Do head bolts heat cycle?
Captain
Joined: Jul 2008
Posts: 678
Likes: 1
From: Houston, TX
head bolts are good for 1 retorque at the most... after that swap them out for ARP's that will probably last a lifetime. I had headgasket failure when putting on new RT's a few years back, traced it down to the headbolts not clamping the head down correctly. one side for sure had been pulled apart previously by myself and I dont recall if the bolts were mixed up or not prior to the new head swap.
also fwiw, ARP's ran $75 from summit, new ones from dodge were ~$65. If you do swap them, get a bottle of 30wt oil and dip the treads prior to the install and torque to 85 ftlbs.
also fwiw, ARP's ran $75 from summit, new ones from dodge were ~$65. If you do swap them, get a bottle of 30wt oil and dip the treads prior to the install and torque to 85 ftlbs.
If you use oil on the threads instead of sealant, I would think you run the risk of jacket water getting past the threads if the "blind" hole is not exactly blind. I realize it's all about bolt stretch and clamping force, but I just wouldn't feel comfortable at all lubricating head bolt threads at install.
Hall Of Fame
Joined: Jan 2004
Posts: 12,946
Likes: 309
Were yours the ARP's? I should go see if I have the instructions still... I may have dumped into the folder I gave the new owner. There are no water jacket passages to deal with... your bolting them into the block. I will say that the RT heads I installed had the end bolt holes going into the water jackets... I had to stud all 4 corners to get it done right.
Hall Of Fame
Joined: Jan 2004
Posts: 12,946
Likes: 309
found the thread with my head swap saga...
https://dodgeforum.com/forum/2nd-gen...or-update.html
I think if you look towards the end you will find the info on the ARP's... not 100% sure but i'll start reading through it.
edit: just looked through it and it is not the thread I thought it was. I am not able to find where I concluded to use the 85 ftlbs of torque... (per the arp instructions).
https://dodgeforum.com/forum/2nd-gen...or-update.html
I think if you look towards the end you will find the info on the ARP's... not 100% sure but i'll start reading through it.
edit: just looked through it and it is not the thread I thought it was. I am not able to find where I concluded to use the 85 ftlbs of torque... (per the arp instructions).
Last edited by steve05ram360; Mar 29, 2009 at 02:03 AM.
