Just tighten in criss cross fashion in small steps. All I ever did was use a ratchet until the nuts were snug then torqued the final sequence.Not a bad idea after bleeding the head and after it runs for a while,to go back and recheck head nut torque when the head is cold.

 

Was able to get the head back off after work took some 400 grit wet sand to it on some plate glass and did a resurface. Pulled cylinder off took studs out and did the same with that. Reinstalled everything yet again with new base gasket and the winderosa head gasket i had kicking around. Torqued to specs by sequence and did the bleed screw on head. Started and ran it for 20 minutes and it idles better and i see no fluid leaks anymore. Hope all is well cause i've had enough with this motor. When the machine shop benched the cylinder down for me i think they just put it on a 220 grit belt sander or something the scratches were pretty deep and in a straight line on the top of cylinder. Guess thats what you get for a $53.00 bore job. Thanks for the help!!!!!

 

Yep,get what you pay for.. Basically what we did if heads or cylinders had minor imperfections. We had a big 5 inch slab of marble on a steel table and taped 400 grit paper to it. Worked the heads and cylinders in a figure 8,then switched to 600 grit until shiny and smooth. Ones that we could tell were warped we just sent out to have them milled down. Hope it finally holds up for you now..

 

Well the head gasket appeared to hold for a little bit but its seeping coolant a bit over exhaust again. Runs pretty good though. May just be these crappy aftermarket head gaskets. If i decide to do it one more time i will buy a cometic or polaris head gasket. I dont think these cheap ones crush as much for sealing as the vometiv and polaris gaskets. They feel almost like a peice of plastic when you take the old ones out. Not really that thrilled with these 400 2 strokes i like my 500ho sportsmans all around!

 

Main ones I use were oem but have used Cometic gaskets with no problems. Don't know about any of the other aftermarket gaskets. What you might try when you pull the head off is to have a perfectly flat,hard surface and see if you can slip a .001 feeler gauge anywhere under the head. Might be warped a tad if you can. I do agree on the 500.. Easier engine to work on imo,less complicated and lasts longer as most 4 strokes do.