Broken Turbo Studs

[sellbooze]

Broke the studs while removing my turbo. I have seen a few threads about this and people breaking off the ears on the exhaust manifold while heating it with blue tip wrench. I thought about taking off the E manifold to drill it out but am afraid to break studs/bolts in the block.
I have tried to heat up and quench with PB Blaster and rock it back and forth with vice grips hoping to break free but no luck.
Any 2¢'s on this one.

 

[gimpyrobb]

Keep at it. Everyone has their own way. Some like heating it up and using wax. Others like acetone and atf. Some like kroil. Have you tapped on the face of the stud with a hammer? That will sometimes free it. I'm sure you will get 700 replies soon.

 

[Chevracer87]

I had the exact same problem a month ago. All it took was heating it up red hot and using a pipe wrench. Vice grips did nothing for me.

 

[466Navastar]

braze on a nut large enough to slip over the remaining stud - making sure to heat the stud cherry red before feeding the brass/bronze rod...let cool for a minute and use a hex socket to unscrew

 

[kastein]

heat it up red hot and quench it with aerokroil. Repeat several times. Tap on the end with a hammer (the bigger the better.) If this does not break it free, try acetone and ATF, just don't use this to quench it as it is more flammable...

If none of this works, pull the manifold and use slowly increasing sizes of left handed drill bits to remove the main portion of the stud. When you get close switch to a dremel with a carbide milling bit and slowly remove material evenly around the hole. Once you can see the roots of the threads starting to cut through, use a dental pick to remove a few turns worth of thread from the manifold, then use a tap to cut the rest out. Plenty of cutting lube will be your friend here. Forget what size the studs are, either 5/16-18 or 3/8-16.

I used this method on my manifold and was able to almost completely save the threads the stud went into aside from a couple spots where I ground too much out with the dremel. I replaced the stud with a stainless steel bolt and plenty of antiseize so I don't have to go through this mess again.

 

[Westech]

Heat a little (I use map gas) and stud pliers.

 

[ALA2]

IMHO if possable take it to a machine shop were thay can mill out the old stuff
as the son of a machinist i have heard many storys about the guy that
tried to fix drilled crooked or broke a easy out off in it dad says it would have
been less if he fixed it first. but i might be a little bias


ALA2

 

[wreckerman893]

The wax idea sounds dumb but it works...heat the manifold (you do not have to get it cherry red)....touch the stud with a candle and let the wax be drawn into the threads...repeat a couple of time and gently tap on the stud to allow the wax to get sucked up. You do not have to wail on it...a gentle peening will do the trick.

Snap on a set of Vise Grips and remove.....if you can grind flat spots on either side to keep the VG's from slipping so much the better.

Brazing a nut on (per above) is a good idea if you can get to it.

 

[Billy Bobbed]

Heat and wax like WM said I have done this for years on studs myself.

 

[Jones]

If you can get at them and keep your drill motor straight and centered, drilling out the studs with increasing size left-handed drill bits is a good suggestion. At some point the broken stud will lose it's grip on the threads, the left-handed bit will snag and unscrew the stud as it turns.
Snap-On's EXDL 10 is an example of the kits to do this.

For the future; try soaking the studs with Liquid Wrench (or your favorite penetrating oil) for a day or two, then put a wrench on them and slightly tighten them first... just enough to break the nut loose. Then, working the wrench back and forth, proceed to loosen the nut (or bolt). Tightening first twists everything the direction of the stud's maximum strength, "stacking" the threads; as opposed to loosening which stretches them out.

 

[Oilleaker1]

Mine had the nuts frozen just like yours. The fear of God that I would have what you now have made me heat the nuts cherry red and take them off carefully. Why is it always the hardest to get to, Murphy's law? As hard as it is to get to, my vote would be for the welded on nuts. Then heat the manifold flange up red and screw them out with a socket. If they twist off, you are forced to pull the manifold. I feel for you, but you don't have any choice now. John

 

[JDToumanian]

Snap on a set of Vise Grips and remove.....if you can grind flat spots on either side to keep the VG's from slipping so much the better.

Personally I'd pick my 6" pipe wrench over Vise-Grips, because the pipe wrench bites down progressively the harder you pull. It has never taken 'no' for an answer, and doesn't mind a piece of pipe to extend it's handle....

 

[Speedwoble]

Well, it is my turn to join the broken stud group. I am trading my C turbo straight up with Clinto for a D turbo. I soaked my fasteners with penetrating oil in the days before the planned removal, but the nut on the front left stud actually cracked and took the threads off of the stud with it. I have the full length to work with, so I am taking it slow. I welded a nut onto the bottom today with my crappy flux core mig welder. While it was warm, I let some grease melt into it. If that twists off, I am going to get a stud installer/remover. Sears: Online department store featuring appliances, tools, fitness equipment and more Or go to the pipe wrench.

Unfortunately I only have a little propane plumbing torch to work with, so I can't get it really hot.


Also, seizing every screw-up as a chance to get new tools, I want to get a nut cracker and use it to just sacrifice the nut from the get go: Sears: Online department store featuring appliances, tools, fitness equipment and more

You can also see the "small" exhaust leak I had been hearing, but couldn't see until I removed the air filter housing.

 

[kastein]

If you use a wire brush to clear as much rust off the threads the nut will be backed off across you can save yourself a lot of headaches. Not like I ever remember to do this, but the times I have, it helped amazingly.

 

[joshs1ofakindxj]

Well now I'm looking at the EXACT SAME manifold as the one posted in the OP. I'm going to try my torch and pipe wrench tomorrow.

I'm installing a digital pyrometer's probe in the exhaust manifold and I wanted to inspect the turbo. Turbo looks great. Now just need to fix those studs...

 

[plym49]

Even better than PB or Kroil is candle wax, beeswax being the best. Get it hot and touch the candle to the stud. TThe long wax molecules get drawn right inside and provide a slippery surface for removal, plus the wax can withstand a higher temperature.

 

[joshs1ofakindxj]

Heating the busted studs cherry red, quenching with a candle, then waiting till they cooled worked like a charm.