[Motorhead]

I've spent the last couple weekends chasing down an internal coolant leak problem on the Bronco (460), and after replacing the intake gaskets and timing cover gaskets I'm 90% sure I solved the problem. However, that 10% of me, and also the part that likes to avoid future problems, feels that it's possible the leak could have come from the head gaskets leaking coolant into the lifter valley. I was thinking about retorqueing the head bolts this weekend to see if the bolts actually require some tightening, or if they don't budge then I'd feel pretty safe that nothing has loosened up over the years. In the 10 years I've had the Bronco I haven't had the heads off once, so I'm just curious what you guys think if I should go to the trouble of retorquing the heads, or if that could possibly cause problems like warpage, or if I'd just be wasting my time because it's been fine for this long. Thanks!

 

[Sonny]

If its done as per the book it WILL NOT do harm, however if the gasket is leaking bad this only sometimes fixes it-Sorry.

 

[tonys10sec306]

i guess it couldnt hurt!

 

[quickshift]

I,d leave things alone on a 10yr old set of SEASONED gaskets.If you suspect a possible internal leak, try a can of RESTORE rad sealer.It contains fiber instead of metalic filler....therfore safer in the event of an unsealable leak. As the owner of 3 460 powered trucks I've found that IF! a leak occurs it happens @ the front cover to block surface.

 

[1 Bad 88 GT]

It's a waste of time. If a leak was going to occur it would've happened long before now. If you still have a problem, look for a blown head gasket or cracked head.

 

[Motorhead]

Thanks guys, I guess I'll just leave it alone... I just wasn't sure if retorqueing was considered preventative maintenance, or just something a person tries to solve a problem. Quickshift: Yes it looks like my problem was at the timing cover to block gasket, although the intake gasket may have been leaking some as well (they were leaking coolant out the front externally, so I replaced them first, a couple weeks back). So far so good, it's been a week since I replaced the timing cover gasket the coolant level hasn't changed significantly so I think I fixed it... I just wanted to cover all my bases and see if retorqueing the heads was a good idea or better left alone. Thanks!