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- Jun 2, 2012
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- 25,363
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- canada
- Vehicle Year
- 1994
- Make / Model
- Ford
- Transmission
- Manual
Yes, cracked head would be a walk away
If you have a valve spring compressor change the valve guide seals, they will be dried out on used head, so will crack when put back into use.
If you don't have valve spring compressor, rent one
And change all 12, so even the 6 on the good head.
Watch the keepers, they can "take flight" lol.
You can reuse any head bolt, people do it all the time, BUT(big but)................
The TTY's are especially dicey to reuse as they are made to stretch only once, to final torque specs, and then they are repeatedly stretched and contracted when engine heats up and cools down, all heads bolts have to do that, engine metal/heads expand when engine heats up, so head bolts have to stretch, and then contract when engine cools down, over the years thats alot of stretching and contracting, lol.
The BUT, is that at any warm up of the engine a reused head bolt can break.
Best case is that it will break on final tightening sequence, lol, at least you can remove it and use a new one
Worst case is it breaks on a warmup at some point down the road, or when engine is slightly heated up more, like climbing a long hill, so a little more stretch and SNAP
Totally users choice, cost of new head bolts vs inconvenience down the road, future is unknowable
Studs use a different physics than bolts, you would have to look that up, but studs can be reused within limits.
Problem with studs is that there is often not enough room in an engine bay to lift a head up high enough to clear the studs.
Studs are usually used on engines that will be torn down alot, no reason for the expense of studs other wise
Like you use rubber valve cover gaskets when you know valve covers will come off frequently.
Cork gaskets seal better and are cheaper, but get hard with age and break apart when removed, so are not "reusable" like rubber gaskets
What is "better" is usually down to future use
If you have a valve spring compressor change the valve guide seals, they will be dried out on used head, so will crack when put back into use.
If you don't have valve spring compressor, rent one
And change all 12, so even the 6 on the good head.
Watch the keepers, they can "take flight" lol.
You can reuse any head bolt, people do it all the time, BUT(big but)................
The TTY's are especially dicey to reuse as they are made to stretch only once, to final torque specs, and then they are repeatedly stretched and contracted when engine heats up and cools down, all heads bolts have to do that, engine metal/heads expand when engine heats up, so head bolts have to stretch, and then contract when engine cools down, over the years thats alot of stretching and contracting, lol.
The BUT, is that at any warm up of the engine a reused head bolt can break.
Best case is that it will break on final tightening sequence, lol, at least you can remove it and use a new one
Worst case is it breaks on a warmup at some point down the road, or when engine is slightly heated up more, like climbing a long hill, so a little more stretch and SNAP
Totally users choice, cost of new head bolts vs inconvenience down the road, future is unknowable
Studs use a different physics than bolts, you would have to look that up, but studs can be reused within limits.
Problem with studs is that there is often not enough room in an engine bay to lift a head up high enough to clear the studs.
Studs are usually used on engines that will be torn down alot, no reason for the expense of studs other wise
Like you use rubber valve cover gaskets when you know valve covers will come off frequently.
Cork gaskets seal better and are cheaper, but get hard with age and break apart when removed, so are not "reusable" like rubber gaskets
What is "better" is usually down to future use
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