Need your best methods of removing broken exhaust manifold bolts

[Treeman587]

Working on my dump truck today, replacing exhaust manifold gaskets. One bolt broke on me leaving about 3/8" out of the head and found one already broken on the other side with almost nothing hanging out of the head.

Lets hear your best ideas on how to remove them without having to pull the heads.

 

[iwaxmyjimmy]

what year is the truck?? If its a cast iron head and cast manifold then pull the manifold out to give you more space to work on it. Or you can try the drilling method and use and easy out. But again its alot easier out of the vehicle.

 

[Bowtie85]

if theres enough sticking out, you could weld a nut to the piece. the heat might help break it loose as well.

usually what i do is let the motor run for a couple minutes, long enough to get the manifolds warm, than crack all the bolts loose. works great usually.

 

[Treeman587]

Mani's are off already. A right angle drill can probably fit in there to drill it. I PB blastered everything, only had a couple that gave me fit. I can probably weld a nut on the one.

Keep em coming, this is helping

BTW it is an 86 F600 with a 370. pretty sure everything is cast iron

 

[fmstruck]

The best advice is to make sure you drill directly down the center of the bolt.

Since this is not a perfect world and we are not perfect people, or at least I'm not, I usually drill them out as far as I can without getting into the threads. If I still can't get it to move, I take a very small die grinder bit and cut through one side of the threads and just into the cast iron the length of the bolt. This usually allows you to take a center punch and collapse the bolt and get it out. The small amount of thread you lose isn't enough to matter.

The one with some bolt exposed should be easy enough if you weld a nut on it and heat the manifold red right around the bolt.

Either way the whole process is gonna suck.

Patience is the name of the game.

 

[Treeman587]

Thanks. Youre right this is gonna suck. Looks like it will be a fun week trying to get these out after work.

 

[iwaxmyjimmy]

it really shouldnt take long man. a drill, easy out and a torch are your best friend

 

[63chevyll]

if theres enough sticking out, you could weld a nut to the piece. the heat might help break it loose as well.

usually what i do is let the motor run for a couple minutes, long enough to get the manifolds warm, than crack all the bolts loose. works great usually.

bingo,

this is the best way IMO

 

[paratrooper307]

A torch can do wonders, and letting the blaster or wd40 really soak in can help with stubborn corrosion

 

[kdoske]

Welding it to the tip if there is any is the way to go. If that doesn't work I would drill. Soak it in PB Blaster the day before too just to make sure she slips right out after the weld. You should let it cool down too before wrenching it after the weld. Good luck!

 

[Treeman587]

Thanks fellas. I put a nut on the one and drilled through it and used a piece of drill bit as a pin. Drill bits apparantley arent that strong. the pin broke. I cant weld because of health reasons (Difibrilator) so I guess it is time to call for help. Gonna see if I can get a frind with a portable welder over here and take a stab at it.

 

[Cornfield creations]

Yeup, put a 3/8 nut over top, weld the center stud to the nut. Should pop loose. You may have to put a breaker bar on it and work it gently at first back and forth. If it's squeaking, it's comin out.

 

[Fordum]

Thanks fellas. I put a nut on the one and drilled through it and used a piece of drill bit as a pin. Drill bits apparantley arent that strong. the pin broke. I cant weld because of health reasons (Difibrilator) so I guess it is time to call for help. Gonna see if I can get a frind with a portable welder over here and take a stab at it.

Yep, drill bits are hard and brittle. Even a grade 8 bolt might have worked, but since the hole had to be pretty small, I'm not sure.

However, if you could have drilled it straight in instead of across, and tapped in a pin of some kind it might have worked.

In other words, put the nut on tight, and drilled a hole straight along the stud between the nut and the stud, so half the hole is in one and half is in the other.

Maybe even do it twice, once on each side.
Then, tap in a couple of good hard pins. The needle bearings out of a big U-joint work good.

Instead of having two thin shear lines like you have with a crosswise pin, the shear line is the entire length of the pins.