i tried searching but didn't find too much info on replacing your head gasket when putting in ARP head studs. i know its not required and many people say its not necessary because the stock head gasket is strong enough. but since im gonna have the head off anyway to change the studs wouldn't it be smart to just replace the gasket w/like a cometic gasket? my car has about 33k miles on it so the head gasket has to have some kind of wear on it. any help or comments would be great

 

your head gasket wont have any "wear" as it is not a moving part. however, some may say that when doing head studs you should just remove the head and replace the head gasket. unless you plan on making XXXhp then it is not necessary to change to head studs. even with an enourmous amount of boost, no need to change head studs, you should be questioning the rod bolts...

 

If you are pulling the head off , yes replace the headstuds. It is the right way to do it and you might as well do it now. I also would say yes to using a better HG, I wouldn't re-use the factory one and I wouldn't use a cometic because I don't feel that the block surface is smooth enough, the head you could prep correctly but I would use an upgraded Metal HG not the stock one. You might as well do it right the first time. Just my .02

 

The stock head gasket is as good as it gets being that its stainless steel layered metal. If the head is off you need to use a new gasket of course.

 

edit... so for once i misread sorry... as far as finger tight, your using an allen wrench, so saying finger is just that, cause you arent craking them down with your hand, just the fingers... didnt think i had to be this specific.. as far as headgasket, thats ones choice...

 

[, you should be questioning the rod bolts... [/QUOTE]


I have seen stock head bolts fail, I have never seen a stock rod bolt fail.

 

BoostAddicted stated above in his first post that he was taking the head off anyways. So if you lift the head you do not re-use a used headgasket. The studs do not screw in finger tight either. You have to crank them down into the block (not superman style but tight), finger tight will allow them to come loose. This is why people get misslead. If you have to pull them out why not replace them iwth a better quality piece. The factory headgaskset is good but not the best in my opinion, als remember AMS o-rings the block so it is not just a factory gasket. I personally do not like the factory gasket becuase of the oil return passage design. I do believe it is part of the reason that some cars leak oil especially on the back side of the head. Like I said its my opinion.

 

you don't really have to have the head off to change the studs. Do one head stud at a time in a manner that you don't break the seal on the factory head gasket, and you can replace the stock headstuds with upgraded (ARP comes to mind) studs and not do the head gasket. To lift the head and replace the gasket takes a ton more work than just the studs. If you do one at a time, and get the new stud/nut tight, but not fully tight to torque specs., and move on the next stud, you should be fine. Then, torque properly as your final step. Too many people have done this and not had troubles. I know it sounds hokey and a poor man's method, but you can't argue with the success rate.

 

I didn't replace my headgasket. I did the head studs one @ a time and keep the head on the car, but do whatever you feel.

 

We made 549 awhp on the stock head gasket and head bolts with the NOPI/Yahoo Evo at SEMA. We have done the ARP replacement without pulling the head thousands of times and never had a problem.

Also the information about the ARP stud tightning into the block, you do NOT screw the stud into the block with alot of force. The stud is supposed to be tightened into the block hand tight. By cranking it in there very tightly, your applying all the torque of the nut onto the last thread and not evenly distrubuting the load across the entire set of threads.

 

ok, it doesn't seem to be a consensus.....

I'm planning on putting cams in this spring....from what I've read spring/retainer kit is not needed but head studs are.

So if ARP head studs are put in, in place of stock.....does the head gasket get replaced or not?

This is not trivial since a Cometic HG is $100 and stock is $200+.

 

Just so you are aware a stock HG is 45bucks from your local dealer. If you do them one at a time, no it doesn't need to be replaced but that is kind of the shortcut way of doing things. Its a gamble to do the one stud at a time process but it has decient odds. Like said above if you are going to running high boost with a bigger turbo I would replace them, otherwise I would just leave them alone. If you are taking the head off to replace a HG I would do headstuds regardless. Once again just my opinion.

 

Has there been a thread about people that replaced the stud one at a time and subsequently had oil and or antifreeze seeping from the back of the block? Seems like alot of the people that swapped studs one at a time have that problem.

Also I agree the studs should not be more than hand tight in the block. Just make sure they are all the way in.

 

if the head is already off then a new HG is necessary, also, go ahead and get new head studs and get the head resurfaced.

btw, the oem hg is solid..the difference is if the head studs are properly torqued to spec.

 

Yes there have been several threads about it but they werent torquing the studs to the correct torque. Most of them were torqued at 70 but those of us who torqued them down to 85 have had no issues. There is a chance that it will work for you and maybe it wont. I think that it has worked for more than its failed.

EDIT: If you remove the head then you have to replace the headgasket, no way u can resue the stock one once the seal has been broken.