5.7 cylinder head installation

[No Problem]

I had a tuliped valve, on 1 head. I ended up taking both heads in for inspection and cleaning up. Now it's time to put her back together.
1999 Volvo 5.7 gsi throttle body fuel injection.
I have a digital copy of the volvo workshop manual, (thank you very much!!) and it shows the torque specs for the manifold.
But for the heads it shows:

Tighten the cylinder head bolts in sequence in two steps.
1. First step, 30 N?m (22 ft. lb.)
2. Final step use special tool J 36660 and tighten as follows;
a. Tighten the long bolts (1, 2, 5, 6, 9, 10 and 13) on the final step
sequence to 75 degrees.
b. Tighten the middle length bolts (14 and 17) on the final step
sequence to 65 degrees.
c. Tighten the short length bolts (3, 4, 7, 8, 11, 12, 15 and 16) on
the final step sequence to 55 degrees.

The Problem is that I don't have the J 36660 tool. Does anyone know the correct torque settings.
I gotta say, I've learned a lot from this forum. I am grateful for everyone's info and boating stories.
Thanks

 

[Don S]

Re: 5.7 cylinder head installation

It's an angle torque gauge. NAPA sells them, it's a tool used instead of a torque wrench, only much more accurate.
Here is an example
http://www.google.com/products/cata...ct=result&resnum=3&ved=0CBsQ8wIwAg#ps-sellers

 

[dan t.]

Re: 5.7 cylinder head installation

what they are not telling you is that these are torque to yeeld bolts that must be replaced each time you have the head off. I am not saying to do this but if it was mine I would get a set of old style head bolts that can be reused and can be set with a torque wrench. this system has been sucsessfully used for over 50 years, it is only in the last few years that this bogus torque to yeeld system has come into use.just my opinion

 

[TilliamWe]

Re: 5.7 cylinder head installation

see below

 

[TilliamWe]

Re: 5.7 cylinder head installation

Sorry Dan, that is wrong. They DO NOT have to be replaced. Unless they are stretched. I reused mine on my 1997 5.7 and they torqued properly and held for over 300 hours, until I sold the boat.

BTW, someone on here gave me a copy of the manual that has the "secondary" method of torquing the bolts, where a standard toque wrench is used. I did it that way, again, with no ill effects.

 

[No Problem]

Re: 5.7 cylinder head installation

The guy at the machine shop told me that most people throw these head bolts away and install with new "real head bolts". I wasn't sure if he was just trying to sell me some bolts or what. I figured I've gone this far I don't want to take any chances and have to redo this. I'm hoping he will give me the torque specs when I pick up the heads. If not does anyone have the settings?

 

[Don S]

Re: 5.7 cylinder head installation

You listed the torque specs in your original post.

 

[No Problem]

Re: 5.7 cylinder head installation

Final step use special tool J 36660 and tighten as follows;
a. Tighten the long bolts (1, 2, 5, 6, 9, 10 and 13) on the final step
sequence to 75 degrees.
b. Tighten the middle length bolts (14 and 17) on the final step
sequence to 65 degrees.
c. Tighten the short length bolts (3, 4, 7, 8, 11, 12, 15 and 16) on
the final step sequence to 55 degrees.

The Problem is that I don't have the J 36660 tool

I don't know what 75 degrees, 65 degrees and 55 degrees compares to lbs./ ft?

 

[Don S]

Re: 5.7 cylinder head installation

Then I would suggest you get one of the special tools, did you look at my other reply and the link I posted in it? You can get them for 20 to 30 bucks and do the job right.

 

[Bondo]

Re: 5.7 cylinder head installation

Final step use special tool J 36660 and tighten as follows;
a. Tighten the long bolts (1, 2, 5, 6, 9, 10 and 13) on the final step
sequence to 75 degrees.
b. Tighten the middle length bolts (14 and 17) on the final step
sequence to 65 degrees.
c. Tighten the short length bolts (3, 4, 7, 8, 11, 12, 15 and 16) on
the final step sequence to 55 degrees.

The Problem is that I don't have the J 36660 tool

I don't know what 75 degrees, 65 degrees and 55 degrees compares to lbs./ ft?

Ayuh,... According to Don's link,...For a mere $17.00, you can own the Right Tool for the job at hand,...

 

[StevNimrod]

Re: 5.7 cylinder head installation

I just went through the same thing and agree with Bubba.

Do as you wish, but here's what I did:

NAPA carries the tool as do AutoZone types. At AZ it was part 4554 and I think it was $14 and change.

I searched the web quite a bit for "equivalent" torque specs. There were none. Every machine shop I talked to said they torque all SBC bolts to 65 lbs.-ft. even though my manual said to use a torque angle method.

Since the old bolts were TTY I went with GM Performance Parts 12495499. For $32 for the set I wasn't about to risk a bunch of my time doing it over again to save thirty bucks. And a bolt failure, however rare, will definitely cost more than $32; in gaskets alone.

