Broken manifold bolts

[Buggyman]

Hey guys,

Trying to tear down the top end of a 2000 3.0 Flex fuel motor. I am down to needing to get the exhaust manifold bolts out and they are rusted in tight, as expected. I snapped one bolt head off already, it felt like it was turning but just the bolt twisting off. What are my options for getting the manifold off? I am considering cutting the bolts below where the manifold meets the cats then pulling the heads with that bit of manifold then taking a torch to it or finding a shop to extract the stuck bolts. What are my options for the bolts that are snapped off in the manifold? Sorry if this is a redundant question, I don't want to get this far with the project and screw things up.


Thanks,

 

[adsm08]

I take the heads off with the manifolds still attached. What you called a "bit of manifold" is the whole manifold, after that it is y-pipe.

Leaving the manifold on gives you a nice handle to get a better grip with.

Pull the heads with the manifolds on, if removing them isn't 100% necessary for what you are doing then leave them on, any bolts that break above the head can usually be gotten out with a good extractor, I prefer this style.

http://www.amazon.com/Titan-Stud-Puller-With-Drive/dp/B00265M8N4/?tag=959media-20

Any bolts that break flush or below the head will need to be drilled. If you are lucky they will come out with an easy-out after being drilled, otherwise a bigger hole and a heli-coil will be in order.

 

[alwaysFlOoReD]

Any bolts that break flush or below the head will need to be drilled. If you are lucky they will come out with an easy-out after being drilled, otherwise a bigger hole and a heli-coil will be in order.

After breaking a couple "easy-outs", I now go directly to heli-coil. It's not fun getting rid of a broken "easy-out"

 

[Rearanger]

I had an aluminum head with a broken stud years ago. Removed the head and took it to a machine shop. They had the proper milling equipment to clamp the head and center and drill the stud out so I did not have to use heli-coil. Cleaned up the thread with tap.

Hand held drill wanders and is hard to center.

 

[enjr44]

Breaking bolts in modern engines is just a part of the game they were not built to come apart after 20 years. Pull the heads with manifolds attached. Take the head with the broken bolt to a local machine shop and have them take the manifold off and remove the broken bolt/fix the head.

There are some jobs that a professional can do in a heart beat and an amateur like me can only make worse!!

 

[cp2295]

I agree fully. Take the head to a machinist and have them fix the broken bolt. I tried to drill out the broken stud on my head. It didn't work. It ended up being way off center and I just got a smaller diameter and longer bolt and a ton of washers, somehow it worked. It took me about 45 minutes to drill it out. Just take the thing to a machinist.


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[stmitch]

Since you've got new heads coming anyway, don't sweat the broken bolts. Disconnect the manifolds at the y-pipe and remove the heads with the manifolds attached. Once the old heads are out of the vehicle, do what you have to to get the manifolds off without damaging them, and then bolt them back in with the new heads. Or, you could order some JBA headers and not worry about the manifolds at all