Exhaust Stud from hell

[JKL1031]

I broke off an exhaust manifold stud at the very back up top. I tried extracting it out, and the extractor broke off into the bolt. ive grinded away slowly with many drill bits, but the extractor material just burns up my bits. I havent tried a masonry bit. Should I?

Any other ideas? Has anyone ran without a stud before w/o leaks?

[LoserCard]

Sounds like your up the creek... You most likely will leak. Bolt extractors are usually made of a hardened steel just like drill bits and the general rule of opposing materials is that a material can only be damaged by something as hard or harder than itself. So I would recommend having a shop fix it, get a new head, or using cobalt bits. Problem with cobalt bits though is that they are super strong yet shatter under strain. Shops have this procedure that can erode steel through electrolysis or something and it doesn't affect aluminum. I would imagine that this service is exclusive to newer/main stream shops.

I know when I broke a bolt off in my head (one of the cam bracket bolts, god forbid) I had to buy a whole new head because the bit extractor broke and a few bits broke inside as well. Anyway you go, good luck.

[JKL1031]

Bump

[xX RB Xx]

Weld another bolt on to it. Remove. Done.

[JKL1031]

Its not flush, its concave in now. I've patched at the gasket with copper silicone and its way better. Anyone thinks it will it last?

[gaehrings13]

If its not on boost, it should be okay. But if its boosted your going to be changing it in a month or two.. Just did that nightmare last night lol..

[AZhitman]

The "right way" = Pull head, take to machine shop, have it extracted, filled, redrilled and threaded.
The "it'll do" way = bolt up the manifold with a good metal gasket and some hi-temp copper (thin).

BTW, a masonry bit isn't strong. They're weaker than the extractor (and the bit you've been using).

[JKL1031]

so u guys think it will hold? what do u mean by thin?

[h2v7]

yea like dude said if your NA your ok but boosted and i see that not goin so good

[AZhitman]

so u guys think it will hold? what do u mean by thin?

Thin coat of copper RTV.

It should hold. A tiny exhaust leak won't hurt anything anyway. Put it back together.

[JKL1031]

thanks man. i packed a gunk of it tho.

[AZhitman]

Take it off, clean the mating surfaces really, really good (wipe down with brake cleaner after you gently scrape off all the gasket / rtv crap)... Get a new gasket, coat both sides lightly with copper rtv and reinstall.

[1sikS13]

or you could get some left hand extractors
http://buy1.snapon.com/catalog/item.asp ... ir=catalog