Torque is the concept of a physical force acting on the screw, causing it to rotate until it is tightened to the ideal level for fixing the parts.
Tightening cylinder head bolts using torque is essential when installing your cylinder head. If the bolts are tightened incorrectly, they will ruin the entire installation process and damage your vehicle's engine. Furthermore, if excessive force is used when tightening the bolts, the engine block will be damaged and the gaskets crushed, resulting in significant financial losses.
What tool should I use to tighten the screws?
A torque wrench is the ideal tool for precisely tightening cylinder head bolts. It's essentially a screw-tightening tool and typically consists of a metal rod with a hole for an extension and a socket wrench to turn the bolt.
What are the types of grips?
1. Tightening by Kilos
When tightening by kilograms, it is possible to measure the force applied to the cylinder head bolt; this force is read using a torque wrench.
Tip: Tightening by weight may cause a looseness problem when the screw threads are dirty or damaged. Therefore, the tightening will not be uniform, causing differences from one screw to another.
2. Angular tightening or degree tightening
Angular tightening ensures uniform tightening of the bolts, making it the best way to increase engine safety. When performing angular tightening, the screw's rotation is always measured, and a tool called a degree protractor is used to determine the correct degree of torque.
For the tightening in degrees to occur, there must be a small tightening in kilograms first and then the tightening in degrees.
Tips on how to tighten it correctly?
Here are some tips:
- The correct flow of tightening and loosening must be done in a star direction.
- Each screw should be unscrewed, generally, in a counterclockwise direction.
- When tightening for the first time, do not reach maximum torque, that is, do not go all the way to the end of the stroke.
