ok this may sound strange. i had my head off replacing the head gasket on my ls/vtec motor. well when i go to put the b16 head back on the b18a block, the head bolt that goes in the middle up top (in the number 1 position in the sequence order) it just spins and spins like its stripped. well i take the head off and put the exact same bolt in the exact same hole, and it tightens down to 30ft lbs. or torque perfectly. so i put the head back on, and i tighten all the other head bolts down fine, with no problems at all. but that one bolt in that one hole will not tighten. i have tried numerous different bolts and they all work fine in other holes, except for that one. by the way, im using b16 head bolts. if anyone has any ideas on what could be wrong, or what i should try to get it fixed, i would greatly appriciate it. i need to get my motor back together asap. thanks in advance.

 

Dowel pin alignment might be slightly off, altho, that's a very small possibility considering that it's one of the middle holes.

Which head bolts are you using? B16 or B18?

 

b16 bolts, how can i adjust that, or fix that problem.


Modified by LsVtecDA at 3:18 PM 7/19/2003

 

you sure the headgasket you are using is correct?

all the holes in the gasket line up correctly to the block?

 

yes they are. the bolt when in with the headgasket on, just not with the head on. and with the haed on, all other 7 bolt up, just not that one.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by IN VTEC &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Dowel pin alignment might be slightly off, altho, that's a very small possibility considering that it's one of the middle holes.

Which head bolts are you using? B16 or B18?</TD></TR></TABLE>

can you give me some more info? like where is the dowel? and how can i check to make sure it is aligned right? please help. thanks.

 

help.....

 

There are two dowel pins on the exhaust side of the head that align the head onto the block. On a LS-VTEC, it's also possible to have had the dowel pins relocated to the intake side of the head....depending on the builder's preference.

Try threading the trouble bolt in first as it is right now. Then try removing one of the dowel pins and then thread the trouble bolt in first. That'll tell you if one of the dowel pins is misaligned.

I'm not for certain, but the B16 head bolts might be too short to use with the B18 deck height. The difference in deck height is slightly more than 1/4". Were you able to hit the target torque value using the B16 head bolts?

 

yes i was able to torque all of the other bolts, except that hole. and im not just now putting the motor together. it has been running for almost a year, and i have always used b16 bolts. ill will check on the dowel pins. thanks a lot for the info.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by non-VTEC &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">you sure the headgasket you are using is correct?

all the holes in the gasket line up correctly to the block?</TD></TR></TABLE>
my thoughts exactly.

 

all the holes line up on the block. i lined the new one up with 2 previously used ones from my car, and all three are exactly the same....i have the right gasket.

 

arent you supposed to use b18 bolts?

 

i had b16 bolts before. these new onse im using are the exact same size, so there the same bots that i was using before.