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Subject:Re: Exhaust Flange Gaskets and torque
From:Scott Daniel - Turbovans
Date:Sun, 14 Nov 2010 13:26:35 -0800

hi..
yes, on all exhaust fasteners..
since the go through heating and cooling cycles, and gaskets compress, etc..
they should be checked gain for tightness  say a week or a few hundred miles
after the initial installations.

the 14 ft lbs figure is very low sounding to me ..
I'm sure I make mine much tighter than that by hand.
spark plugs are installed tighter than that ..and we don't think of those
being very tightly installed ( not to digress, but many non-professionals
don't tighten spark plugs well enough ., and it seems that no one knows to
always put anti-seize compound on spark plug threads. )
in other words, 14 ft lbs is not very tight at all.

once they're on there in regular long term service..
I'd check them once in a great while perhaps, but generally they sort of
seize in place somewhat  after a while.  Like if properly tightened ..they
don't get loose on their own ..
but things do move around with heat-cool cycles and at least an initial
follow-up tightening , or two, is normal to do.

Scott
www.turbovans.com
----- Original Message -----
From: "william greenamyer" <wgreenamyer@CISO.COM>
To: <vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM>
Sent: Sunday, November 14, 2010 4:39 AM
Subject: Exhaust Flange Gaskets and torque

> Had questions a month or so ago about exhaust flange gaskets for my 84GL
> Vanagon.  Now I have a question about torque (14 foot pounds) on the bolts
> and nuts.  Before I remove the pipes, I rechecked the torque on the flange
> bolts and nuts.  Found at least 2 bolts and one nut that could be
> retorqued.
> One was leaking air and the other flange was not.  Question--Should the
> flange bolts/nuts be retorqued and if so, how often should they be
> checked?
>
> William