intake troubles

[beardy2]

ok my engine has an aluminum intake on it and i bought brandnew intake bolt but i keep torqueing the bolts down every other day because they just wont stay tight so im going threw intake gaskets like crazy. why would my engine keep doing this and what would be the best fix.

I thought about lock tight but then i thought that it wouldnt be the best idea for if i ever change the heads out or whatever.

[98blackbeauty]

did you clean out holes before you torqued it down. You may be seeing torque of bolts ok but its really torque of bolt hole full of dirt or antifrezze. I would take a tap and run it down and be sure threads are clean.

[Lucky SOB]

did you clean out holes before you torqued it down. You may be seeing torque of bolts ok but its really torque of bolt hole full of dirt or antifrezze. I would take a tap and run it down and be sure threads are clean.

Good thought Larry, but I'd like to make one suggestion.

DO NOT use a tap to clean threads - they make a tool for this. But what you can do is take an old bolt with the same thread size/count and cut a slot in the threads so it "looks" like a tap. Run this into the hole and back it out... do this a few times. This will clean the "crud" out of the hole if there is any.

[WMCC Gary]

ok my engine has an aluminum intake on it and i bought brand new intake bolt but i keep torqueing the bolts down every other day because they just wont stay tight so im going threw intake gaskets like crazy. why would my engine keep doing this and what would be the best fix.

I thought about lock tight but then i thought that it wouldnt be the best idea for if i ever change the heads out or whatever.

Are you using lock washers?

[beardy2]

yeah theres lockwashers on there and the heads are brandnew just out of the shop with maybe 200 miles on them if that

[TrickyTransAm]

WHy dont you just use blue threadlocker (Loctite)?

Blue Loctite comes off with no problem. Red is the strong stuff.
I've had zero problems removing even small bolts from aluminum intakes bolting into steel and aluminum into aluminum using loctite blue.
I even have a tube of the blue paste they just came out with. Much better and easier application. But either will do - a little dab goes a LONG way.
Clean your bolts with a wire brush and clean your threads in the heads.

Did you run a straight edge across the manifold to make sure it wasn't warped?
Did you torque the manifold in sequence (criss cross)?

[97firehawk]

Hmmmmm I have never had intake bolts back out are you sure your not over torqueing the bolts because you could be stretching the bolts and therefore causing your problem.

[TrickyTransAm]

Hmmmmm I have never had intake bolts back out are you sure your not over torqueing the bolts because you could be stretching the bolts and therefore causing your problem.

Generally when you over-torque an aluminum manifold, you crack the lug off or warp the manifold. The aluminum is far weaker material in comparison to that bolt.
Loosening bolts are very common as expansion rates of aluminum and cast iron are very different, so you have to have something to keep the bolts in place. Which requires clean mating surfaces, bolts with good threads, and the proper clamp force delivered by torque.

It's not just a bolt that goes in a hole. The more you thread a bolt into a hole, the more efficient it becomes as your knocking off the burrs that were there before. Add a little oil to it, and you've made it even more efficient as now it has less friction and can alter your final torque.

[97firehawk]

Well I have seen intake bolt strech from over torqe with out intake damage it depends on the bolts factory aluminum intake bolts are very soft and will strech easly. I have personaly never had a intake bolt loosen but imsure it could .