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I guess the only folks who should get worried are those who have had to add coolant, or those who need to add coolant in the future.
I have seen lots of FUD (fear uncertainty and doubt) about retorquing head bolts. Claims that this will warp the heads, even when they can warp with the factory torque and are never retorqued.
I am interested in this. Can you post some recommended techniques? I assume that the only expendable item would be the valve cover gasket set.
I assume that you have evidence that this is a problem for the 1998 model year. Is this associated with a particular gasket used then?
I would not like to see what the result would be of using a leak-stop product in a situation like this. Some of those products look like metal flakes. Getting that into the oil, combustion chamber and catalytic converter would seem like a recipe for distaster. The pistons and oil pump would seem most at risk. As least the oil filter would be very effective in getting this stuff on the first past.
I would expect that leaks to the combustion chamber would occur in some cases. You seem to be getting reports of leaks to the oil return passages. These areas of a gasket are probably not renforced. The steel reenforced combustion seals might be preventing the gaskets from bedding down tight enough in these locations.
From what I can see in Haynes, the cam and other valve gear is not in the way, so that the retorque is not complicated. What kind of heads do these bolts have, in terms of a proper bit or socket?
Haynes does not state, but as a rule, the torque should be done at a certain temperature. Torquing at very cold temeratures would give a different result, as the thick aluminum head and long steel head bolts will expand and contract differently.
thanks, Dean
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