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Vent: I keep seeing guys skip the torque step on head bolts and it's a ticking time bomb
Worked on three different 6.7 Powerstroke engines this month where the owner had a head gasket go early. Every single one, the previous shop or DIYer just zipped the head bolts down with an impact. No torque wrench, no sequence, nothing. On one, you could see the uneven crush on the old gasket clear as day. These are TTY bolts that need a specific multi-step torque plus an angle turn, not just 'good and tight'. It might hold for a bit, but you're asking for a comeback job in under 20k miles. How many of you actually see this happen in your shops?
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charles_chen931mo ago
Man, tell me about it, what is it with people and skipping the torque sequence? I watched a buddy do the same thing on his Duramax, just rattled them all down, and sure enough it was leaking within a year. It's like they think "tight" is a real measurement. Those angle turns are there for a reason, to get the right stretch on the bolt. Skipping it is just asking for a leak.
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