Exhaust header stud removal

[James England]

Hi All

Does anyone have any tips on how to remove exhaust header pipe studs from the cylinder head? Sometimes they come out easily enough with a couple of nuts on them, or use of a vice grip wrench but......... there's usually one stud that refuses to budge. I've soaked it in Plus Gas, tried heating It with a small blowlamp, tapped it with a hammer, tried three nuts on it (which simply rotate on the stud and don't grip it enough to turn it)......

I'm bothered that I may shear off the stud, which will lead to a nightmare in drilling out the stump after removing the entire engine because the stud is very close to one of the cradle tubes..........

I was wondering if heating the alloy around the stud and then putting dry ice on the stud itself would work?

Any ideas anyone?......

[Ken Talbot]

Chances are it was installed with red loctite, the one that needs heat to break free. You may just need to use a bigger torch so you get enough heat to the adhesive. How small is this "small blowlamp"?

[IanDMacDonald]

James- I've used several fool-proof methods including heating the head with a torch, and quenching the stud with a rag and unscrewing, there is the heat and wax method, and my final weapon:

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_iUkE1wfEmh...+&+Release.jpg

Loctite Freeze & Release. We used variants of this in the electronics field for troubleshooting (freeze spray). CRC makes it as well. It has gotten me out of tons of binds, and my next-door neighbor is the Vice President of Muffler Man, so I get an endless supply of good stuff for free. In a pinch, turn a can of air duster upside down.

[D0wn5h1ft]

If the bike still starts I usually start her up and let that head get hot and hit the stud with something cold and pressurized (like an upside down can of carb cleaner for $3.00). What will happen is either the stud will fracture in the hole (which makes it easy to dig out and retap the hole) or it will shrink rapidly thus breaking the rust grip on the threads. Either way you get success. I've only had the actually bolt fracture once and that was on a old yamaha 2 stroke (runs a lot hotter than these big ol' four strokes.

[D0wn5h1ft]

Also, I'm really surprised you can't get that bolt out with the "2 nut trick". I put a wrench on it with a 3" extended drive and broke that b*&ch free with a big ol' cheater bar. Double also, re-tap your holes when you're done, you'll thank me later [see one of my posts on this]. More likely than not, you're not going to twist off that stud in your head trying to get it out, it'll dislodge way before then. Now putting it in is a different thing ...

[TomB]

I use a stud removal tool, its like a socket, fits on your ratchet drive and grips the stud in the same way the stater motor clutch grips

[James England]

Chances are it was installed with red loctite, the one that needs heat to break free. You may just need to use a bigger torch so you get enough heat to the adhesive. How small is this "small blowlamp"?

yes, it was. There are traces of it on the end of each stud. The torch is actually a propane blowlamp, hand held thing........

[James England]

Also, I'm really surprised you can't get that bolt out with the "2 nut trick". I put a wrench on it with a 3" extended drive and broke that b*&ch free with a big ol' cheater bar. Double also, re-tap your holes when you're done, you'll thank me later [see one of my posts on this]. More likely than not, you're not going to twist off that stud in your head trying to get it out, it'll dislodge way before then. Now putting it in is a different thing ...

Even three nuts doesn't work! It worked fine on the other seven studs though....

[TomB]

For loctited/corroded studs we weld a bolt onto the stud, the weld heat breaks the loctite/corrosion and the bolt head allows you to get a spanner onto it instead of nuts spinning.


.

[James England]

For loctited/corroded studs we weld a bolt onto the stud, the weld heat breaks the loctite/corrosion and the bolt head allows you to get a spanner onto it instead of nuts spinning.


.

Yes, I've heard of that one. The only thing at this stage is that it's a fairly irrevocable step, isn't it? How about welding a nut into the stud, as opposed to welding a bolt onto it?

I'm a bit concerned that, if I weld a nut onto it and then not succeed in removing the stud, I'll have ruined it........ Does It usually work?

[IanDMacDonald]

I've only done that with broken bolts, etc. Try the heat mixed with cold. Works great.

[FJ111200]

Well you've got two options then.
First is that the welded nut on the stud works and the stud comes out and you buy a new stud,
second option is it doesn't work and you need to drill out the stud.
Either way and you're buying a new stud. Pennies.
Welding on a bolt instead of a nut would give you more access to the stud seeing as it's close to the frame downtubes. I take it you're talking XJR here.

[D0wn5h1ft]

I've personally TIG welded a nut on the end of a broken stud before and it works great. Buy new studs. They're relatively cheap at your local Yammy dealer and they new ones comes anodized so they won't corrode. Normally, this sort of thing is done with all new car/motorcycle restorations because the constant heating and cooling of those studs weakens the steel over the time period of let's say...30 years... It's just good practice when rebuilding an engine or when removing the heads.

[TomB]

I'm a bit concerned that, if I weld a nut onto it and then not succeed in removing the stud, I'll have ruined it........ Does It usually work?

An option I've used for snapped studs which leave a section proud is weld more stud or bolt to the stump, dressed up it works perfectly, not what you want on a decent bike I'm sure.

When welding a bolt onto the stud it does get the stud bloody hot, usually much hotter than a hand held blowlamp, unless you can get it glowing red, and its instant heat rather than slow heating from the blowtorch, this helps.

The next option we use is left handed drills for broken studs, the heat generated from drilling is VERY local and the combined action of left hand turning and heat sets the stud unscrewing.
This is the set we have http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/10PC-SCREW...item43a6898759

Good luck with it.
Tom

[ViperRon]

Another thing that can help to break it loose is to heat it with nuts installed and leave some space free at the end to protect the stud. Tap on the nut with a hammer. The heat does part of the loosening and the tapping also breaks the contact. Its basicly the same as using an impact driver on the philips screws that were once in the side covers. The thing you have to be really careful of doing is, welding a nut or bolt on. If welding you have to ground to the stud or take the risk that in welding the threads could weld inside to the head.