Nero Morg
Top Post Dawg
I'm going to run a VNT17, Bosio 1019's, and a BRM intake. I'll have to chat with Malone about what stage tune to run. Mostly doing the ARP's as insurance, but also because they are reusable in case I have to pull the head
ARP2000 ALH Head Stud Install (trying to stop a coolant leak)
- Thread starter DaveLinger
- Start date
I'm going to run a VNT17, Bosio 1019's, and a BRM intake. I'll have to chat with Malone about what stage tune to run. Mostly doing the ARP's as insurance, but also because they are reusable in case I have to pull the head
bassman5066
Veteran Member
- Joined
- Apr 8, 2011
- Location
- Honey Brook PA
- TDI
- 2011 Golf 2 Door TDI (sold back for Dieselgate), 91 Golf 4 Door with 1Z swap
Will be trying this in the next week or two. I put together my 1Z last year and the head had been cleaned up and shaved my my local machine shop so should be nice and straight. Used a brand new 2 hole gasket with new OEM head bolts. I started having coolant loss issues that manifested by my overflow tank filling up on my daily commute (at the time was running an inline filler with separate overflow) and never sucking the coolant back in. At the time I chalked it up to my non OEM coolant filler/overflow solution and went back to the stock bubble and it seemed better. But then the issue came back. Most of this summer I have just been topping it off with water. Once a day if I drive it hard, but can go 3-5 days if I drive conservatively. Hoping that I am just experiencing slight head lift due to running 22 PSI and lots of fuel and that these studs will be the fix. Figuring worst case, I would have spent half the cost on OEM head bolts anyway so why not give it a shot.
Franko6
Vendor , w/Business number
This can be a very tough lesson if a leaking head gasket is caused by a warped cylinder head.
This is the repeatable event we have seen:
Head gasket leak causes the customer to attempt either head bolt or head bolt and head gasket repair. If it still leaks, the most likely event is caused from overheat. I know... I get told, "It never overheated", when in truth, most people don't know how hot the engine is running, because the temp gauge on the dash is the ultimate liar. At actual water temp of 175 f, the gauge claims 190. At 210-215f, the gauge finally moves from 190 and then, quickly advances. An engine run constantly at 210 is running too hot and will eventually cause warping of the head.
Head bolts may be able to pull a slight warp back into shape, but it's more a bandaid repair than the fix.
Even worse, when a head is warped and the machinist, unwittingly, decks the head gasket surface of the cylinder head, what happens is the warp is now BUILT into the cam journals. The head does not warp just at the bottom. It warps all the way through. If the cam journals are not straightened, it puts the cam into a bind. With .005" out of true, we have seen the nose of the cam snap off from binding on #1 cam journal. It gets so hot the journal has steel mixed into the aluminum of the head as much as 1/4" deep. The engine often becomes junk, as once again, snapped timing belt, maybe a piston punched down and a big bill to fix what should have been done correctly to begin with.
Warped cylinder heads do not repair themselves. ARP bolts are a bandaid patch for what should be a proper surfacing job.
22lbs would not make a head gasket lift.
One other issue... the 1Z/ AHU and early ALH blocks have a comparatively weak center rear boss for the head bolts. It will crack if any excessive torque is applied. We've seen them break at 135 ft lbs. So, if you are going to use the ARP bolts, be sure to have your torque wrench calibrated.
We have a technique that we use to calibrate torque wrenches that anyone can do with a vise and a milk jug filled with sand. It is really quite accurate.
Lightly clamp the working end of the torque wrench in a vise, so the handle is parallel to the ground. Place milk jug with sand over the handle 1 ft from the fulcrum point. Assume your jug of sand weighs 20 lbs. The torque wrench should clic at 20 lbs. If you move the jug out to 2 ft, it should now clic at 40 ft lbs.
This is the repeatable event we have seen:
Head gasket leak causes the customer to attempt either head bolt or head bolt and head gasket repair. If it still leaks, the most likely event is caused from overheat. I know... I get told, "It never overheated", when in truth, most people don't know how hot the engine is running, because the temp gauge on the dash is the ultimate liar. At actual water temp of 175 f, the gauge claims 190. At 210-215f, the gauge finally moves from 190 and then, quickly advances. An engine run constantly at 210 is running too hot and will eventually cause warping of the head.
Head bolts may be able to pull a slight warp back into shape, but it's more a bandaid repair than the fix.
Even worse, when a head is warped and the machinist, unwittingly, decks the head gasket surface of the cylinder head, what happens is the warp is now BUILT into the cam journals. The head does not warp just at the bottom. It warps all the way through. If the cam journals are not straightened, it puts the cam into a bind. With .005" out of true, we have seen the nose of the cam snap off from binding on #1 cam journal. It gets so hot the journal has steel mixed into the aluminum of the head as much as 1/4" deep. The engine often becomes junk, as once again, snapped timing belt, maybe a piston punched down and a big bill to fix what should have been done correctly to begin with.
Warped cylinder heads do not repair themselves. ARP bolts are a bandaid patch for what should be a proper surfacing job.
22lbs would not make a head gasket lift.
One other issue... the 1Z/ AHU and early ALH blocks have a comparatively weak center rear boss for the head bolts. It will crack if any excessive torque is applied. We've seen them break at 135 ft lbs. So, if you are going to use the ARP bolts, be sure to have your torque wrench calibrated.
We have a technique that we use to calibrate torque wrenches that anyone can do with a vise and a milk jug filled with sand. It is really quite accurate.
Lightly clamp the working end of the torque wrench in a vise, so the handle is parallel to the ground. Place milk jug with sand over the handle 1 ft from the fulcrum point. Assume your jug of sand weighs 20 lbs. The torque wrench should clic at 20 lbs. If you move the jug out to 2 ft, it should now clic at 40 ft lbs.