[V6-12v] A brainstorm (?)

[The CyberPoet]

I would think that the head gasket bolts actually have a proper torque 
value listed somewhere in the manuals. If it states the torque value 
anywhere, go with that rather than this many turns or that many turns. 
The bolts may be loose enough to not compress the gaskets well... keep 
digging.

Cheers
=-= Marc Glasgow

On Saturday, September 11, 2004, at 01:28  PM, apowell at colocougs.org 
wrote:

> So I'm sitting here lamenting the continuing oil leak in my 1993 90Q's 
> motor. I've replaced all the
> normally leaky gaskets except camshaft end seals, head gaskets and 
> rear main.
>
> And after I did the work (including valley pan gasket) it leaks oil 
> faster than before!!
>
> WHY, I have asked myself repeatedly, is it leaking more oil now than 
> it did before I replaced this
> stuff?? (The timing belt, serpentine belt, water pump and idlers, 
> valve cover gaskets, and valley
> pan and intake manifold gaskets.)
>
> BUT - a thought just found itself in unfamiliar territory - my 
> conscious mind.
>
> I had to pull the intake manifold to replace the valley pan gasket. 
> There are two schools of
> thought - one school (and the factory manual CD) says you must all the 
> head bolts 1/4 turn after
> removing and re-installing the intake manifold. The other school says 
> that this procedure was only
> added to the manual in the last couple of years, and it's not 
> necessary to turn the bolts.
>
> Being a lazy-butt, I seized on school of thought number two and didn't 
> turn the bolts.
>
> But - MAYBE I do have the head gasket leak I don't want. And usually 
> IF it's a head gasket, it's the
> driver's side head gasket, which is where the leak seems to be worst. 
> And MAYBE when I didn't turn
> the bolts 1/4 turn, failing to do this allowed the leak to get worse 
> by letting the hole open up
> slightly. And logically, that's about the only thing I can think of 
> that might have made the leak
> worse.
>
> So MAYBE if I pop those valve covers off tomorrow and turn all the 
> head bolts 1/4 turn as per the
> factory recommendation, the leak will at least SLOW DOWN.  And if it 
> does, I will know where the
> leak is!!!!!  And I have nothing to lose, because this procedure is 
> approved by the factory.
>
> I don't want to pull that head, but if I have to, I will. But it's 
> such a pain that I need to
> really, really convince myself that it's the problem.
>
> Anyone see a problem with this logic??
>
> I'm thinking that Sunday afternoon would be a great time for this 
> bolt-turning procedure.
>
> ************************************
> Al Powell
> apowell at gocougs.wsu.edu
> 1958 Fiat 1200 Transformabile Spyder
> 1983 Datsun 280ZX Turbo
> 1993 Audi 90Q
> 1997 Chebby Blazer
> 1999 Chebby Blazer
> ************************************
>
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