I'm replacing my head gasket and my question is should I clean the bolt holes before installing the new head bolts. If so what size of tap do I use. My Haynes manual says to clean the bolt holes but I read on the auto zone site that GM recommends against cleaning the bolt holes but then again Haynes recommends cleaning the old bolts with a wire brush and reusing them.

couldnt hurt to spray some carb cleaner in there and then spray the holes out with some air....just remember to use anti seize and dont go overboard re-tightening those bolts

torque wrench is our best friend.

you need to buy new head bolts all together. our head bolts are torque to yeild bolts so when are put in the first time they are torqued down to pretty much theyre breaking point and if u put them back in and re torque them ur stretching them even more

i hardly ever chase the threads and i use plumbers pipe thread dope to seal and lube the bolt threads and yes replace with new ones they are torque once only bolts on the 2.2L anyways

and pretyt much all any aluminum head engines, among some others, are TTY type




-96 cavalier 2.2 auto 143k miles