I have the RAVE; I’ve watched the Atlantic British mechanic video....

I did the 15fpd torque in the center out circular pattern, and then 90° Same pattern, wait 15m and then 90° again in the same pattern.

when I finished the 1st 90° pattern bolts were damn near loose enough to remove by hand; the 2nd 90° pass feels as if there is absolutely no torque value.

this can’t possibly be right....?

my head is not warped; my block is not warped....

what actual torque value are people using for their head gasket replacement?

if this is the actual torque value....no wonder these things are renowned for blowing gaskets.

Doc

 

That last 90 is so hard you need a long bar to get it, I have not measured but it is probably 120ft lbs. You have another problem. You can remove the heads and check your gasket compression if you like. I have measured the post removal gasket compression and it is around .023 (I have several old sets kicking around, if you decide to do it let me know and I will measure it definitively in several spots)

 

I think you are on the wrong side of this.....

I’ve completed the entire process....15fps torque, 90° wait, another 90°....and there is NO torque value; I can still tighten the bolts, “all of them”; there is no torque on the bolts using that process. the bolts are still loose....I do not mean “loose” like stripped threads or anything; I mean they aren’t properly “tight”.

 

Even s bolt torqued to 15 foot pounds...you shouldn't be able to turn with your fingers. You are doing something wrong. Just torqued the heads on my last build a few weeks ago, 15 foot pounds, 90°, 90°...snapped my old craftsman breaker bar...had a 15 inch pipe on the end of it to make final 90° angle torque.

What are you using for the first torque?

Brian.

 

Are you sure you're using foot pounds...and not inch pounds?

 

TTY Bolts, and 15 foot pounds, then 90 turn, and the final 90 turn with a large breaker bar. If they're loose you've got something going on.

 

craftsman dial to torque 1/2 drive, 24” digital.

 

Stripped the threads by chance? I've heard a lot of stories of people doing just that using TTY bolts on Rover V8's.

 

Yep

 

the bolts are not stripped; there was never enough tension on the bolts to create a situation that would strip the threads.