Engine/Transmission (1994 - 1998) head bolts , should i...

[DieselTorque]

change them or just clean & oil & reinstall. having head gasket replaced as well as other gaskets by one of my school buddies, just want to be careful.



thanx

dt

 

[Andy Redmond]

They can be reused (if they are not stretched beyond tolerance). Cummins sells a go/no go gauge to measure stretch (out of tolerance). Most Cummins service literature will give you the specs (lengths) for the 6 short bolts along the exhaust manifold. 12 med. lenght bolts along the head and the 6 long ones that retain the rocker tower to the cylinder head.



You should ck. the block with a straight edge and also the head to see if either require decking/machining.



A cherry picker (engine hoist) is a pre-req. unless you both are "he-men. " Then you won't damage the new head gasket on the re-install.



You are using the Marine gasket, which should be an update over your oe design.



Good luck

Andy

 

[bkroupa]

After having a couple of headbolts break, I'd recommend replacing them with ARP studs, or new stock bolts as a minimum. It'd be cheap compared to doing it twice.

 

[GAmes]

My gasket kit from Cummins had the bolt gage included.

 

[Vaughn MacKenzie]

Considering the Cummins bolts are not terribly expensive, I'd recommend new ones. That's what I did on my head gasket job.