I ended up getting two bolt sets. One I used to assemble my engine; the other I used to try to determine if a torque angle equated reliably to any torque value. I wasn't able to reliably come up with any equating torque value, which might have been why a torque angle method was specified in the first place. I don't have the paper in front of me, but for many of the bolts 65 lbs.-ft. wasn't accurate.

And I was sure to lubricate the underhead mating surface and the corresponding flange with 30wt oil.

I still have the torque angle tool if you want to use it; no sense in me having a tool I won't use anytime soon that you need.

 

[John_S]

Re: 5.7 cylinder head installation

I thought Merc published an alternative 3-step torque spec vs the prefered angle method for vortec heads. I can't access the service manual to look, but thought it was #31 or possibly a service bulletin. I know I used it it with a new set of GM head bolts when I did mine. If I knew the tool was that cheap, would have purchased one, and did it the prefered way.

 

[Don S]

Re: 5.7 cylinder head installation

Since the old bolts were TTY I went with GM Performance Parts

They are not Torque to Yield bolts. They are only angle torqued. You are not going to make those 7/16" bolts yield at 100 ft lbs of torque, let alone at the approximately 65 ft lbs they will be torqued to.
Any engine that uses TTY type bolts will tell you in the manual to NOT reuse the bolts becaused they have been used in a TTY spec. Some may say 1 reuse, then discard.
Nothing is ever mentioned in any Chevy procedure.

 

[StevNimrod]

Re: 5.7 cylinder head installation

They are not Torque to Yield bolts. They are only angle torqued. You are not going to make those 7/16" bolts yield at 100 ft lbs of torque, let alone at the approximately 65 ft lbs they will be torqued to.
Any engine that uses TTY type bolts will tell you in the manual to NOT reuse the bolts becaused they have been used in a TTY spec. Some may say 1 reuse, then discard.
Nothing is ever mentioned in any Chevy procedure.

Sorry, I wasn't clear. The bolts I used for the engine last time were TTY type and I could either reinstall them or simply spend a few bucks on a new set. The original ones off a Vortec aren't. There's a service bulletin that came out when they switched to TTY bolts from the factory...I don't have it in front of me but I think it started somewhere around 2002-2004.

I don't know what the Merc bolts are, but I remember buying the factory Merc set when I was going to do a Vortec head swap and the head bolts looked like 3/8-16 grade 8's to me. I'll have to see if I still have any laying around.

 

[Don S]

Re: 5.7 cylinder head installation

There's a service bulletin that came out when they switched to TTY bolts from the factory...

I used to have to read and sign every service and parts bulletin that came out, and I never remember one about head bolts on a SBC. There is also nothing in the bulletin search feature on the dealer program about it either. Outboards, BBC, racing and diesel yes, but nothing on SBC engines ever using TTY bolts, and I have never seen anything but 7/16 NF thread on any Chevy head bolt.
So, if you are going to quote from it, you have to produce it or your statements will be shown as false at Snopes.com

 

[John_S]

Re: 5.7 cylinder head installation

I thought Merc published an alternative 3-step torque spec vs the prefered angle method for vortec heads. I can't access the service manual to look, but thought it was #31 or possibly a service bulletin. I know I used it it with a new set of GM head bolts when I did mine. If I knew the tool was that cheap, would have purchased one, and did it the prefered way.

It was in the Merc #31: http://www.4shared.com/file/119353633/70c4dde5/Mercruiser_Service_Manual_31.html

The prefered is the angle torque method, as discussed.

Cylinder Head Bolt - Optional Method
All Bolts In Sequence
First Pass: 26lbs
Second Pass: 44lbs
Final Pass: 66lbs

 

[No Problem]

Re: 5.7 cylinder head installation

The machine shop is giving me all new bolts, marine gaskets and repaired heads. I don't have a problem buying the torque angle guage, It's just that I haven't installed alot of heads and wasn't familar with this technique. It seems pretty straight forward, I don't think I'll have a problem.
Thanks for the help, I'll let you know how it turns out.

 

[dan t.]

Re: 5.7 cylinder head installation

you want REAL accurate torque buy a set of ARP head studs,reusable dozens of times and set up with conventional torque methods and,not that much more than a set of head bolts

 

[StevNimrod]

Re: 5.7 cylinder head installation

So, if you are going to quote from it, you have to produce it or your statements will be shown as false at Snopes.com

Ha ha. Calm down Don .

The bulletin I was thinking about was No. 05-06-01-026B from GM, which applied to Vortec inline 6's and other models starting in 2002.

Moot since the OP is getting all new.

 

[Don S]

Re: 5.7 cylinder head installation

Well, I did a search on your bulletin, and here is what I found.
05-06-01-026B OCT 08 Engine - Broken Bolt Extraction Information
which has nothing to do with TTY head bolts on a 5.7
Then I found this writeup
http://www.motor.com/magazine/pdfs/112009_02.pdf

5.7 V8's aren't even mentioned.

Basically the fact still remains the 5.7 head bolts are NOT a TTY bolt and they do not require being replaced. No problems at all if you want to replace them because you want to, but it is not requiered by GM, Volvo, or Mercuiser in any of their information, manuals bulletins or anything else.