Was reading around and now I'm curious...who has done their install of their ARP head studs with the one by one method OR by the complete removal of the head?

On both EVOs I've owned, my 03 and now currently my 06, I've used the one by one method but I guess I'm just curious how many others have done this.

BTW I've not had problems with either EVO after 25k miles on the 03 and 10k miles on the 06 after the head stud install.


if anyone's had problems with either install also let us know:
1. what happened
2. how many miles you had on the car when you did the install
3. how many miles you had when the problem occured
4. also who did the install (self install or AMS, TTP, Buschur, AWD, etc etc etc) and which method

thanks

01JAN2009 - EDIT - Now have 47k miles on the 2006 EVO IX (16,000 miles after the install) with no problems

 

bump for some info as well.

 

i wanna know too!

 

uno para uno

 

One by one is safe to do as long as the Engine is COLD! Or at least has sat for 8 hours since the last use!

 

Yup - Minimize any chance of expansion and your good to go via the 1x1.

 

This poll had been done before with great info on it. Do a search...

Cliff notes:

Notably those who have done the 1x1 method have had reported great results but they still have lower mileage evos.

Those who have done it and put many miles on their car (installed at 15k and are now at 75kmiles) have reported oil leaks and various other head-related problems....

Also, there are many others who have used the stock studs to 30psi for thousands of miles with no problems.

The greatest factor in how long your stock studs will last are how you drive your car and how well your car was tuned....

 

I pulled the head. Personal preference. 118k on my 03 studs went in at 60k

 

Doing the studs 1x1 is perfectly fine and no need to pull head to replace head gasket. Almost every shop that does not use the 1x1 method will tell you how bad it is to not remove the head and do it the "right way" because the difference in labor cost is alot and face it,shops are in business to make $$$,bottom line. If there were any problems in doing the 1x1 method then there would not be a shop,nor person that would be doing it that way but that is just not the case. The only "tricks" to doing the 1x1 method is like stated above,do it with engine cold,remove radiator cap to release any pressure in cooling system then reinstall it,and when you remove the factory head bolt you MUST,and I repeat MUST take a blow gun with compressed air and long wand and put it in the hole that you just removed the factory head bolt from and blow out any/all the oil that leaks down into that hole then immeditly install head stud. The reason for that last step is to make sure that you are not installing head stud into a threaded hole that filled with oil as you will never be able to thread stud all the way down as oil is not a compressable liquid.The last step is once you fully torque nut you loosen it and repeat the torquing step again on that same nut before continuing on to next stud install. If you follow these steps you will not have any problems that you didn't already have as it will not correct a previously warped head or block deck surface that was not true to begin with. The only ones that begin to leak oil after head stud install either had installed them improperly or did not follow every step that I just mentioned. I have done several and have not had one that has leaked and I see all the ones I have done on a regular basis for other mod's/installs.

 

just searched "poll head stud" and "how to install head studs" came up with no other poll. would like to see that one too though, because again, im just curious. (motor is getting built possibly next year so im not really worried about anything)

as for people with problems, you're right about how you drive the car and how well it was tuned. also it depends on the boost levels ran too. arent the arp studs (not the L19 full race studs) only good to 35psi?

 

bump for more votes!

 

I'm kind of a old shool tech. I'm not saying the 1x1 method is wrong or right but I prefered pulling the head and replacing the gasket

 

Why would you compromise a good gasket seal on a good running engine to put in ARPs the wrong way, which by the way are only marginaly better than the stock bolts (unless we are talking about L19 hardware here, which we arent)? I'd like to see how long the one-by-one method works on a car that gets beat regularly, and runs 25+ lbs of positive pressure on a stock turbo or larger. I'm willing to bet anything pushing coolant, and blown gasket symptoms.

If you don't want to pull the head and install them the correct way, don't bother ruining your headgasket seal and do the "1 by 1" method. The stock hardware is good over 30lbs of boost anyway if you can keep detonation away.

 

^^^ Listen to the DSMer.

If it ain't broke, dont fix it. Stock bolts are fine if you're tuned decently. Worry about it if/when you pop a gasket, why compromise the factory seal before then? And skip the ARPs and get L19s to make it worth your while.

If you're going to insist on doing the 1x1 method, I'd at least drain the coolant and blow some compressed air down the oil passages to try and ensure that no residual fluids can weep between the layers when you crack the seal.

 

I know of two such cars...my car which had 83,000 miles on the 1x1 method and was running low 11s on an FP Green and got the **** beat out of it with no ill effects and another guy here in Boise with a 35r trapping 130+ with 90,000 miles on the 1x1 method...I believe if done properly, tuned properly and on the factory seal it works great....just from my experience.