I feel really stupid asking this question, but I'm doing head gaskets for the first time and after removing both heads, I went to clean up the threads on the head bolts and discovered that there are a couple (or was it three - it's been a couple of days since I pulled 'em) that are shorter than the rest. Like a fool, I assumed they were all the same length and didn't notice where the short one's came from. Can someone who has done a few head gaskets help me out in figuring where the shorties go? By the way, it's an EA82 in a '91 Loyale. Thanks.

- Ian

I feel really stupid asking this question, but I'm doing head gaskets for the first time and after removing both heads, I went to clean up the threads on the head bolts and discovered that there are a couple (or was it three - it's been a couple of days since I pulled 'em) that are shorter than the rest. Like a fool, I assumed they were all the same length and didn't notice where the short one's came from. Can someone who has done a few head gaskets help me out in figuring where the shorties go? By the way, it's an EA82 in a '91 Loyale. Thanks.

- Ian

 

I was just rummaging through head bolts.. and didn't notice short ones either. The center bolts are under the cam in a depression, that would be my guess. Just run the bolts through the head to figure it out?

I think there are three that are shorter (maybe two...I'd have to check). Anyway, they go in the holes where the head is "thinner", i.e., less distance from the gasket mating surface to where the bolt seats on the outside of the head. All of the holes in the block are the same depth, there are just differences in the head thickness.

It should be pretty obvious where the short bolts go and the long bolts go. The short bolts are recessed further into the head than the long bolts.

 

If you can't figure it out, thread in the long bolts until either a) the head of the bolt bottoms out or the bottom of the bolt bottoms it out. If the bottom of the bolt bottoms out (meaning you hit the bottom of the threads), then that's a hole for a short bolt.