Stuck cyl head stud Ford 9N

RedMF40 · Nov 6, 2017

Tearing down motor, this one cyl head stud holding things up. Everything else came apart easily, head is loose and all nuts are off. Head and stud appear to be rust-welded together. I can see PBS Blaster is not penetrating, just puddling on top of the head. Also tried backing two nuts together to get the stud to turn. Nothing doing. Want to maintain my good record of not snapping anything off thus far. Tried heat around that area but little propane torch prob not hot enough. It's the stud right in the middle of the back of the engine, closest to steering wheel. I welcome any suggestions, thanks. BTW I've been doing battle with this for several days---it's had plenty time to decide if it's going to break loose or not.

JD Seller · Nov 6, 2017

Do you have an air hammer??? Put one of the nuts on the stud sticking out if the cylinder head. Hold the hammer at a right angle to the stud. Hold the hammer anvil on the flat of the nut. It can be lose on the bolt. Your just using it to protect the threads. Hammer in all the different ways you can around the stud in a circle. This will help knock the rust lose between the stud and the head.

You have actually made it harder with the PB blaster. If you had not used it then the rust would have turned to dust and you can blow it out with an air nozzle. Any type of penetrating oil/lube does little to nothing on things stuck tight together. The gap is sealed. If you can wiggle it then the penetrating oil will help. On things stuck hard the oil just binds the rust to were it is harder to get out.

If you do not have an air hammer then you can do the same thing with a hammer and punch. Your wanting to knock the stud sideways so the rust will loosen in the head. Do not try hammering straight down on the stud and all you will do it batter it in the head harder.

used red MN · Nov 6, 2017

Some may disagree with this but here goes. Put the nuts back on all the studs surrounding the rusted one. Tighten those down good and tight. Then take the rusted stud nut put it on and torque it to the spec or maybe ten ft. pounds over. Then give it a treatment on the nut flats with the air hammer as suggested by JD. Then remove and spray with the PB blaster again. My theory is maybe this will give the stud some slight movement in the head to break free. Just as when trying to loosen pistons rusted in a cylinder. Many folks say.. I pounded up from the bottom side until I was blue in the face did not budge. If possible I first try to pound them down, generally you have a better swing at them and can put something on top to give a good solid transfer of the shock of the blow. Once you got a little movement your penetrating juice can get in that space and do its job.

tractorguy2 · Nov 6, 2017

I had the same problem with my 9n. I used thin flat bars in
between the head and block. Also did a lot of hammering around
the sides of the head. My head was rusted to several studs.
Finally came off.

Bob · Nov 6, 2017

If only one stud is being a pain in the butt I wouldn't waste my time, I'd grab it with a stud extractor and screw it out of the block and head.

Would mangle the fine threads at the top of the stud, but there's new ones out there for when you put it back together.

<img src = "http://www.matcotools.com/ProductImages/kd1708.jpg">

MarkB_MI · Nov 7, 2017

Heat is the only safe way to remove a frozen fastener. Beg, borrow or steal an oxyacetylene rig. Heat just the stud alone; any heat you put on the head is wasted. You'll have to get the stud cherry red, then it will come out with a Vise Grip or the double-nut method.

Butch(OH) · Nov 7, 2017

That's not a popular concept among the rust buster in a spray can crowd but has indeed been my life experience, glad to read it isn't just me. I have several attachments for my air chisel that have been blunted to do this exact work and in fact just used them yesterday while working on a stump grinder that that hasn't seen shelter since the day it rolled out of the factory.

Steve@Advance · Nov 7, 2017

I agree, heat the stud red hot down near the block.

But let it cool before trying to get it out. May have to repeat several times. Let it soak with penetrating oil or wax between heatings.

Also try turning it in. Any movement will grind away rust, sometimes it's back and forth that gets it moving.

And if it does twist off, make a drill guide to drill it out. A drill guide is a thick piece of steel with a known straight hole, drilled in a mill or drill press, that is bolted down over the broken stud to guide the drill straight and centered over the existing hole.

RedMF40 · Nov 7, 2017

Thanks for the suggestions--I appreciate it. Will most likely try combination of heating and some other ideas. I let my big oxy-acetyene outfit go when I moved, was a bit too much for my needs. Will try to locate one more suited for hobbyist like me. Yes, I have air tools but tractor is parked some distance from my shop. I took advantage of a few nice days to to some disassembly outdoors. I really wanted to get through this without snapping off the stud. Interesting comments about PB Blaster, glad I posted the question as I didn't know all there was to know about this stuff. Knew it was too good to be true that all the other fasteners came off so easily---this is pretty typical in my experience: There is exactly ONE that won't budge. I have to give it a rest for now but will have at it when I have a little more free time. Thanks again from Maryland.

Ozlander · Nov 7, 2017

Time to drag the tractor to the shop so you can work on it.

Stuck cyl head stud Ford 9N

RedMF40

Well-known Member

JD Seller

Well-known Member

used red MN

Well-known Member

tractorguy2

Well-known Member

Bob

Well-known Member

MarkB_MI

Well-known Member

Butch(OH)

Well-known Member

Steve@Advance

Well-known Member

RedMF40

Well-known Member

Ozlander

Well-known Member

Similar threads