Beyonce Knowles

ARP recommends using thread sealer (RTV, I assume?) or ARP Moly (like the moly from Home Depot, I assume?) Am I right in these assumptions? Which would you reccomend I use for my head bolts? (Lloyd Elliots going in tommorow!!! )

Blownbird355

Arp makes a lube and a lube sealer that I used and reccomend (<---spell)
them.

1racerdude

Get the ARP moly,it is designed for their bolts.Not like the hardware stuff.

sssalah

On the bolts that reach the water jacket, you have to use teflon thread sealer, that's the white paste stuff:
ARP, Permatex and locktite make this paste
http://www.jegs.com/cgi-bin/ncommerc...78&prmenbr=361
http://www.jegs.com/cgi-bin/ncommerc...54&prmenbr=361
For the few other bolts that don't reach water (think there are only 4 on each head) yo can use moly.

1racerdude

You use sealer or Locktite on studs and moly on bolts.

BlackLT1_TX

No, you should use sealer on bolts as well.

1racerdude

Not, Everybody want's to do it different. Check ARP's sight and find out what the torque spects say.

In 40 years of doing engines I have never had a BOLT leak.If you do studs correctly they won't leak either on a Chevy or a Ford.

BlackLT1_TX

its not a bad idea to use the sealent at the very least.

1racerdude

Ya don't need to GLUE the bolts in,with the moly they WON'T leak,with oil they WON'T leak,with nothing BOLT'S won't leak, unless ya are using a bolt with severely damaged threads or the threads in the block are damaged and you shouldn't be installing the heads until fixed. Studs are a different story.
IMO when something is not needed it isn't a good idea.

Dave89IROC

last I checked, ARP recommended sealer on the threads and moly lube under the head of the bolt

Flyin_Z28

Remember that you should vaccum or remove any coolant or fluid from the blind holes in the block. These are holes that don't go into the water jackets. If you don't and there is coolant still inside and you torque the head bolts down, that fluid has nowhere else to go. FLUID DOES NOT EXPAND. Meaning that you could possibly cause damage by cracking the block over time.

Mindgame

If it has threads and it goes into a hole that joins the water jacket.... it needs a sealant.
Why would the name of the darn thing (stud vs bolt) have anything to do with it? Threads are threads and there is a clearance in the male/female part of the thread... otherwise they wouldn't go together.

If you look at the factory TTY replacement bolts, they have a thread sealer on them right from the factory.

That said, I use Permatex #2 on all threads that see water.

What Flyin refered to is hydro-lock. Doesn't lead to cracked heads or any of that, but it can lead to false bolt pre-load. Food for thought.

-Mindgame

OBE1 95Z28

Teflon thread sealant is used on threads that pass into the coolant path to prevent a leak. The moly based lube is used under the head of the bolt to prevent binding that will give you a false torque reading. The threaded holes should also be chased with a thread chasing tap (not a thread cutting tap) to remove bedris that can also cause binding to give you a false torque reading. Take your time and do it right, head and rod bolts are the 2 most important torque applications in your engine.

BlackLT1_TX

thank you, thats the school of thought i have always heard.