RR head gasket change any tips

No need to touch (con) rods to change head gaskets, or have I missed something? For better reliability use composite head gaskets (I use Real Steel for all my parts) and only torque the outer row of 4 bolts on each head to 40lbft.

Badger.

In message , wayne writes

Just when you put it back on don't torque down the outer row of bolts - just tighten them up reasonably - this helps keep the head flat on the block and (helps) prevent subsequent leaking.

In message , Badger writes

wrong end ... push rods ... :-)

On or around Mon, 24 Nov 2003 22:07:03 -0000, "Badger" enlightened us thusly:

I go along with that. Real Steel are reliable and cheap IME. outer row are only meant to be 40-45 lbft anyway, according to the book - 60-70 IIRC for the 10 main bolts.

On or around Mon, 24 Nov 2003 22:18:44 +0000, AndyG enlightened us thusly:

no real need to label those either, hydraulic tappets mean that you can't lose the adjustment. There's probably some small gain to be achieved from putting the pushrods back with the same rocker, but it's minimal.

Still, it's easy enough to do, and a good habit. I remember my father using a length of string, tied around each rod in order, when we did a

What a neat idea!!! Much better that faffing about with a bit of cardboard!

Richard

In message , richard. watson writes

That's definitely one for the 'good idea to use in the future' memory banks!!!