Re-torque the head bolts when hot ?

[rwhitlock]

I installed a new cometic gasket kit in April and have about 15 hours on it so far. Not a ton of hard riding, just a lot of fun play riding. I noticed that I have some oil seeping out between the head and cylinder now. Not a ton, just enough to pick up the dust.

A friend told me I should have torqued the head bolts when I put the engine together (which I did) and then re-torque them when the engine is hot.

Anyone ever heard of this??

I am going to check the torque on the bike in the next day or two, and just wondered if I need to warm it up first and then re-check..

Thanks!

Rod

 

[keen]

Never heard of a hot re-torque. I'd check it cold, less thermal expansion.

 

[falcon1]

Definatley, never torque hot fasteners.

 

[jmics19067]

after warming up the bike wait for it to cool and then recheck would be a good idea in my opinion.

 

[rickyd]

Aluminum is too soft when warm/hot.. You wont get a correct torque reading and run the possibility of stripping the threads.. run the motor for awhile, let it completely cool down the check your torque..
Rick

 

[rwhitlock]

Thanks for the replies. More than likely, I will run the motor for about 2 to 3 minutes, let it cool down completely and check the torque.

This site is great!

Rod