Manifold studs

[VL Berlina 5speed]

im going to be needing to take the exhaust manifold of the vl exective to fix a leak.
apparntly the rear studs are common for snapping, what way can be done to help lossen them and make it easy?
i rember someone say soak in wd40 to help prevent them snapping is there any other ways to help?

also is there any spersific tourqe settings for the manifold when refitting it?

[snake_VL]

you can give them a spray with wd40 and leave it for a while to help loosen them but i found the nut actually gets stuck to the stud so that when you turn the nut you are twisting the stud and it just snaps. so go easy when you first start to loosen the nuts.

you can almost guarantee you'll snap at least 1 (i snapped 5) but with a stud extractor kit and a bit of time and effort you can get them all out no worries. do yourself a favour and replace all studs before you put the manifold back on too so its easy next time. i wrote a quick how to about removing broken ones but can't find it now. its on here somewhere just search my posts or something. good luck

[VL Berlina 5speed]

well it aint going to come off again (i hope) its a daily so im not to phased on it.
what are the stud extractor tool like and are they worth it? its only going to be a one time use.

can you rember what your write was in snake as i searched before and didnt find much or come across it.

cheers for that though

[rb26dett]

I had a stud come out when I was putting my exhaust manifold back on, going to go back to the guy who fitted them and see what he has to say.

[jatsvl]

the socket style stud removers (sold as sets of 4 usually)are great if you have enough stud to get hold of with them if it breaks clean at the head it is a real pain in the neck there is a tool for that to called ezy out (sold individually) where you drill a hole in the centre of the stud and screw your ezy out in anti clock wise until it catches the stud and undoes it, how ever I found it very hard to do with a conventional drill on the rear stud because there is not enough room between the engine and the firewall/guard, I also snaped the not so ezy out! so to the rescue was CAPTAIN THREAD! mobile service in adelaide (white pages) does a lot of work for many local workshops and knows his studs and threads he has done many a vl mani studs from memory it cost me $60 to remove the stud I broke the ezy out in and removed the rear stud no worries and fitted my new studs just to make sure the threads were ok. he has an unusual drill which makes it easy for him. good thing you live in adelaide

[VL Berlina 5speed]

yah cheers for that jatsvl, im going to be looking him up as a back up,

some info ive just sourced of ct is that
-a reckomend tourqe for the studs is 22lbs,
-apparntly there is a correct tighting sequance but the person didnt stat its pattern
-also its best to do it when colder as it is supossbly easyer as the hotter the weather is the chance the head will expand slightly making it harder,

so i think i will juice it up well with dw40 the days comming up to the weekend i do it and then the night before really give it a good soaking every few hours.
wake up early and hope it works out fine

[jatsvl]

don't want to contradict any body but the gregory's manual states 'exhaust manifold nuts 31nm' " tighten the exhaust manifold nuts to the specfied torque starting with the centre nuts and working outwards in a spiral fashion ?????? " lots of wd40 should help.

[harry3]

I would use a good quality penetrating oil, waitiig about 24 hours, also drill the biggest hole possible for the biggest easy out

theres nothing wrong if the stud unscrews, just treat the nut and stud like a bolt

[Not_An_Abba_Fan]

VL studs break because of a design fault. If you look at the manifold the stud holes are slotted, and each stud has 2 washers, this is to allow the manifold to slide as is expands and contracts. The theory was that because the manifold is cast iron and the head is alloy that the manifold will slide when it heats and cools. In actual fact this never happened and studs bent causing them to break when they were undone or even on their own. The easiest way I have found to get them out is to weld a nut to the broken stud with a mig welder and unscrew the nut with a spanner winding the stud out. The weld will not stick to the alloy and even if you melt the first couple of threads in the head there is still enough to screw the new stud into. Tap it out with a 'blind' tap, the type that is not tapered and then screw the new stud in. I use Toyota flange studs and only 1 washer as they are cheaper and shorter. Also use an aftermarket manifold gasket as these will not allow the manifold to slide thus saving the studs.
You can drill the stud and use an easy out but the back stud is very hard to get at unless you have a right angled drill. Welding them is easier and quicker.

[jatsvl]

[QUOTE=harry3;528922]I would use a good quality penetrating oil,

?????
WD40???

[mag]

[QUOTE=jatsvl;528950]

I would use a good quality penetrating oil,

?????
WD40???

INOX is great, strange name but works really well

[VL Berlina 5speed]

where abouts would i find that Mark

[mag]

where abouts would i find that Mark

Sean I get it at my local Auto parts, Right Price Auto..

If other places don't stock it tell them to order it in 4 you...

[VL Berlina 5speed]

cheers for that Mark, looks like ill be trying repco on the way home from work tommorow

[Not_An_Abba_Fan]

Just a point to note...no amount of penetrating lubricant will prevent a stud from breaking. If it's going to break it will and it will be the back 2 and possibly the front 2 as well. Once you get the manifold off, just lock 2 nuts together on the old studs that don't break and screw them out.

[ucwepn]

I wont touch the studs myself as I have dethreaded one in the head before. I just get my exhaust guy to do all work for me now, if a stud breaks its on him but when fitting my pacemakers he didn't break any. Its apparently the heat shield which causes them to snap by trapping extreme heat in there.

[Not_An_Abba_Fan]

Read my first post in this thread. This is why they break.

[snake_VL]

found the write up of mine:

Post Pictures of your VL here.

[harry3]

Im trying to say that many expect all broken studs to be impossible to remove but Ive found they often screw out fairly easily, helped by penetrating oil and some multigrips, welded on nut or whatever

[mag]

cheers for that Mark, looks like ill be trying repco on the way home from work tommorow

Any luck at Repco?

[VL Berlina 5speed]

nah the buggers keep closing every time i finish work. by the time im out and get past there locked up for the night

[Berlina wagon]

I dont know how many broken studs i have removed from VL's lost count.
The problems start when they break off in the head which is most common in the back to and front to studs. Rule of thumb CHANGE all the studs if you have the manifold off, If you are unlucky and have to drill out the studs and use an easyout to remove whats left in the head be carefull as if you drill to far you will hit the water jacket in the head and then you will have much bigger problems.

[VL Berlina 5speed]

well i think im going to palm it off to the mecahnic to fix, safer and if he snaps any its his fault.

my dad just purchesed a wrx last night and said that i can use his vs which is on gas as my daily, so i am still going to get this cars as its to good to pass for $600 fix it and sell it.

[mag]

well i think im going to palm it off to the mecahnic to fix, safer and if he snaps any its his fault.

my dad just purchesed a wrx last night and said that i can use his vs which is on gas as my daily, so i am still going to get this cars as its to good to pass for $600 fix it and sell it.

What sell the VL?

The VS is that the 1 you came to my place in?

[VL Berlina 5speed]

yep thats the vs, proberly just chuck my springs in it and my rims and it will be my daily