Oil coming out of top of headbolt

[fergarelli]

Hello All,
I recently replaced my head gasket and got everything running right, but then noticed a significant amount of oil coming out of the #1 headbolt. I searched prior topic threads and it appears that it could be that the bolts are "stretched?" My car is a 1976 and I reused the original bolts. Also, I am sure the oil is coming out of the bolt and not the cam tower gasket. Any thoughts would be much appreciated. Thanks in advance.

[SteinOnkel]

"and I reused the original bolts"

That's your issue. Torque to yield bolts should always be replaced.

[fergarelli]

Thanks SteinOnkel,
Should I replace just the one that is leaking? Or all of them, but just one at a time? And I'm seeing conflicting information on some threads about whether to use some type of threadlock, etc. (Loctite). Most say not to. Hoping not to have to take the whole head off again. Thanks for the help.

[18Fiatsandcounting]

Steiny is right in that torque-to-yield (TTY) bolts should not be reused, but I thought a '76 would not have TTY bolts in original form. So yes, if you have TTY bolts, that's likely the problem, but if not, here are some other possibilities:

Cylinder head or block mating surfaces are not flat. Was the cylinder head surface machined when you put in the new gasket? Any deep scratches in the block or head surface?

Bad head gasket. Or just a cheap one. The head/block is missing one (or both) of the two locating dowels between the block and head.

Any chance the head gasket got scratched up or gouged when you put on the head?

-Bryan

[SteinOnkel]

Thanks SteinOnkel,
Should I replace just the one that is leaking? Or all of them, but just one at a time? And I'm seeing conflicting information on some threads about whether to use some type of threadlock, etc. (Loctite). Most say not to. Hoping not to have to take the whole head off again. Thanks for the help.

All of them of course and a new gasket. Cleanliness and precision are absolutely essential to a successful head gasket job.

Here's my modus operandi on all cars:

- Loosen bolts in reverse order of how they are tightened (minimizes tension)
- Remove all gasket material with a plastic scraper (not metal or razor blades!)
- Measure head for warpage (straight edge and feeler gauge. Usually 0.2mm across the diagonal is max tolerance, check your book
- Measure block for warpage (very rare on cast iron blocks)
- Clean threads in block by using a syringe to get any oil and water out. Blow dry with compressed air.
- Make dowels out of old head bolts (cut top off, make slot for flathead screwdriver). Use at least 2.
- Set head and gasket down, install bolts dry (absolutely no loctite, silicone etc!) and tighten with manufacturer's process.

You cannot reuse the bolts due to stretch and you cannot reuse the gasket because it gets squished when you tighten down the bolts.

Update: was flipping through another thread. The answers are wild, there's an abundance of Fiat weirdness going on with these. Nobody knows what fastener to use, what torque to set it to etc. I really thought the engine was the one thing they didn't cut corners on with these cars - guess not! Complete junk. My advice isn't valid; good luck with the oil leak.

[fergarelli]

Thanks to you both for the thorough responses. I will give it a shot this weekend and report back. Much appreciated.