak for the last few weeks that's been driving me nuts. By searching this forum I was able to pinpoint the problem - a leaking timing chain cover gasket. I thought I was in for a water pump/timing chain redo. I decided to try tightening the bolts and found they were all 1/4 to 1/2 turn loose! I tightened them up and that stopped the leak - hopefully for good. It's too cold to be chainging out parts.
Do other engine bolts need re torquing too?
Laughing Gas
Joined: Oct 2005
Posts: 1,226
Likes: 42
From: The OC
Normally no, I couldn't imagine having to re-torque engine bolts a year or two down the line. I normally go a few lbs above torque to compensate for the stretch. Have you had the torque wrench checked?
Thread Starter
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Tuned
Joined: Aug 2007
Posts: 287
Likes: 1
No I havn't. The torque wrench I use is the pro type that has the handle that turns to set the torque. When you reach the set point there is an audible click/bump. It goes from 25 to over 225 lbs.
I know when I put on the lower and upper manifolds and exhaust manifolds I went to the high side of the recomended torque.
I had cleaned and lubed each bolt with oil prior reassembly - I had read that this provided for more correct torque. Hope that was a correct move!
I know when I put on the lower and upper manifolds and exhaust manifolds I went to the high side of the recomended torque.
I had cleaned and lubed each bolt with oil prior reassembly - I had read that this provided for more correct torque. Hope that was a correct move!
Lead Driver
Joined: Nov 2002
Posts: 9,556
Likes: 43
From: Concord, NC
A torque wrench with a lower range would be helpful for the smaller stuff. Most click-type torque wrenches aren't as accurate at the extremes of their rated range. The intake manifold and front cover bolts fall right at the bottom of the range of your torque wrench. The valve cover and intake manifold gaskets I got last time said to torque them twice after letting them sit (these were cork gaskets). The rest of the gaskets should be fine with torquing the bolts once. Overtorquing is as bad as undertorquing.
