Lady Redhawk

iTrader: (6)

Used ARP Head bolts when replacing my heads. Took extreme care in cleaning bolt hole threads, used the molly lobe as ARP directed and followed all torque specs. Car had been slowly losing coolant since to install and today tracked it down to the head gasket. Can see some coolant on the drivers side back corner. Should have used the stock bolts!! Anyone else ever have this happen, is this a common thing??

618HAWK

iTrader: (361)

Should be fine with the studs. I would re check-retorque em and see if that helps. Might get lucky.

Might pull that corner bolt and compare it to the stock length. There was just a thread about some ARP bolts being a bit to long. Look back a few pages.

Lady Redhawk

iTrader: (6)

Yes, I saw the thread about the different length bolts, but we checked these before the install and they were the same size as the stock bolts.

How likely is it if they were torqued to specs that they could loosen up and cause a leak?

ninobrn99

iTrader: (8)

its likely that the bolt holes are still dirty and the head raised.

denscor

happened to me !!!!!

Lady Redhawk

iTrader: (6)

No, the bolt holes were completely cleaned out, if any thing it was over kill. The heads were off the engine for several days and a lot of time was spent on cleaning the them out. Our guys are very experienced with installing heads and understand how clean they must be especially with ARPs. They have a special vacuum that sucks out the coolant and they use the filed head bolts to clean. After they are sure they are clean each hole is again checked, double checked and checked again. lol Like I said, the term "over kill" could be used here. Of course weird things can happen to anyone, I just don't believe in this case that is the problem. This is the first time using ARP bolts. Have used the ARP studs without issue though.

The thing is while they were installing the heads, one of the guys said he thought we should have been using the studs instead as he had heard people were blowing head gaskets with the bolts. I would like to know how big a problem this is, if a lot of people have had this happen.

hawaiiboysz

iTrader: (4)

**** are you serious? I just ordered a set of those ARP bolts! I cnat believe this ****. You spend big bucks on something and in the end its all ****. Worst part about it I have to wait a month for friken parts. Dammit. I should have gone with the studs.

vettenuts

iTrader: (4)

I would call ARP. If you installed per ARP instructions, the pre-load should be correct and they shouldn't loosen up. Torque to yield or ARP, you are simply striving for the same thing, which is the correct pre-load on the fastener and clamping force on the head. I would pull the covers and verify the torque on the bolts.

Which gaskets did you use?

ashade98

iTrader: (16)

I'm wondering too. I just purchased some arp bolts for my head/cam install. I've yet to use 'em, I'm wondering who HAS used them with NO problem????

ashade98

iTrader: (16)

Lady Redhawk, are those AFR heads? Some other members have had problems with ARP bolts and AFR heads???

Lady Redhawk

iTrader: (6)

We will be checking the torque next week and see what we can get to without tearing it completely down. The leak isn't a lot, so the car should be fine to drive for a while until I am ready to change out my heads next spring. I will not do a lot of WOT and keep an eye on the ECT. The car is not a daily driver, so will see very few miles until I am ready for the head change.

To answer the other questions. The heads on the car are stock and used stock GM gaskets. The Cometic .040 gaskets I wanted were back ordered at the time.

The point of this thread is to find out how good/bad these bolts are and if I should use them again when we go in to fix it. I don't want to go on rumor, I would like to see what people have experienced with these ARP bolts.

Thanks everyone for your input so far.

BAKED

iTrader: (14)

I haven't had any trouble with mine and I have stock ported heads with GM gaskets. Of corse I only have about 2k miles on it too.

Ping King

iTrader: (20)

ive heard you need to tighten and loosen them two or three times to get them to clamp right.

Lady Redhawk

iTrader: (6)

What is your apox HP and Tq?

My car seems to do fine under normal driving, but with WOT, high MAP is when it seems to leak out the most. I don't think I would have noticed anything much if I never went to the track.

Ferocity02

iTrader: (60)

Why did you go straight to blaming it on the bolts? It could be a faulty gasket, maybe you put the gasket on the wrong way. Perhaps you just had some bad luck and need to pull the head and retorque it.

davered00ss

iTrader: (4)

We had that same problem on an LS2 402 that a friend and I did. Turned out to be the "Cometic" (sp) gaskets. Replaced it with the GM gaskets and the leak went away. Also AFR heads & ARP bolts.

BAKED

iTrader: (14)

I haven't been to a dyno yet but my tuner built a VE calculater and it showed 444rwhp and 379rwtq I'm not saying it is dead on but I don't think it's too far off. The cars that he has compared his numbers to actual dyno numbers have been very close.
I was advised not to use the GM gaskets since I'm spraying but I already had them and was too impatient to wait on another set.

BAKED

iTrader: (14)

I was wrong, it isn't the VE calc. that he uses to get the HP & TQ it is a program that he made.

Lady Redhawk

iTrader: (6)

Because that is the only variable that has changed. Not that it couldn't be a bad gasket, I am sure that could happen as well. But we personally have never had that happen before out of all the head swaps we have done. The only thing different in this case is using the ARP bolts along with the subject coming up at the time of the install about people having trouble with them. From looking at where the coolant seems to be coming from. All this together seems like the most logical place to start. That is why I am asking question. If I was 100% sure of the ARPs being the problem I would just warn others about what happened to us, use either the stock bolts or the ARP studs. And of course get in touch with ARP about it as well.

Lady Redhawk

iTrader: (6)

I have a program like that and you can get really close to what a dyno will show. Awesome numbers!