Head bolts

[Robbie693]

Hi all,

Question about the head bolt washers-

The one with the flat on at the front of the exhaust side hasn't tightened up with the flat next to the cam (see pic). It looks very close to where the cam turns and may touch.

Can I slacken this head bolt to re-position the washer on it's own or do I have to go through the losening sequence for the whole head?

Also, there are grooves in the top of the washer - have I got it upside down?

[CBUEB1771]

Robbie,
The grooved side of the washer should be in contact with the cylinder head. This prevents it from rotating when you torque the bolt and keeps the flat properly aligned for clearance to the thrust ring of the cam shaft. Given that this bolt is at the extremity of the pattern you can probably get away with removing just this one and flipping the washer. Check the underside of the bolt head to see if it has been scored much by the grooves in the washer.

[Robbie693]

Thanks Russ,

I removed the bolt and the underside looks fine, there was however some grooving in the head on one side:

[CBUEB1771]

Robbie,
Everything looks fairly normal both in these photos and those in your other thread about cam bearings. The cylinder heads are soft and deformation under the head bolt washers is common. I does appear that your engine sat unused for a while with condensed water in the oil.

[Robbie693]

Thanks very much Russ,

I assume you mean the brown staining is caused by the water in the oil?

Now on to the Valve clearances (see other post)...