Head studs question.
Thread Starter
Drifting
Joined: Jan 2002
Posts: 1,498
Likes: 3
From: Sacramento CA
Head studs question.
I have head studs installed on my motor, and I know that if you have normal factory bolts or even hardened bolts you want to clean out the holes of coolant after pulling the heads.
Is the same true for head studs?
They will be staying secured to the block after removal, so do the holes need to be cleaned out?
Is the same true for head studs?
They will be staying secured to the block after removal, so do the holes need to be cleaned out?
Drifting
Joined: Oct 2003
Posts: 1,923
Likes: 5
From: San Antonio TX
that is 1 of the nice things about studs, no you do not need to take them out of the block so you do not need to clean the holes. If you take them out for some reason then you will need to clean the holes.
More Than Zero
More Than Zero
Team Owner
Joined: Mar 1999
Posts: 22,025
Likes: 192
From: At the beach in little Rhody
I am planning "yet another head swap" and I also have studs. My plan is to suck the block dry, unbolt the heads, lift them (there will be some residual coolant in them) and then pull the studs. I want to verify the holes are dry, but that's just the **** side of me but I don't want to risk it.
Uneducated autodidact
Joined: Feb 2001
Posts: 5,408
Likes: 249
From: West of the Sabine, Texas
Agreed, assuming that some thread sealer was used when the studs were installed...that is how I plan to install mine. Thread sealer, spin them down, snug them up...
Team Owner
Joined: Mar 1999
Posts: 22,025
Likes: 192
From: At the beach in little Rhody
Why thread sealer in blind holes?
I used ARP Assembly lube and won't risk a block that some coolant didn't get by the threads and into the blind hole when the studs can be removed in five minutes. I think you will also find that on the passenger side the head won't go on with all the studs in place, I had to leave some out to get the head on and then install the studs.
I used ARP Assembly lube and won't risk a block that some coolant didn't get by the threads and into the blind hole when the studs can be removed in five minutes. I think you will also find that on the passenger side the head won't go on with all the studs in place, I had to leave some out to get the head on and then install the studs.
Race Director
Joined: Oct 2002
Posts: 16,477
Likes: 26
From: Gone
CI 6-7-8-9-10 Veteran
St. Jude Donor '03
Both my heads dropped on no problem with all the studs in place, plenty of room..
If a minute amount of coolant did work it's way into the threads around the studs, it still doesn't matter.
Once a stud is in place, the only load it, or the block threads will ever see is upward pressure....a much different scenario than threading a bolt down into a blind hole, which if a non-compressible liquid was present, could present enough downward pressure to crack the block.
If a minute amount of coolant did work it's way into the threads around the studs, it still doesn't matter.
Once a stud is in place, the only load it, or the block threads will ever see is upward pressure....a much different scenario than threading a bolt down into a blind hole, which if a non-compressible liquid was present, could present enough downward pressure to crack the block.
Team Owner
Joined: Mar 1999
Posts: 22,025
Likes: 192
From: At the beach in little Rhody
Interesting you could get yours on, I can't remember what the issue was but both and I someone I know ran into the same situation and had to leave out several studs on the passenger side. Tough getting old 
Typical, just came back to me. The header was in the way (wasn't fully removed). See this link.
Link
Typical, just came back to me. The header was in the way (wasn't fully removed). See this link.
Link
Last edited by vettenuts; Jul 31, 2007 at 08:43 PM.
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Uneducated autodidact
Joined: Feb 2001
Posts: 5,408
Likes: 249
From: West of the Sabine, Texas
Both my heads dropped on no problem with all the studs in place, plenty of room..
If a minute amount of coolant did work it's way into the threads around the studs, it still doesn't matter.
Once a stud is in place, the only load it, or the block threads will ever see is upward pressure....a much different scenario than threading a bolt down into a blind hole, which if a non-compressible liquid was present, could present enough downward pressure to crack the block.
If a minute amount of coolant did work it's way into the threads around the studs, it still doesn't matter.
Once a stud is in place, the only load it, or the block threads will ever see is upward pressure....a much different scenario than threading a bolt down into a blind hole, which if a non-compressible liquid was present, could present enough downward pressure to crack the block.
Thread Starter
Drifting
Joined: Jan 2002
Posts: 1,498
Likes: 3
From: Sacramento CA
Even still, no one has really shown me the real danger of just leaving the studs in and not cleaing out the holes. It seems to me that the bolted down head stud is not going to be air tight, even torqued down. If there is some tiny ammount of coolant in the hole and it vaporizes it will just escape out the top...right?
Drifting
Joined: Oct 2003
Posts: 1,923
Likes: 5
From: San Antonio TX
leave the studs in and replace the heads, and yes the heads will go on over the ARP studs (easy to test, if you can get the heads off with the studs in then you can get them back on lol). any amount of lube on the stud threads is enough to keep water out of the stud hole (if it mattered) as long as you leave the stud in. also if there is a way for water to get into the stud hole with the stud in and you heat up the engine, the steam will get out a hell of a lot faster than the water got in. at the temps that our engines run it only takes 15-16psi to keep the coolant liquid so even if you apply a CYA safety factor of 10 that equals 160 psi, lol the hydrolic pressure required to crack a block at the blind hole is in the 1000's which just happens to be what you get when you leave water in a blind hole and screw the bolt in.
bottom line is that I have never seen a problem with a stud left in but several with someone thinking that they cleaned the stud holes correctly.
More Than Zero
bottom line is that I have never seen a problem with a stud left in but several with someone thinking that they cleaned the stud holes correctly.
More Than Zero
Last edited by M_T_0; Aug 1, 2007 at 01:09 PM.