I'm about to do a head gasket job on my 2000 4.0
With 240,000 miles. I don't like the stock style bolts that use torque angle. When I pulled them out some felt a lot tighter then others. I would like to use the ARP stud kit so I can use a torque wrench. Have you guys had any experience with the ARP studs?

Thank you,
Willie

 

Good to hear from you Willie!!! Sounds like your elbows deep in oil probably a couple scraped up knuckles by thus point too well it will all be over soon and maybe with a little luck you will get another 240K glad to see your keeping the wheels turning!

Okay jokes & funny business aside, I would recommend at your mileage that you do use the STUD KIT. If your truck is stock or mostly stock ( engine/ headers, yada yada)you will be good to go. The fact that a head gasket job 1 maybe 2 so far have already been done and your block will not hold on to the bolts as well as the STUDS and you may pull the threads doing the 90° turns this time. You will want to get the heads to a good machine shop and have them cleaned and inspected for highly possible wear. Hate to have a valve issue after rebuild and have to tear it back apart. Don't forget to clean the intake and rocker covers before putting it back together and on the 8mm 12pt bolts for the rockers a little locktite will help with them backing out and allowing oil to leak

Okay man if you need anything else you know where to find us!!!

 

Thanks for your advise, I want to keep my rover going as long as I can. I've got a comuter car to give the rover and my wallet a break. I did a head gasket job about 40,000 miles ago but now it's blowing steam out of the exhaust. I'm hoping I don't have a cracked Block or head. I'm going to have a machine shop check the heads for cracks and warpage, then I will pressure test the block.

Willie

 

Yeah you have a real high mileage and depending on the overheates and the mileage you could have a warped block but the only way to have that fixed is to have it out. Now 40 k ago did you have the heads milled by a good machine shop? And remember that you can only mil them so far before having to use shims to avoid a tic.

 

Just finished up a disco 2 head gasket job yesterday and I did use the ARP Stud kit. I used a click type torque and torqued the nuts to 70 ft lbs. I went 15, 30, 45, and finally 70. No pulled threads and engine runs great.