mhayes2344

iTrader: (3)

I have a 96 trans am and I'm getting ready to pull the passenger side head and install a new head gasket. Can anyone tell me the torque spec and order I need to torque the new bolts in?

Also I just picked up fel-pro bolts...looks like they have some sort of white thread sealant on them already. Do I need to get a different sealant or just go with whats on there?

From what I've found online so far this is the torque spec:

'96 & '97: 22 ft. lbs. plus an extra 80 degrees for long and medium bolts, an extra 67 degrees for the short (should be around 65 ft. lbs total?)

I've tried searching on here but I cant really find what I'm looking for, so any help would be greatly appreciated.

Ihasfip

iTrader: (5)

65 ft lbs. according to the shop manual. I can put the torque sequences on here if you need them as well.

D

Also you torque it in 3 passes.

ss.slp.ls1

iTrader: (36)

I found this write-up very helpful when I did my head swap:

http://www.afrashteh.com/guide/install.htm

chavez885

iTrader: (12)

nice find

mhayes2344

iTrader: (3)

Can anyone tell me if I need to remove the intake manifold to get the heads off? I know on some motors you have to and others you dont...

Ihasfip

iTrader: (5)

Um...Yea. The intake bolts to the heads. If you don't know that maybe you need to get you a good chilton manual or something. Not trying to be a dick or anything.


D

mhayes2344

iTrader: (3)

Haha no I appreciate the help and quick answers. I figured the intake manifold needed to come off but my dad mentioned motors he's worked on in the past where you could pull the head without taking the intake manifold off...so I thought maybe I'd get lucky. After pulling the car in the garage and actually looking at it I realized thats not the case.

Tell me if this makes sense to you...I had a mechanic install the valvetrain in my sig in august and sometime in september a rocker arm stud backed out and actually caused a pushrod to bend. I noticed then that the head gasket was torn a bit where the pushrod had bent...do you think that tear could be causing the leak I'm dealing with now?

ss.slp.ls1

iTrader: (36)

Can you post a picture please?
If you can actually see the tear, it probably just part of the gasket that is in the open area where the pushrods go. The push rod can't tear the gasket in any vital areas that will cause a leak.
Read that write-up thoroughly before you remove anything!

shbox

That is the correct procedure for torquing the head on your car. You need to install your new head bolts and use that T/A (torque/angle) method of tightening them down. You will need a T/A gauge to do this (plus your torque wrench to apply the initial torque). (you can't add the initial torque and extra degrees and come up with a lb. ft. reading)

If you choose not to use the T/A method (which was how it was put together), you can use the old method of straight torque as already posted.

The T/A method is the better of the two. That is why GM switched to it. Most all newer engines use it.

Make sure the sealant that is on your new bolts is uniform. Add a little more, if needed.

mhayes2344

iTrader: (3)

Thanks for all the great info...but after looking at it I think I'll leave the new head gasket (if needed) to a professional.

Let me back up and tell you guys the problems I'm having and why I initially thought I had a bad head gasket. First off I don't know if the car is overheating as the owner before me put a plug in the head where the coolant temperature sensor goes. I don't want to try to take the plug out because I'm afraid of pulling the threads...so after reading this link http://www.fastlouis.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=249 I'm going to try to install a coolant temperature sensor tomorrow.

Now on to what lead me to believe I have a bad head gasket...there is a significant amount of smoke coming out the exhaust. It doesn't smell like oil. I know my oxygen sensors aren't working right and just figured that was cause of the smoke.

There is this on the oil fill tube/cap: [IMG][/IMG]

which I thought was oil and coolant mixing. I noticed this today because the low oil light came on today so I added some oil. It wasn't on the oil fill cap 2 weeks ago when I changed the oil. I also noticed the same gunk inside the AIR pipe when I removed the passenger side valve cover today. I checked the coolant fill tube and it doesn't seem to have lost coolant and the coolant looks fine.

So what do you all think? What else could cause this?

JB_97ws6TA

iTrader: (6)

if you don't have the torque angle guage I found after adding the correct torque angle with the digital torque wrench it worked out to 75 ft lbs on the long bolts and 50 on the short ones using the initial torque of 22 ft lbs, if you are in a pinch

shbox

He might as well do the the straight 65, then, if he does not have a t/a gauge. Trying to gauge the extra degrees with torque only is not accurate. The whole point of the t/a method is not to be influenced by torque.