Assuming your tune is good, what's the trick to running 30+ psi and not pushing coolant?

I may have heard that it is as simple as have a perfectly flat surface and going with a Felpro MLS head gasket. There has got to be more to it than that.

I finally hit over 30psi on my FP Green last week (I know your turbo is larger). Didn't push any coolant at all. The last time the engine was apart, the block was not decked (though it had been recently). I'm running an OEM composite head gasket with ARP L19's torqued to 100ft-lbs with moly.

What head studs are you currently running?

I personally use A1 headstuds with the Felpro 1153-1 headgasket. I have had no issues at 44psi on my HTA3586.

Other methods involve o-ringing the head and using a composite headgasket.

Either way its been discussed enough times over the years, you should be able to find enough discussions

Not sure what studs are in the car. They were installed by previous owner.

thanks for the info

If you pull the valve cover you can take a peak, factory are bolts so it will be obvious.
As Reza said it's been discussed a lot, there are plenty of guys out there still on stock blocks and all they did was swap to head studs with the head still on to retain the factory head gasket.

Definitely not stock bolts, just not sure what type of aftermarket ones were installed. I'm guessing ARP's.

I did some googling and it looks like there are markings on the end of the studs but I can't find a picture that actually shows me what those markings are. It could tell you what they are, maybe someone who has a box uninstalled can chime in.

Just checked my emails and they are in fact ARP's.

Standard or L19's? The standards are garbage, and would likely cause the issue you're having.

I believe my L19's had "L19" engraved in them around the allen key slot at the top of the stud. I'd pop the valve cover off and take a look.

L19's for 6 bolts are discontinued. I just sold the last set I had down to South Dakota. It looks like ARP has come up with bolts BETTER (so they claim, and definitely more expensive) than the L19's, but they are NOT offering them for 6 bolt. Only for 7 bolt and EVO. They are calling the material "custom age 625+"

Do you still carry A1's for a 6 bolt, Ziggy? I didn't see them in the store, but my internet has been wonky and it might not be loading properly.

No, I stopped carrying A1's because the only source I had for them was Magnus and they are such dicks to deal with...

Fair enough

Are A1's the only comparable stud to the L19s for the 6-bolts?

Similar, some prefer them. I just found out the 6 bolt L19's are NOT discontinued, they have just been on a very long back order, and SHOULD be available again soon.

A1 head studs:
http://magnusmotorsports.com/products/engines-and-internals/magnus-head-studs/

MAP used to carry them, or did they stealget them from Magnus?

Not sure, but I checked with MAP and they don't have them anymore either. I think they only have them for EVO X. Maybe they got tired of dealing with Magnus also?

I know Extreme PSI buys some items from Magnus also, but even he doesn't carry them.

Last time I tried to buy them from Magnus, after dicking me around for MONTHS, they still didn't even HAVE them. They offered to overnight them in, then overnight them to me, after bullshit excuses for 2 months. I told them just cancel it, and it took well over a week to get my credit card refunded.

Since L19s WILL still be available for 6 bolt, I am not even going to TRY to get these....

L19's, o-ringed block & stock composite HG here, have ran 35-36psi, no issues.

Looks like the car is set up with standard ARP's and a cometic head gasket.

I think I'll try either the ARP L19's or the Magnus studs first, and see if the pushing coolant stops. If it doesn't, I'll replace the cometic with the Felpro 1153-1.

Re-torque your studs first!

Good point Mike. These studs are meant to be re-torqued after installation and one heat cycle.

Ok, will do Mike.

It's worth a shot, but from my experience it never did anything. Once the seal is compromised, it will never seal again 100%.

Thing is the car runs and drives fine under cruise and idle, even with the a/c on it doesn't overheat or push coolant.

It's only when its boosting and I make multiple pulls that it pushes coolant. I often end up with boiling coolant in the overflow and spill outs, even though the temps don't go higher than 212.

At the track I have no issues running 35psi and shutting down immediately after.

Do you have a coolant pressure tester?

I think Princess Auto has them on sale again for roughly $60. But if you did need the kit, get the one with the 3 different size rad cap adapters.

I discovered a split in one of my lines which caused similar issues.

Darren P. nailed it when he said the worm gear clamps are damaging in comparison to the OEM ones.

^^^
That sounds right, my car and others have done the same. Compression test will also show perfect. It only lifts under boost.

Boiling coolant is a tell tale sign head gasket is lifting. Well it's not really boiling, it's all the exhaust gases leaking past the head gasket which you hear in the overflow once the car is off.

That's gotta be it then. The temps hardly hit 212 yet the coolant is bubbling(i guess not boiling) in the overflow, only after boosting.

Actually no, they are not. It can actually over stretch the studs beyond their return point, especially if you used regular oil on them.

Here's a good watch.

Wow! Great video.

Ziggy carry that lube?

If he doesn't, you can get the large can of it on Amazon for a decent price, enough for a lifetime for a backyard mechanic.

subscribed.
I had exact same coolant issue on stock block with stock bolts.
Mine pushed coolant even at modern boost levels such as 15+ psi. Going over a complete rebuild with OEM MLS Head Gasket and L19s. We'll see how it goes for me.

For starters, 7 bolts are at a disadvantage over 6 bolts by having bolts/studs that are 1mm smaller from the get go.

I think it was John Whalen who put half inch studs in his 2g with the compound setup, drilled and re-tapped the holes in the block larger as well to match the imperial size. Not sure where he got those from. He never had issues that I know of even with around 50+ psi of boost with that setup.

Good video, I wonder how the results would be with L19's or A1's.
I usually torque my A1's to 110 ft lbs with Moly and never need to go back in there again.
As per Marco, these A1's don't stretch. You'll squish the head before it stretches.

Alex, if you haven't already bought one, use a Felpro permatorque headgasket with the L19's. Pricey but worth every penny , however the head studs are definitely more important than the choice of headgasket.

Has anyone tried changing out head studs with the head still on? Is it possible or a waste of time?

Here is the prof its doable and been done before.

Head never been off the car with ARP L19s

I did that with my first set of reg ARP's & never had any issues & know a good number of others have done the same. Although this is typically on setups that aren't pushing to start with, so you may not have the same luck.

Also, if you get the L19's, make sure to not touch them with bare hands (wear latex gloves), the oils from your skin can eventually damage them.

Just ordered the Magnus studs. Gonna give them a try and see.

Already got these boys...


so no going back for me. Block and the head should be ready this Friday

Nice! Let us know how it works out.

My recipe was OEM Mitsu composite HG with early head bolts, not studs over torqued to about 110 to120 ft-lbs.

With good surfaces my car never pushed coolant even at 40 psi. Boost with detonation will leak regardless of what configuration used. You need a solid tune if you are running big boy boost.

Ok, now I'm not sure if I should go with the felpro or the oem composite. I'll be running the magnus studs and wasn't planning on sending either the block or head out for resurfacing, as they were just done recently.

Use what Reza told you to.