heat - stud removal - ha BS!

[markwemple]

I have been trying to remove just one of my wonderful broken head studs heating the case with propane, just the case and only the stud. For about an hour now. Heat then hammer then vice-grips. W/O any success whatsoever. I am at the point where I would derive a great deal of pleasure from placing one M-60 per piston hole then lighting them all!!!

[Eagledriver]

Mark,

I feel your pain. I've not removed a head stud but I did remove several other studs from my case. I heated the stud only (not the case). The idea is to cook the loctite so that it releases from the case. Heating the case is not as productive because the aluminum/magnesium will just conduct the heat away as fast as you can apply it.

-Andy

[David]

You need more heat preferably oxy-acetelyne but MAPP gas may work. With that said, I've only had success removing a broken stud with heat if there's a half inch or so of material to grip onto. It maybe time to drill. To drill down the center of the stud you usually need to set up the case in a good drillpress or mill. Another alternative that I use is a drill jig that bolts to the good studs and has a hardened drill guide to drill out the broken stud.

[cstreit]

Try going to the local hardware store. Buy that small portable Oxy/Mapp gas setup and weld/braze on a nut to the stub. Use the torch to heat the case, being careful not to melt it.

You need to heat the case with propane/mapp gas for at least 5 minutes to get the stuff warm. Oxy/gas will take less time.

[markwemple]

There is plenty of stud left. These puppies were above the cylinder just below the head. I had heat focussed on the area for well over 10 minutes. I have found mapp gas well over-rated, especially when it is 4x expensive as propane. I am not in the mood to spend the money or take the chance of damaging the case w/ oxy/aceteline. I thought the idea was to expand the case. The problem, as stated, is that Porsceh wanted everything to disipate heat. I really just want to hammer the thing, just to derive some pleasure.

[David]

As long as you don't let the inner flame touch the aluminum, the oxy-acetelyne shouldn't hurt the case even with significant heating.

Just don't use a cutting tip.

[markwemple]

The problem is that I don't have a torch and hate them for welding. Not a brazer either and if I were to think about one for cutting I would rather jump into a good plasma cutter! I hate to purchase tools for only one use and, unfortunately, I don't know anyone with one. I guess patience is the only thing here, huh. D'oh!!!!!!!!!

[Jim Sims]

Propane burns at 1400F, MAPP at 3650F, oxygen/MAPP at 5301F and oxygen/acetelyene at 5875F. Carbon steel melts at 2700F to 2800F. A disposable MAPP gas cylinder is a whopping $4.57 more than a disposable propane cylinder. A whole MAPP gas torch kit is probably $25 (correction $40.00-been awhile since I bought mine). How much is your time worth? Cheers, Jim

[snowman]

The advise you received is 100% correct. Go to someone with a torch and have them heat the studs up until the loctite lets loose. PROPANE will NOT work, dosen't get enough heat into the stud quick enough. MAPP gas is marginal, mostly because of the small size of the torch and lack of oxygen.

[ischmitz]

MAP gas is sufficient to disintegrate the Loctite. Heat from the inside of the spigot to the thread area for 5 min. Vise grips on the stud and you are set. 40$ well spend.....

[jluetjen]

I did mine with MAP gas.

[oneblueyedog]

Did all 12 of mine with "Mapp Oxy" setup from Home Depot. Set is also handy for exhaust nuts(you can heat them cherry red with this set) Double nutted the studs and used a breaker bar. Held pressure on the stud while heating. Some of them did take 15 minutes. They started turning and the locktite powdered up. The threads are deeper in the case than on the outside. I think the oxygen canisters with the Mapp was key.

[Doug Zielke]

When a guy like John Walker says (repeatedly) use Oxy-Ace to remove the studs, I would (and did) listen to him. Anything else is just a waste of time. You can *rent* the set-up for less $ than all the mickey mouse propane and mapp cans you're going to waste.

And forget about "melting" the case. The case is such a large heat sink it can't happen before the Loctite gives up. One point that is just common sense, is to keep the oxidizing part of the flame (the blue cone) away from the metal.

[oneblueyedog]

I love Oxy AC. I wish I lived in the same town as my dad. He has a set, a mig welder with inert gas hookup and a plasma cutter. Awesome tools.

I just had the Mapp-Oxy-rinky-dink set on hand from an exhaust removal and gave it a go and it worked.

[boyt911sc]

Mark,
I have a complete set of oxy-acetylene blow torch I used to remove 2 broken head studs a couple of years ago. You can have it for $90. Paid more than $350 including cart. Need to clear my garage. Propane does not generate enough heat to melt the stud adhesive.

TD

[markwemple]

TD, I wish you were closer. I'm about 2 1/2 hours from you and don't have a 6 hour time slot for quite sometime and was hoping to get this done in a few days. Very noce offer, especially if it includes tanks. Did it?

[Superman]

The remarks I might make here have already been made. Doug made them, exactly as I would have.

[markwemple]

Boyt, any response? Thanks all!!

[magic930]

Vice grips? Go to the local auto store and buy a cheap stud remover, I bought a small kit for $15.00 with 4 different sized metric stud removers.

[1fastredsc]

If heating the stud doesn't work, I used oneblueeyedog's method of heating the inside of the case bore and it worked better than heating the stud. My theory was that with an oxy/ace torch, considering how much heat is available, it might heat fast enough to cause the outer aluminum to expand slightly faster than the stud it holds. It must have worked because with constant pressure and heating only the case it finally broke loose (after waiting for the stud to completely cool).