dasic1
Make sure to only do one stud at a time. Put a mark on the bolt/nut and head, back it off then retorque it and see if the marks line back up or is pulled a little tighter. Then move onto the next one

I warm the engine first then drain the coolant before doing this

How to retorque ARP studs after engine break-in 
I've been meaning to post this write-up for a while now. I've noticed over the years that MR2 enthusiasts do not take the time to retorque their ARP studs after engine break-in. 

During the break-in period, the engine heat cycles, there are many vibrations that move things around, and other things that move the studs in the block. You have to re-torque the studs after this period, mainly to make sure the studs are seated in the block properly. If you do not, the head will eventually lift, and you'll get combustion gasses into the coolant system, overheating the car.

Here's what you do to keep this from happening:

1) Remove the valve cover.

2) Refer to the factory torque sequence (starting in the middle and working your way out in a criss-cross pattern just like you torque your wheels down), and work on one stud at a time. This torque sequence is shown below.

3) Break loose the first stud using a breaker bar.

4) Remove the nut completely. (A magnetic pick up toll works wonders!)

5) Use an allen key socket (A handheld tool just doesn't cut it here.) to bottom out the stud in the block.

6) Make sure the nut is cleaned, and liberally apply ARP moly lube (not oil, not multi purpose grease, but ARP moly lube) to the nut.

7) Torque the nut down to 65 ftlbs. (Not 70, not 75, but 65ftlbs)

8) Move to the next stud/nut combo in the torque sequence.

9) Repeat steps 3-8 in the correct torque sequence until you have done them all.

10) Clean the valve cover gasket mating surface with carb cleaner or brake cleaner. Use a razor blade to remove old silicone from the mating surface.

11) Apply a dab of Toyota FIPG (the black stuff) at each corner (where the semi-circle meets the flat surface of the head) of the 2 cam caps on the timing belt side, and the distributor shaft tunnel on the flywheel side. This will be 6 dabs of silicone total. (I have no idea how many times I have seen the valve cover installed without these dabs of silicone.) This is shown in the picture below.

12) Secure the valve cover with bolts or the 2SRUS allen key bolts using the factory grommets and you're good. Just DON'T use the stupid phillips head screws.

I hope this helps folks with rebuilt engines. If you do this properly, made sure your block and head were machined properly, and prevent detonation the best you can, you should not have a head gasket problem.

Happy motoring everyone!

hope it helps