Kevin B

Hi All

Could anyone shed any light on a little problem (or what I think is a problem) with a 4x4 Saph Cossie head.

Basically the head seems to almost be compressing when you torque it up – by this I mean the problem I am having is that once it has been torqued up, and undone again the head bolt holes and being distorted and the head bolts are not dropping through the holes anymore?

Everytime we remove the head we have to ‘turn/punch’ the head bolts out of the head, then spend time punching them carefully back and forth through the head until they fall through easily. The head is then re-fitted and torqued down correctly and runs beautifully. Only the same thing happens when the head is removed again?

Has anyone ever had this happen, as no one we have spoken to up to now has ever had this problem?

The head was sourced from someone as my old one had been machined down to far to use anymore, so I do not know the history to this head? Only thought we had was maybe it had been cooked up at some point in its life and this was causing the problem?

Any suggestions/advice etc would be much appreciated, as we are concerned about fitting it again (although I really cant afford another head, I don’t want to take any chances by fitting it and it causing problems in the long run).

Many thanks

Kev

Kevin B

Thanks for the reply - we have replaced the bolts (and head gasket) but it seems it is the head that is compressing/mis-shaping?

Sketch

My brother and I had the same problem on one of his previous Cossie heads!!

At the time the head was actually cracked (although we didnt know this) and so we were changing head gaskets every couple of weeks (probably had the head on and off for 5 seperate gaskets in quite a short space of time) and it was suggested that it could be down this regular on and off process that was causing the bolt holes to distort........

Changed head after we found it was cracked so no more problems!

Kevin B

Thanks Sketch - my head has been crack tested and skimmed flat by a professional firm, and as far as they are concerned it is ready to fit?

We have checked my old head over and the bolts drop straight through, but with the new head, even once the bolts have been worked through, once you fit and remove it, you are back to square one again?

The larger dia hole in the head (which the washers on the head bolts pass through) are also very tight on the washers?

Seems a very strange problem?

IANS2RST

iTrader: (1)

what torque settings are u using and are u sure the torque wrench isn't knackered?

rstoughy

iTrader: (5)

Are there not 2 different sizes of bolts?

early and late?

seem to remember that the washers are different or something

PGT

early heads require the smaller diameter washers or if you have later bolts/ wshers you can take a bit off each one with an angle griner. IIRC the difference is about 1mm daimeter. you can recognise and early head by the number of bolts securing the thermosts - early = 2

SteveB

iTrader: (3)

3 drs and early saffs had the head bolts with smaller washers

Kevin B

The torque settings we are using are: 45-50Nm then 180 degrees. The ford manual we have says then to check for 110Nm, but there is no way we dare pull 110Nm!!!, they are about 80-85Nm ish when we checked.

The torque wrench we used was a digital Snap-On item which was calibrated recently.

I assume I have the correct bolts (as supplied by Woodforde) as we have the problem with both the new sets and the old set that came out of the old head?

The thermostat is secured by 3 bolts on both my old head and this new item, so assume they are the same?

Anybody got anymore suggestions? I really appreciate your help chaps

Lloyd

have you checked that the bolts are straight?

Kevin B

Yeah we have checked the bolts are straight, in fact due to reasons beyond out control we have used 3 different sets now and we still have the same problem which is why we think it must be due to the head itself

Also just to add to the suggestion Sketch made about the head being cracked, like i said it has been crack tested which should in theory rule that out, but every bolt hole is the same, so surely they would not all be cracked - could understand it if it was just one tightening up?

Any more ideas? We would like to refit tomorrow but would be good to hear as many thoughts as possible before we do?

Any of the big tuners have any ideas - must have worked on hundreds/thousands of different heads in your time?

Thanks again for the replies