the creak and pop sounds that you heard would be concerning to me.
i would be wondering about how even the clamping load would be across the head.
if it were mine, i would remove the bolts and look for signs of fretting under the bolt heads, or perhaps the washers not having enough champher at the bolt head to shank to seat correctly under the bolt head.
i realize you will need to buy new bolts, but it would be cheap insurance in the long run.
just my opinion. your mileage will vary.