Exhaust stud pre-removal strategy

[biosurfer1]

i have read all of the horror stories of broken exhaust studs, and i have to replace some of my gaskets this weekend, anyone have any words of wisdom on what to do prior to removing them to reduce the chance of them breaking?

[Jays72T]

You can try spraying with Liquid Wrench (or something similar) everyday until the weekend, letting it really soak in and you might get them off.

Another method you can try is to used a torch, get them red hot, and apperently they will come right off. I have never tried this but know some people who have and they had no problems.

Good luck.

[rbcsaver]

Do a search for threads here and on Rennlist. Also PB Blaster and definitely lots of heat to get them loose. If you don't have oxyacetylene around then pick up one the MAPP torches. Obviously easier to try and work'em out, than trying to drill them out after snapping. Good luck.
Steve

[ecm911]

biosurfer,

Do you have a broken stud?

If you are trying to find out how to avoid breaking one , there are many threads on this bbs addressing this issue. if you look, may even see the same question from me a few months.

If the latter - I have some advice - SPRAY and HEAT.
Find posts from John walker on this topic, before you attempt.
I follwed his directions ( cycle heat - cold 4 times- after soaking ( I mean soaking) and was succesful with out breaking any studs.

Earl


PS - engine in car?

[KobaltBlau]

the wurth rost-off ice looks good:

http://www.wurthusa.com/en/catalog/product.php?path=04.0120.jpg

fyi, if you don't have an acetylene set you can use a mapp gas tank with a propane torch head.

[biosurfer1]

no, no broken studs, i just want to limit the chance of breaking one this weekend when i take them out

[d S coupe]

Hi I have removed mine,and you should try this. Heat the bolt red and then spray water on the bolt, it will expend the metal and then be easy to remove. If there still deficult to remove heat them again, be patient.
Daniel

[rbcsaver]

fyi, if you don't have an acetylene set you can use a mapp gas tank with a propane torch head.

Thought's what I said.

Heat the bolt red and then spray water on the bolt, it will expend the metal and then be easy to remove.

I don't know that I would try this for a number of reasons. You may change the steel's hardness by rapid water quenching and make it more susceptible to snapping off. You may crack something you don't want to by quenching. Any rust and corrosion will be broke by solvents like PB Blaster, then heating and cooling. And take your time with the process.

regards,
Steve

[biosurfer1]

thanks for the ideas, i figured trying to take them out without any prep wasnt the best idea.

[ecm911]

Having done this succesfully with no prior exprience, i would suggest you review the posts here and through out this BBS.

I removed 3 nuts without heat, just tried with vert liitle force. That being said, after using a torch to remove the rest, I would not even try to remove aby without heat. HEAT is your friend!!!

Again look for threads there are many - if you do it most times they come off with very little effort. many of mine came of with two fingers on the wrench!!!


Sray with a good rsut buster everyday from now until you try to remove.

Get a torch, the hotest one you can get. I use actelene!
The propane , etc are not hot enough.

Then as Daniel describes Heat /cool , etc four times each nut before you try to loosen, etc.

Good Luck!!

Earl

[john walker's workshop]

just get the nut hot with oxy/ acetylene and quickly remove it while it's hot. have all the removal tools ready. the heat expands the nut, so why cool it and make it seize again?

[KobaltBlau]

Originally posted by rbcsaver
Thought's what I said.

yeah, I loaded the page a while before I replied.

[Superman]

John and Earl are correct. And let me give you a little tip. JW is a man of few words, but each word is meaningful. I visit his shop and chat with him, and I have stopped daydreaming during these chats. At least twice I have failed to listen carefully to his suggestions, and paid a price both times.

Here, JW is saying to use heat, which is what Earl said. John is additionally saying to get everything ready and quickly heat the nut so that it is CHERRY RED. Then just as quickly but carefully, place the tool on the nut and turn it off. This will work. You may need to rent an oxy/acetylene setup, but it's WORTH IT. You have been warned.

[David]

Use heat, acetelyne (best) or MAPP (2nd best), nothing else will prevent it from breaking if it's going to go and even then it's a crapshoot. At the machine shop where I work, the machinists swear that melting bees wax into the hot threads before turning helps.

[Noel]

I say cut the nuts with a dremal tool and then pry them off. Just replace with new hardware afer you clean up the studs.

[KobaltBlau]

anybody agree with Noel? that's interesting!

[Jim Sims]

"I say cut the nuts with a dremal tool and then pry them off. Just replace with new hardware afer you clean up the studs."

Have you ever actually tried to do this?

The method outlined by John Walker has the least risk.

[Noel]

I haven't tried this on the heat exchangers, but with other nuts. If you search the archives, others have tried it with sucess. It makes sense. Just cut through the nut enough where you can slip a screwdriver in to pry the nut open. Obviously, you only want to cut into the nut and not into the stud. I would also cut the nut on two sides.

In my mind, the risk of either method is the same, but since I don't have an Oxy torch, I'm using the dremal method when I take mine off. However, that is a late 05 project.

[Tim Hancock]

Anyone who has actually used an Acetylene torch (AKA Hotwrench) knows that this is the easiest, fastest, surest method of removal of any nut that is siezed. I know some have gotten lucky with penetrants and whatnot, but even one broken stud and you are in for a long repair.

Unless you recently had it apart and used Never-Sieze on the threads,

USE AN OXY-ACETELYNE TORCH, heat the nut till it is red hot then turn the nut till it sticks, then heat again, repeat and eventually the nut is off and very little force is used. It is really quite simple if you follow this procedure.

[Jim Sims]

"I'm using the dremal method"

It will be interesting to read your report on the attempt. Cutting off the barrel nuts that are typically accessed through tubes that pass through the heat exchanger shrouds will be a challenge.