I'm going to replace my head gasket that has blown, do i need to replace the head bolts? they are pretty expensive.
My engine has 326,000 miles on it.

 

yes you should because when they are torqued down they stretch. check out the guys at big bad diesel. they got me a good deal on some marine head bolts and they werent as much as the regular head bolts.

 

What's good about the marine head bolts?

 

im not exactly sure. i think they may have more tensile strength and they have threads on them all the way up so you get full clamping power. i think why they have threads on them all the way up may be because the heads on marine motors have threads in the head too, which i would think would help keep more preasure down on the block. but thast just my theory

 

For a stockish truck do the cummins recommended drop test. Drop the bolts one at a time on concrete. If they ring you should be good. If its a thud you need to replace them.

 

RSWORD

when ever I remove the head, I always replace the bolts.

they way it is tested know is by the go no go gauge, it measures the threads to see how far they have gone.

 

That too. In my experience though any streatched bolt will not ring. This as well as the gauge method are both in the Cummins manual. Also any cummins head gasket kit ( dont buy a knock off ) should have a gauge. For what it is worth I've done many headgaskets reusing factory bolts. Never had a problem even in the 89 running 60+ psi and a good size hit of nitrous. Every one of the bolts rung like a bell when dropped.

 

hey man mighty diesel has a good set of head bolts on their site the run emm in there drag truck that pushes 60 psi my buddy has a 97 with a dtech and 90 horse injectors that pushes about 50 and my other buddy has an 01 with a programmer cold airintake and injector nozzles, and i have what in my sig and we all use mighty diesel head bolts they havent failed yet its like 150 or sumthin for a set well worth the monney if my opinion matters if not its cool just a suggestion goodluck

 

can anyone give me a website that sells high quality, (preferably) steel head gaskets, i am one needing one for my 1996 cummins..

 

you can call kenworth and get a headgasket through them its alot cheaper than going through cummins i got a 20mm overstock headgasket for mine and new headbolts i cant rem how much it all was but when you are ready to put the head bolts in put some assembly lube or arp lube on the threads and the bottom of the head of the bolt it makes it alot easyer when you go to torque em down I torque my head bolts down to 125 pounds and i hit 45 all day on my boost gauge and i retorque em last week and there still holding