best way to remove exhaust studs?

[Ken911]

getting to the reassembly part of my 3.3 turbo motor . About half of the exhaust studs were broken off where the nuts are seated. They all are sticking out about an inch or so. I got new studs today and tried to remove a couple of them by cranking on them with a pair of vise grips. no luck one of them actually started to twist (not unscrew) so I stopped. they are soaking overnight with penetrating oil. any other suggestions from someone who has removed a lot of these?

[JohnJL]

Try heating up the heads around the studs with ace, hit the stud with freeze spray and crank them out with the vice grips or snap-on tool ideally.

[89turbocabmike]

Ken, these are tough to get out in one peice. I hope you luck out with penetrating oil. As John mentioned, an acetalyene torch is your best bet. I haven't tried the freeze thing, but use a snap-on stud remover and impact wrench. An impact wrench's action seems to work much better than a breaker bar in my experience. If it breaks you need one of these tools from fellow pelican "A Quiet Boom" see this thread for more info:

Does anyone sell a fixture for drilling broken exhaust studs

[mikey911]

Ken,

I just removed 6 broken head studs in similar condition on a 3.0 with the devilar studs. I used an acetyline torch to heat up and found a set of stud removers at sears that worked pretty well and was able to remove all 6 without much of a battle.

Mike
1974 911coupe

[ChrisBennet]

Originally posted by mikey911
Ken,

I just removed 6 broken head studs in similar condition on a 3.0 with the devilar studs. I used an acetyline torch to heat up and found a set of stud removers at sears that worked pretty well and was able to remove all 6 without much of a battle.

Mike
1974 911coupe

Removing head studs is a lot easier than removing exhaust studs.
The exhaust studs often need to be drilled out.
-Chris

[Ken911]

well made some progress about half of them have broken off flush and will have to be drilled out. one of the heads had time serts in it and those studs came out easily, so when i get all of them drilled out i'll install time serts so that in the future they will come out easily.

[89turbocabmike]

I'd also recommend the high-temp copper anti-seize and copper nuts as added safety nets

[Ken911]

no i have the silver anti sieze loctite N-5000 we use it where i work the copper stuff will stick so several years ago we switched to n-5000 or also n7000

[john walker's workshop]

Does anyone sell a fixture for drilling broken exhaust studs

kind of a long thread, but christian, aka "a quiet boom", makes the tool you need.

[Ken911]

I know, I e mailed him this weekend. been having some trouble finding the time serts though the ones every one sells in the kit are too short. They make the correct size but all the distributors sell the short ones not the longer ones that are the same depth as the threads in the head.

[john walker's workshop]

you usually don't need timeserts with this tool. google timeserts for a supplier. here, i did it for you. http://www.threadkits.com/timeserts/timeserts.html

[safe]

If using anti-seize on aluminum parts, such as a head, an aluminum based anti-seize would be better right, or doesn't it matter?

[john walker's workshop]

why do they need to come out easily? i'd rather they stay in.

[safe]

Originally posted by john walker's workshop
why do they need to come out easily? i'd rather they stay in.

True, chances are you will not have to remove the again anyway.

My question was more general. I have seen recommendations to use aluminum AS on lug nuts instead of copper if you have aluminum wheels. The reason to that should be that the copper would oxidize the aluminum faster.

[Ken911]

As far as getting them out easily I figure down the road when I put on headers, etc and break some of them off removing the heat exchangers I would like to be able to unscrew the studs and replace them instead of having to drill them out all over again

[Ken911]

Oh and John thanks for the link!!!

[clarelaw]

I had 9 broken on my 3.0 - I paid my machinist to pull them when he did the rest of my machine work.

[peter915]

I've just had my heads reconditioned and this included new brass inserts for the exhaust studs.
The studs where totally stuck, with the nuts siezed also. I blew the nuts off with Oxy and machine shop took the studs out & did the inserts. See http://www.cylinderheadshop.co.uk they did the work.


Peter

[davidppp]

All this is costly stuff.

It is an everyday matter for a jobbing mechanic to get fasteners out with no fuss...or sub-let cost..

The answer is pateince and heat, in evry case.

If the nuts are solid to the stud, fine..decide if the stud needs to come out..if so, heat the std and the casting, and get lube into this join..Candle wax is bets of all..or use paraffin, or Plus gas etc..

But if the stud is Ok to reuse. just heat the nut..it will come off if treated gently and lubricated.

It should be very unusual to have to drill out etc..a sign of impatience..

Kind regards
David

[porschezealot]

did you ever resolve this? if not, try welding a more 'defined' piece of metal onto the stud, then try removing the piece of metal with vice grips.