[Vwdiesel] Seven year Experiment with TTY Headbolts

Thu Aug 1 18:44:46 PDT 2013

Dsldub81, 
You could well be right. I can remember siing it based upon too small would try and expand the hole,and ripping it, and too large, and the bearing would be 
bending the shield too far from the hole... Not a problem for 2 to 4 reuses, but not for 15 ;o). 
This is why I also stopped any attempt to fully reform.
However, most users of this technique probably wish to restrict reuse to a few times, or even merely to have the knowledge in the back of the mind for an 
emergency. I however was searching for the boundaries, to lay down possible safety factors for others.
As for the safety factor for the headbolts... I dunno :o) 
What I do know, is that my next set of bolts will last longer, because at the start of the experiment I was doing 45 degree angle torques in place of the 90 
degrees. So part of that will have been building up the pressure from 55lb or what ever, and part elastic, and part plastic... 

I have also always been constrained by the fact that I paid £29-38p for the car, and merely giving twice that just for fuel is painful

Mark

========================================
Message Received: Aug 02 2013, 12:01 AM
From: "dsldub81" 
To: "Mark Shepherd" , "Bryan Belman" , "vwdiesel at vwfans.com" 
Cc: 
Subject: Re: [Vwdiesel] Seven year Experiment with TTY Headbolts

Ball out of VW CV joint works great.

________________________________
From: Mark Shepherd 
To: Bryan Belman ; vwdiesel at vwfans.com 
Sent: Thursday, August 1, 2013 5:51 PM
Subject: Re: [Vwdiesel] Seven year Experiment with TTY Headbolts

I've not tried it but maybe a small marble like out of a solitaire game. How about the bearings out of Magnetix framework buiding stuff for children.....
Mark
========================================
Message Received: Aug 01 2013, 09:02 PM
From: "Bryan Belman" 
To: "Mark Shepherd" 
Cc: 
Subject: Re: [Vwdiesel] Seven year Experiment with TTY Headbolts

Mark, thanks for the instructions.
I will give it a try if I can find the right size ball bearing.  I do not have many of these hanging around.
I am a pack rat, but ball bearing are something I usually take to the scrap yard in my buckets of saved steal, nails, whatever I find around.

Bryan Belman, Pt. Pleasant, NJ
04 Jetta Wagon TDI PD, 100hp, 5sp -- running :<)
04 Golf TDI PD, 100hp, 5sp Tiptronic Auto -- not running well :<(
82 Diesel Westy 1.9NA -- running :<)
70 Type 1 Beetle -- Under Restoration (hey, it's a painted body shell now) :-)

________________________________
From: Mark Shepherd 
To: Bryan Belman ; vwdiesel at vwfans.com 
Sent: Monday, July 29, 2013 6:29 PM
Subject: Re: [Vwdiesel] Seven year Experiment with TTY Headbolts

Hi Bryan.
Reuse used to be as offensive as being called non-patriotic, but times change... 
I keep the shields in their original position, because if you look at their undersides; they are rough milled, and pretty well individual like ridges on a music 
record press die. Each time a new shield is used it cuts new furrows into the soft flesh underneath as sure as a farmer ploughs a field.And wears it out

The best method I've found and proved by my experiment is to use a pair of vice grips, a ball-bearing of about 3/8" diameter, and either a 3/4" [19mm] 
nut, 
or a similar sized 1/2"-ish deep piece of tubing or sleeve spacer, that the top of the shield can rest on. 
On top of that [the bottom of the shield ] rests the bearing. The bearing will push evenly around the inner distorted part of the shield. If too small it will try 
and 
tear a larger hole through the shield. 
The test is to put an unreformed shield on it's injector. It will lie flush. Compare with a brand new one.

After clamping you want about a thumbnails thickness of gap. Maybe 12 thou. You do not need to reform back to it's original gap, but too little and the 
seal 
will not [may not] be tight enough. 
The secret of the ball bearing is it pushes evenly. The benefit of the vice grips is that you can repeat the same procedure for each shield, and easily 
adjust. 

