Cylinder Head Bolt Re-torque???

[vwbill]

Hey, is the best way to re-torque the cylinder head bolts to remove the motor again since you need to remove the tins??? I know you can pull the valve covers and rockers to get at the bottom 4 bolts but what about the possible ways to get at the top ones??? Can the tins be moved out of the way by sliding them up over the intake tube curves and get to the bolts or is the only way to get at the top bolts to take the top tins off by removing the intake tubes and can the tins be removed without pulling the fan housing??? Thanks Bill

[raygreenwood]

The only way to retorque the upper bolts is to remove the tins. That requires removing the intake system and a lot of stuff. It really is easier to remove the engine....or at least the hanger bar and drop it down or else its difficult to move the wrench. Ray

[vwbill]

Thanks again Ray for the info! I was hoping there was a way to lift the tins out of the way and do the retorque but doubted it! It always seems easier to get at stuff with the engine out!! I can't remember if the intakes are in the way of the two center bolts?? If so then my drilling holes in the tins and plugging with those chrome pronged hole plugs wouldn't work.. I guess if you are doing the re-torque then you should go over the motor and do the checks.. I'm just hoping that I don't have another bad rebuild since I started getting that exhaust leak sound again and hope a re-torque will help out! I am thinking that my rebuild is getting too high a compression ratio and the heads can't handle it since I keep getting the same issue at the heads and this set of heads are new and I lapped the cylinders this time!! Thx Bill