No start after head gasket replacement; "chuffing" sound instead

[emoore924]

A buddy of mine had some sort of compress-the-valve-spring tool that we used on his 944. So if keeper or spring replacement was what we were doing (sorry, I don't recall what we were working on at the time) it is possible.

In any case, you'll know if a valve is bent when you go to pressurize the cylinder and it doesn't hold air...

[NoTheOtherMikey]

Originally Posted by nynor

yes.

Also necessary to get another set of head bolts? Replaced them before and of course the car hasn't started since.

[nynor]

Originally Posted by NoTheOtherMikey

Also necessary to get another set of head bolts? Replaced them before and of course the car hasn't started since.

i wouldn't bother. that's me. YMMV. what bolts did you use?

[89-944NA]

You can use the same bolts and nuts, but take some sand paper and scuff the block side of the washers....make sure you install the washers correctly too. The beveled edge goes up.

[NoTheOtherMikey]

I meant head nuts. Some guys say you have to replace them when you pull the head, which makes little sense to me.

Thanks for the tip on scuffing.

[nynor]

i would probably reuse the nuts, if they were new for this job.

[89-944NA]

Also make sure the washers don't turn when you torque down the head nuts. I put a small drop of paint on the washer/head union, let it dry, then torque the head. If the paint drop breaks you can see that the washer has turned.

Dealer service manual only calls for the replacement of the washers, or scuffing them if you plan to reuse the old ones. Somewhere along the line someone said you needed to replace the head nuts, but that is not true according to the factory service manuals. Aftermarket head studs/nuts may be a different story.