The day I realized I'd been torquing head bolts wrong for years

For about 5 years I was torquing head bolts by going in sequence but just tightening each one to final spec in one pass. Then a senior guy watched me do it on a Cummins ISX and said hey you need to do it in stages. He showed me the manual where it clearly said three step torque process. I had never actually read past the torque value column. Now I wonder how many of those jobs I did are still holding up. Anyone else get caught skipping steps you thought were just fluff?

2 comments

2 Comments

oliviat171mo ago

Been there. I used to do the same thing on small block Chevys for years until a buddy watched me and was like "uh you know those are supposed to be three stages right?" Felt like an idiot. I think some of those old heads are probably still running fine though because these engines are tanks. The newer stuff with aluminum blocks and torque to yield bolts definitely needs that step process or you're asking for a blown head gasket.

eric_murray261mo ago

That's how you end up with a motor that's "fine" until it's not...