I think I over tightened head bolts.. follower manual. Tighten all in sequence to 22lbs.. second turn 90 degree turn, and then 3Rd turn 90 degree. But torque wrench says I am at about 90-95ft lbs..other sources say bolts should be around 72-73ft lbs. These are old bolts. Reused

Do I need to redo head gaskets? Seems 20 lbs of high torque is about 30 degree extra rotation

 

Decided to loosen then a bit. It was only 15-20 degree turns..maybe 10 degrees. Basically I hope it's not a big deal. Time will show. 20 lbs less torque will give bolts more room to stretch when engine is hot

 

lol it will be a big deal.
on top of reusing the head bolts( head bolts can stretch) you also overtorqued them ( which can stretch and weaken) and then YOU loosened and are wishing and hoping it stretches.

DO IT OVER AGAIN!
buy the proper tools and new head bolts

or else

 

Better safe than sorry..

 

i also like how he asks questions but then is like....fuck it, i already did it...

lol

 

the head bolts aren't cheap. At least from my experience with Mazda.

 

no, they are not.

however, if you want the job done right, you need the proper tools and new head bolts.

 

dude


i thought you've tore down transmissions and engines all the time, overtorquing bolts sounds like a mistake

 

Shit
New headbolts.. waiting..I haven't started the engine yet. Loosened bolts 10 min after.

I thought headbolts can be reused on j35.

 

it's not recommended as old head bolts can be stretched and therefore not in spec.......which is then weakened


and your first post, specifically says, "OH CHIT, I over-torqued!"

 

so what are the chances of survival? Only front head was overtightened to 90-95. Back was 73 exactly. 50/50? Or 80% of survival. Aren't head bolts rated to 150 ft lbs or something before they snap. Basically I think I'll try driving like this.. unless it's a 100% guaranteed leakage/head gasket failure

 

Also by the look of head gaskets they look like reusable)) no some weird asbestos sealant anywhere

 

hey man. Tragedy is in the works..

Anyone like yungone can chime in? Who had done 100s of these. Justin i appreciate your reply. . Online a lot of conflicting info. I used to overtighten by like 5lbs on bmws.. and few nissans. No problem. But Here its like 15-20lbs over

 

sorry for being insensitive.

 

lol why are you asking me of the probability?
I didn't install over-torqued head bolts, you did!!

I think you'll have a hard time answering this question, as the only EXACT way to tell is to measure or test the head bolts, which you didnt do.
so, in which case NO ONE, not even you knows the probability of and if and maybe when they break.

you've already done it, so there's no point in asking.
just pray that the headbolts last.

and right, if the metal gaskets arent dinged up, you can reuse them...

Although, if we're dealing with the heads...it might be best to use a new head gasket..
ProTip; ALL of this useless questioning would be put to pasture if you used new head bolts and head gasket when changing the heads.

 

Well maybe there was a similar situation in your experience. Like a friend of a friend said he overtorqued and survived.. survivor story basically

I need to get this car running in few days.. first time I did 6 cylinder honda. So second time will be much faster if head gasket blows

 

anecdotal evidence doesnt make it true

 

you may get lucky, who knows???...Only time knows

 

I'll drive around and will become an anecdotal evidence. These headbolts were on stock clean virginAL untouched engine. Only second time inserted into the engine and in this case unfortunately slightly brutalized by a bit of extra torque

 

with your onslaught of threads, we'll be here to read what happens next

 

hm yes.. I'll give it a month or around 1000 Miles to see. Sometimes it takes a long time for head gasket leakage to show up vividly

 

most likely, you will not have any problems...

but new head bolts and new head gaskets will take your worries away!!!
Dont worry, buy new and be happy!

 

Posting update for you who is sweating and googling for a success story after screw up. It appears everything is intact.. no blown head gasket. Symptoms may take a while to show up of course. But it's been 600 miles. No trace of coolant in oil.
Common symptoms of blown gasket/cracked head
1) of oil looks like coffee with cream (dunkin donuts milk and sugar coffee )
2) engine overheats. A ton of coolant pressure as exhaust gases enter coolant system. Engines don't overheat just because thermostat failed. Thermostat fails in open position 99% of the time.

3) u start the car in the morning and very rough start up.. antifreeze in combustion chambers.. kind of hydrolock.
4) exhaust smokes like shet

If status of my engine changes I'll no doubt post an update. Don't have time for compression test.

And yes RL cams and cat delete are noticeable.. can't get my foot of gas pedal.. just want to Rev the minivan and go) minivan feels much lighter.

I see much more angry sedan owners trying to race me after redlight. It's no sweat for me.. just driving normal. But looks on people faces are often bewildered.. why the fuck did it take so much effort for my sports sedan to catch up with a minivan.