Torque specs for 96 ford mustang 3.8 head bolts??

Question

Hey does anyone have the torque specs for a 1996 3.8 v6 ford mustang on the cylinder head bolts???

I keep seeing sites that say like 13-38 ft lbs but that seems way too low...

Answer 1

38 lbs does seem low, but I'm seeing consistent data.

-1996-later
--Step 1 15 ft/lbs
--Step 2 29 ft/lbs
--Step 3 36 ft/lbs
--Step 4 Loosen 2 full turns (from this point on, work with one bolt at a time)
--Step 5 (Long bolts) 29-37 ft/lbs
--Step 5 (Short bolts) 11-18 ft/lbs
--Step 6 Tighten add

Answer 2

1997 Mustang V6 Specs

Answer 3

Remember also to REPLACE the head bolts, don't reuse old bolts.

These are "torque to yield" bolts. They are designed with a certain amount of "stretch" to get the proper clamping force.

Used head bolts are already stretched, and will not give the same clamping force to the head.

It would be a shame to have to redo a cylinder head replacement, because you tried to save $30.00 on new head bolts.

Answer 4

You can get a book from the auto parts store for just that car. Costs about $12-$15, and contains all the sequences, and torque specs. Or your local library may subscribe to alldata online. If they do you may be able to print out the data you need for as little as $0.10 per page.

Answer 5

Yes. Clymers or Haynes or Chiltons knows. Just look in that $18 book that anybody but a complete idiot would have on hand before working on their engine.

Answer 6

There is a pattern, sequence, and torque spec.

Go buy the book.