Re sealing by the injector, smears the shield inner edge to almost a wring fit over a few repeats, and fits snuggly where it was before into the head ledge.

I don't suggest reusing 15 times like I did, but as a safety factor, say 3 or 4 times, must be reasonable. The only failure I had was one shield during 
reforming. 
Thinking rationally, that is the only time they can fail, as the bearing is small enough to strain the hole, and if it survives that, then under the injector, it is 
being compressed, so that I probably could have reused the ripped one, but that would have been 'Taking the Michael'. 

Here is a picture of the gap test and of the setup.

http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/156/resetshim.jpg/

http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/709/meteredreshapeofshim.jpg/

========================================
Message Received: Jul 29 2013, 09:44 PM
From: "Bryan Belman" 
To: "Mark Shepherd" 
Cc: 
Subject: Re: [Vwdiesel] Seven year Experiment with TTY Headbolts

Great write up Mark.  nice to see you back on the list.
Do you have a write up on how you freshen up your heat shield so they can be re-used.  I have always thought that to be silly, they could not be one time 
use.

thanks
I have to put new lifters in my 1.9NA and just pulled the injectors, would like to re-use heat shields.

Bryan Belman, Pt. Pleasant, NJ
04 Jetta Wagon TDI PD, 100hp, 5sp -- running :<)
04 Golf TDI PD, 100hp, 5sp Tiptronic Auto -- not running well :<(
82 Diesel Westy 1.9NA -- running :<)
70 Type 1 Beetle -- Under Restoration (hey, it's a painted body shell now) :-)

________________________________
From: Mark Shepherd 
To: vwdiesel at vwfans.com 
Sent: Thursday, July 18, 2013 9:21 PM
Subject: [Vwdiesel] Seven year Experiment with TTY Headbolts

TTY bolts. ~What are they? They are merely normal bolts. They have a 10.9 rating. I see of no benefit of angular torquing beyond torque to yield which is 
what people are doing when following the basic instructions. Especially if a readable scale torque wrench is available. Rename the bolts TIP, or Torque 
Into 
Plastic. Consigning the bolt to single use, or possibly one reuse, is wasteful, and a money making exercise for industry, just as VW killed off all those 
slightly 
warped heads, before changing their mind after ceasing production! Security shear bolts are the only ones that should be treated this way. 
At least one book of old that I have talks about strengthening of the bolt by taking it to near it’s limit and then relaxing it, before reapplying torque... 
Sounds 
like work hardening to me, albeit minimal repetitions. 

Below is the story of my current engine which was probably manufactured in 1983/4, and its last 7 years with a single set of new head bolts... A recent, 
(last 
month) picture of one of my bolts and someone else’s single use...

http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/5/8taq.jpg/

Oct 2005 bought the gold 1985 Quantum TD wagon

March 2006 bought the 1.6 gasser silver Quantum wagon [current car]
August 2006 Transferred the mech TD engine into silver car.

August 2008 Gasket failed. Hand skimmed warped head.

http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/98/eighthabradesi1.jpg/

New gasket, new bolts. Torqued TO Yield point, but no further. Slackened each bolt in turn on engine warm, and again torqued up to yield point. No leaks. 
First head bolt use #0

Sept 2010 engine becoming harder to start for the last month. Head off, Pistons good, but marked from continuous valve clash due to that admittedly 
over-
zealous head skim 2 years earlier. 

http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/834/number1piston.jpg/

All bearings as new, and so not replaced, nor the still good tensioner, nor the unfrayed belt. 7 rings stuck, 160 thou gap;

http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/809/imgp9942.jpg/

So I replaced rings $22 per engine, from Autohause:
Conceived and implemented my infamous ‘Plastic Bottle Hone‘. 
Reassembled. Same headgasket; seeing as it had not leaked, nor stuck to the engine/head, so it had to be a good fit IMO.

Not able to stop valves kissing pistons as this current gasket is a 3 hole. 
Reused the same head bolts, as they didn’t seem to be stretched. Again torqued them only up to yield point [measured with expensive Snap on T wrench, 
which was a gift ;o) ] Headbolt reuse #1

Car ran well other than a little noisy, minimal oil use, mostly losses through leaks. 

