Checking for Broken Head studs?
 

Hello, Embarking on my first Porsche 911, Im told that you can see if a car has broken head studs when doing a Valve Adjustment. Any truth to this? Thanks

Yes if you will nut and broken when take off valve cover and you can check if you have 12 nuts in hole .You can check the torque as you do valve ajustement.

Wrong answer to check the torque. If theyre all holding, dont touch them.
Bruce

I did not say retorque but how do you know they are holding.

When I did my valve adjustment for the first time I had doubts about the head studs too. I set the torque wrench for 20 foot-pounds and tested each nut. The torque spec is 24 foot-pounds. Nothing moved or rattled loose so I figured I was good at that point. Others may have a different technique. From what I understand head studs are either still good or broken. A small amount of torque can reveal if a head stud is broken but hasn't rattled out yet.

If they are broken ...
 

If you put a socket wrench on the bolts they will just turn freely if they are broken. Don't turn them at all if they hold to the socket wrench.

Check that they take 25 ft lbs and then stop. 22 would be fine. Bottom line is that if the nuts are not laying in the valve cover and they hold torque, let them be.

Ok Fellas Thanks, Think my ? has been answered, pelican Forums are great

Yep, don't torque them to full spec unless you are rebuilding the engine.

The first time I opened up my valve covers 10 years ago to do a valve adjustment there was a nut lying on top inside of the lower cover. This totally freaked me out.

I tightened it and check all the other nuts, about 50% on the lower end were lose. Just two or three nuts on the top end of the engine were lose though.

The second valve adjustment years later only 25% of the nuts would tighten, and then only very slightly.

The third vale adjustment I moved around looking for lose nuts but couldn't find any and decided not to push my luck, it's tight and sealed.

The power gains after the first valve job were sizable, I attribute half the gains (mostly in the lower torque band) to be from the sealing up of the engine via the headstud nuts.

Cool you made it through ok. Thanks for posting. I have always thought this was the kiss of death but seems not so.

I called the dealer when I found the nut in the valve cover to ask the torque setting. He said, if you can tighten it to torque, I'll buy you a beer.

Sure enough, bolt was partially sheared. Pop goes the weasel, twisted right off. Maybe it's a Dilivar thing. Hold great until they go?