Tech Tip 4 Proper Head Torquing Technique
Tech Tip #4
Proper Head Torquing Technique
There is absolutely NO WAY you can get all four or more bolts/nuts evenly tight without a torque wrench with some sort of measurement gauge. Tightened down without the aid of a torque wrench, the head will actually warp out of true. The ONLY thing holding the head gasket in place against the tremendous pressure developed inside the combustion chamber and cylinder is the EVEN pressure of the head crushing the gasket into the top of the cylinder. This is why you NEVER reuse a paper/metal combination head gasket; once crushed, it doesn’t provide the resistance to the compressing pressure that forces it to conform to any irregularities in the head and cylinder.
A simple beam-type torque wrench is all that is needed to do the job correctly. You don’t need one of those fancy click wrenches; leave those for the people with their names embroidered on their shirts (so they don’t forget who they are).