200 TDI Head Bolt upgrade, anyone know of any?
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Henry_b
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Whats wrong with the standard ones 
A set from Turners should work quite well
A set from Turners should work quite well
jamesmartin
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why
Thanks, I don't think the ones from Turner's offer much more, this is based on they are what I already have.Whats wrong with the standard ones
A set from Turners should work quite well
I need something stronger, my head gasket has gone, it's now been upgraded to a Reinz ,but the bolts came out too easily and I'm looking to see what is available, I can't find an ARP solution any where, though lots of chat about them
jamesmartin
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200s dont suffer from head gasket issues, though any head gasket will only last so many years,considering the age of 200s is the main reason some need a new gasket,a new set of std bolts is more than adequate
Thanks, but not relevant to this request. Its gone, it's either a faulty gasket or not up to the job, hence upgraded gasket and looking for upgraded bolts or studs. Just wanted to know of any sources.
jamesmartin
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i dont know of any, but if std bolts tightened up correctly and a decent composite gasket dont last youve got an issue that upgraded bolts wont help
Turboman
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How can you upgrade head bolts?
They are stretch bolts, to give the required tension at the specified torque.
If you get bolts with less stretch, you will need to tighten them more, which is likely to cause damage.
Turboman
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How many miles had it done before the gasket went? And what did the head and block look like when you removed the old gasket?
800 miles and the gaskets, Head was fine, been pressure tested and no issues. Head was also brand new before hand, as was gasket and bolts
Turboman
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Did you fit the head yourself?
And what did the mating face look like, and was it checked all over for flatness?
Nope, but it was fitted corrected to correct torque settings etc by Glencoyne
Turboman
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They are tightened by angles. But he certainly knows what he is doing.
Have you told him it has blown again after only 800 miles?
Yeah its there at the moment, hence why i'm looking for uprated studs or bolts
Turboman
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I don't think the bolts are going to have caused it to blow again that quickly. And different bolts won't make any difference, as the bolts must be tightened in the same way. You can't tighten them any more, or any less.
Turboman
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Standard bolts are robust. But there will be a reason, and you need to find what it is, and correct it.
Henry_b
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Where did you get the bolts from?
I've found the quality stretch bolts depends on the manufacturer, not all are created equal.
in my opinion It depends who made them. My worry is that even genuine Land Rover ones may not be made to the same spec as the 30yr + year originals. I've used stretch bolts on other things in the past and you can feel when they start to stretch as they suddenly become easier to turn (and if they were never intended to stretch, that's just before they break). The first time I used the stretch bolts on a V8 head, that didn't happen, I was just hanging on a long bar to manage the second 90 degrees. When the thread is going into the aluminium block, I was concerned I was going to pull the thread out. I would advise against getting the cheap ones as they are made of chocolate and will snap off half the time or stretch too soon.
Hence my recommendation for turners, as they tend to have the good stuff
I don't think there is a stud kit for the 200 the upside of studs is the finer thread means there's much more control on the tension and they don't need to be torqued up nearly as tight..
But as said you don't need studs for the 200 just quality stretch bolts, if you were running crazy boost and other performance upgrades then yes I'd stud it, but being stock nah!!
I've found the quality stretch bolts depends on the manufacturer, not all are created equal.
in my opinion It depends who made them. My worry is that even genuine Land Rover ones may not be made to the same spec as the 30yr + year originals. I've used stretch bolts on other things in the past and you can feel when they start to stretch as they suddenly become easier to turn (and if they were never intended to stretch, that's just before they break). The first time I used the stretch bolts on a V8 head, that didn't happen, I was just hanging on a long bar to manage the second 90 degrees. When the thread is going into the aluminium block, I was concerned I was going to pull the thread out. I would advise against getting the cheap ones as they are made of chocolate and will snap off half the time or stretch too soon.
Hence my recommendation for turners, as they tend to have the good stuff
I don't think there is a stud kit for the 200 the upside of studs is the finer thread means there's much more control on the tension and they don't need to be torqued up nearly as tight..
But as said you don't need studs for the 200 just quality stretch bolts, if you were running crazy boost and other performance upgrades then yes I'd stud it, but being stock nah!!