Over the years I conducted numerous experiments with injecton timing, nozzles, and break pressures; reusing each heatshield and injector body in it’s 
allocated cylinder from 2005. Managed to change economy from 36 to a respectable 48 around town and from 39 to it’s current 61.5 on the interstate 
@60ish mph

In 2012 I changed the heatshields for new ones, after one cracked when reforming using my ‘metered reforming’ vice grips and nut and ball bearing 
technique. This was after 64 reforms between them, or effectively on the 16th reuse of the 4 heatshields. Only 4 times had a shield leaked. Previously, 
somewhere on the GTD forum is a little competition that I set for the experts to spot single use shields from 7 or was it 9 reuses... Here it is:

http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/687/eightoldshims.jpg/

I demonstrated that reuse of a heatshield, can be better than a new one... Here’s further proof: Only one year after changing to new shields, and due to 
the problem I created and am about to mention below; I had to change heads and wanted to carry injectors across because they are set accurately to 
130bar, with timing set to a bewildering 22.5 thou, and interstate driving returning 61.5mpg. The #2 injector has stuck on the first use of the new shield:

http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/687/imgp2147ro.jpg/

April 2013 head gasket leak. Corrosion bridging across metal of gasket and into water jacket. Replaced gasket. Same bolts torqued per spec, except 
once 
more stopping immediately plastic point reached each time, and released each bolt before final retorquing. This is bolt reuse #2

About a month ago, (June 2013) I decided to please my daughter by quieting the engine down. Only solution I felt was a ‘new’ unskimmed head, or a 
homemade gasket. I added a 0.5mm aluminium roofing sheet. Reuse of head bolts! #3

http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/818/jmes.jpg/

Car ran, but injection timing had altered Slightly harder to start. Before I could do more tests, cam belt snapped after two journeys totaling 7 miles. It was 
an 
old belt. 
Ironically, it happened on the route to pick up a ’new’ head. A German made one off a 1.6N/A van.

It turns out the belt jumped and the cam was snapped off at #3 and # 4 lobes. Why did it jump? Well, I discovered after the final cam timing tweak, I’d 
forgotten to tighten the nut on the tensioner, and the nut was loose. I managed to get the new head. Marks on the pistons slightly worse than normal, but 
otherwise seemed fine. I did order new head bolts, but as I couldn’t wait, I reused the old ones yet again! So headbolt use #5
Note had the old belt been replaced, the new belt is actually nearly 2mm thicker, and is a tight fit on even a slack tensioner, and wouldn’t have jumped. :o(

http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/836/nydo.jpg/

Can a belt be too strong and damage the engine more than a weaker, but sufficient belt? 

I was given the second hand bolts with the ‘new’ head. I had intended to use these bolts, but as you can see in the picture; typically, most were longer 
than 
my ones, and, clearly sent well into the plastic region..

http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/5/8taq.jpg/.

The vendor stated that the engine had been stripped because of a head gasket leak. 
Using the new head, has so far, been successful this last month, so he was telling the truth. I don’t know if he tried to torque up the head to stop the leaks, 
or not, so the stretch may, or may not be standard, but clearly more damaging to the bolt than my technique despite their 5th use...

My retorqueing reaches about 95 to 105 lb-ft, I believe these bolts are 10.9 strength. It would appear that the torque is sufficient to hold the head onto the 
gasket 
As the new head bolts have arrived, I will be able to compare his single use bolts with new. Perhaps I will take one of my ‘reuseable’ bolts out of the head 
and compare; but maybe that will tempt fate, so I’ll wait until I need to remove head. 
Last Saturday,the car passed it’s annual test. 0.9% smoke on the ‘fast’ test from cold...

EDIT:
It would appear that these bolts predate my ownership, as I can only find the saved bolts from my first diesel Quantum. The head on the Gold Quantum 
was 
an AML /[C]? Copy and conveniently had belt change date and mileage written on the fender. It was about 40,000 miles before my issue with warped 
head. 
So short bolt in picture had been used 5 times and is now on it's 6th...

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