Torquing The Head

[jlan1978]

Hi All

I recently bought a restored Sprint with Engine Rebuild, still running the engine in.

I see torquing the head on Sprints mentioned a bit, can i get some direction on this?

Is it a Maintenance must?
When should it be done?

Any other detail you can send would be brilliant

Thanks
Joe

[Matt Cotton]

Hello Joe.

There is lots of info on Sprint head re- torquing on the forum, here is a useful link and there are many more:
https://forum.triumphdolomite.co.uk/vie ... hp?t=14203

The consensus is that it is well worth doing, especially after a rebuild like yours. I did mine at the weekend (new car to me) and was surprised at how much it had deviated from the recommended 58 lb/ft. No idea when it was last done however!

Kind Regards
MC

[Bish]

Might help you....

[Mad Mart]

That diagram is wrong. You do the studs first then the bolts. On that diagram...1,3,5,7,9 then 2,4,6,8,10.

[SprintV8]

The only thing I would add is.

Beg-Buy or borrow (Don’t Steal) yourself a decent torque wrench.

We had all our torque Wrenches tested amongst other stuff whilst I was working for a German Car Dealer.
My only ones within spec where my Expensive Snap-On Ones.
I binned my cheap ones.

You don’t need to spend mega money just don’t go cheap.

[Bish]

That diagram is wrong. You do the studs first then the bolts. On that diagram...1,3,5,7,9 then 2,4,6,8,10.

Really? I’ve used the above with no issue, but I stand corrected. You llive and you learn! Appologies Joe - bin my advice.

[xvivalve]

That diagram is wrong. You do the studs first then the bolts. On that diagram...1,3,5,7,9 then 2,4,6,8,10.

Really? I’ve used the above with no issue, but I stand corrected. You llive and you learn! Appologies Joe - bin my advice.

That sequence was advice from Sprintspares. If it was good enough for Jamie Weidner, it’s good enough for me

[Mad Mart]

I'm not sure which sequence you are referring to Alun but the sequence I have given is that used from the original British Leyland workshop manual, which would have been used in garages across the country. I'm sure the BL engineers knew their engines. You need to tighten the studs first because of the angle they are on.

[Bish]

That diagram is wrong. You do the studs first then the bolts. On that diagram...1,3,5,7,9 then 2,4,6,8,10.

Really? I’ve used the above with no issue, but I stand corrected. You llive and you learn! Appologies Joe - bin my advice.

That sequence was advice from Sprintspares. If it was good enough for Jamie Weidner, it’s good enough for me

Yes , I was under the impression that the sprintspares technical instructions were improvements over factory instruction that had been learned over years of sprint engine building and tuning experience.

A bit confusing to have two different methods. You pays your money and make your choice as they say......

[xvivalve]

I'm not sure which sequence you are referring to Alun but the sequence I have given is that used from the original British Leyland workshop manual, which would have been used in garages across the country. I'm sure the BL engineers knew their engines. You need to tighten the studs first because of the angle they are on.

...and it was garages across the country that gave the Sprint its appetite for head gasket reputation...

The workshop manual also tells you to bleed a tandem brake system front wheels first

[Carledo]

The workshop manual also tells you to bleed a tandem brake system front wheels first

As well you may! I do!

Since you are bleeding 2 entirely separate systems, it doesn't matter a pig's burp WHICH one you bleed first. I bleed the fronts first, because they contribute most to the length of the pedal, also they seem to bleed easier that way.

The old rule of bleed the wheel furthest from the master first, is only valid on a single circuit system. I still bow to it's logic by bleeding the N/S/F first, but it's more force of habit than anything sensible, the difference in pipe length is only a little over a foot (409mm to be precise) and is really inconsequential.

On most modern diagonal split systems you bleed the O/S/R rear first then the N/S/F to get 1 circuit, then the other rear followed it's opposing front to complete the job.

Steve

[xvivalve]

The workshop manual also tells you to bleed a tandem brake system front wheels first

As well you may! I do!

Since you are bleeding 2 entirely separate systems, it doesn't matter a pig's burp WHICH one you bleed first. I bleed the fronts first, because they contribute most to the length of the pedal, also they seem to bleed easier that way.

The old rule of bleed the wheel furthest from the master first, is only valid on a single circuit system. I still bow to it's logic by bleeding the N/S/F first, but it's more force of habit than anything sensible, the difference in pipe length is only a little over a foot (409mm to be precise) and is really inconsequential.

On most modern diagonal split systems you bleed the O/S/R rear first then the N/S/F to get 1 circuit, then the other rear followed it's opposing front to complete the job.

Steve

Ah, but they are not entirely separate; they share the master cylinder with effectively a single piston. If you bleed the fronts first, as per the manual, because they are separate systems, you can create a pedal on just the fronts which then prevents the piston moving sufficiently for the rear seals to start operating the rear system. This has now been determined as the cause of some folk not being able to bleed the rear, especially if they bleed the front without any fluid in the rear.

[tony g]

Head studs first,middle to outers, then head bolts, middle to outers. After first run of fresh head gasket I let it cool overnight then slacken each nut (one at a time) and re torque, repeat with bolts. Then after a few hundred miles do the same . Both re torques will show more movement. On my stuff a further re torque (so 4 torques in total) showed no more movement of the position of nuts/bolts. Ive used this method using Payen and cheapie ebay gaskets with success.

Tony

[jlan1978]

OK that's my first torque done, I did 24, 44, 58 a couple of the centre nuts didn't click first time on 24 do pretty loose. Mad how they could slacken so much.
Would most of you replace the gasket each time?