YES, don't forget that, after 100-150 miles, take ur valve cover off and check your head bolt specs or you'll possibly end up doing this whole operation again.

 

Which reminds me... how much do the head bolts have to be torqued. i followed a procedure that Aaron got me. But just wandering what everyone else did?

Oh by the way, I cranked it and everything is GOOD! Loving it too. I missed it. I even drove it for a little bit. I didnt get to take it to school with me, because its like an hour and a half drive, and if something would **** up sometime during the drive, i would be strandled out on the side of the road. LOL! So i just decided to leave it at home, go back this weekend. Drive it around here and there, and check all the fluids again.

 

not sure what the specs are on the 4g63, i don't have my book w/ me... just check your manual or in 100 miles take the cover off and do the same torque specs and that will insure you a tight head that won't come lose, ever.

 

Tell me you REPLACED the head bolts please. and that you torqued in the specified pattern? If you don't have the book (Which I'm assuming you don't as you're asking us for the torque spec for the head bolts) I'm guessing you also don't know the proper tightening sequence? Good way to jack a head up REAL quick AND blow the gasket again. If I'm not mistaken it's probably in the neighborhood of 100 ft/lbs for the torque spec. I'll check when I get home.

 

well the head bolts don't necessarily don't h a v e to be replaced, in the book they tell you to check for "stretch marks" on the head bolts, if they are ok than you should be ok - have friend who replaced head gasked about 2 yrs ago and didn't change the head bolts b/c they were fine, he's still goin strong somewhere in the neighborhood of 25k miles down the road but you just have to make SURE that there are no stretch marks.

 

Thanks Sanguinius for "watching' out for me, but YES i did buy new head bolts and YES i know the pattern, i made sure of all of this before. I asked Aaron because i left my manual at school which is about 1 hour and half away. So I believe it was 54 pounds of torque, then loosen them up, then 1/4 turn, and one last 1/4 turn. So let me know what you guys think?

 

That falls under the "Better to be safe than sorry" category. I.E. do the mechanics working on the car KNOW what stretch marks look like? Quite frankly I'm not willing to skimp on the $ to get the headbolts and run the risk of having mine snap later on down the road due to them not being replaced when they should have. Not to mention the fact that you'll have to try to get the broken piece out of the block without damaging it, replace the head gasket AGAIN, and run the risk of destroying the head because you jacked that up. That's also why I'm installing ARP head studs in my G54B vice head bolts when I rebuild her (Head studs on the way already got a REALLY good deal on them).

 

yes they do, 1 it has a pic in the book about what they look like and 2 one of the guys who had changed a head gasket before bought a head bolt with stretch marks in it to show me what they look like, i checked them, then the other guy checked them, then i had another friend (another mechanic) check them so they were checked 3 times over before deciding that they were ok.

 

Nice! Agree Sanguinius! I didnt want to risk anything. I replaced timing belt, water pump, pulleys, head bolts, HEAD gasket of course, valve cover gasket, all gaskets, balance shaft belt (which i kinda wanted to eliminate, but couldnt because i dont have anything to take the engine out to do it) I just heard that you would have to drop the engine or raise the engine to do it, so i just replaced it. I thinks thats about it... i might have forgot some other stuff. But yeah, i didnt want to risk anything.

By the way RCJr9186. I know exactly what you are talking about. I saw it in the book too. I just didnt want to take a chance at all. I didnt even look at the bolts after taking them out, i just bought new ones.... LOL!

 

yea i know they are only like 25 or 30 bucks at a place called Parks around here but... 1 like i said they looked fine to all of us, and 2 i'm selling the car as soon as i get it back on the road anyways so... i'm not that worried about it.