New Torque Specs - OHV Cylinder Head

[KE4AVB]

For those of you that haven't heard there is a new official cylinder head torque specs for the Briggs OHV 210000, 280000, 310000, and 330000 series. They have bump it to 250 in lbs. When torquing new head gasket on these engine you should be using the three stage torque method. Tighten all bolts to 1/3 torque, then again to 2/3 torque, and finally to full torque. This is prevent head warpage during installation of new head gaskets and should help with gasket failures. This new spec is not in the newly release Spec Chart (Jan 2014) and none of torque specs are listed for 330000 but most are the same as the 310000.

[RoyM]

Good idea to use the bolt sequence laid out in the repair manual too. These engines have a reputation for head gasket failure particularly the 33 c.i. There is little material between the combustion and push rod chambers to provide a good sealing surface.

[KE4AVB]

I know all these engine use the same basic style of gasket. I repaired several of these engines last year where the only symptom was high oil usage; no oil smoke. To me it is a bad design gasket wise. I'm hoping the extra 2.5 ft lbs help cut down the failures in that area; although, it is a good money maker for the repair shops.