manifold studs

What is the best way to remove a manifold from a slant six engine without breaking the studs. I tried heating the nuts but that doesn't seen to work. I've broken two studs out of three tries. The people on this sight have helpful answers. Thanks.
Chas.

Patience Patience Patience Why would you twist them off stop! Heat one hot put a box end wrench on it.
Tap it with a little hammer, Wiggle it. go back and forth, spray it, tap it wiggle it and eventually it will come lose. If this doesn't work after you heat one pour cold water on it to cool it fast. then start at top.

(quoted from post at 22:36:11 07/22/10) What is the best way to remove a manifold from a slant six engine without breaking the studs. I tried heating the nuts but that doesn't seen to work. I've broken two studs out of three tries. The people on this sight have helpful answers. Thanks.
Chas.

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Mine was on a straight four, but heating the nuts up made 'em back off great on my old WD. Never broke any studs. Though I was definitely worried that I would.

Try some ATF soaking on them repeatedly for a couple of days (or weeks), then maybe give 'em a heat treatment again (just don't catch them on fire or anything, you know)?

If your studs are breaking off that easily, would you be better off replacing them anyway?

Chas.
Try slowly heating the studs and the surrounding block area and then allow everything to cool. Do this 2 or 3 times over the course of couple of hours. Heat the stud and block area one last time and then try to remove the studs.
Be sure to use a stud wrench. It does make a difference.

Good luck,

Art

Touching beeswax to the hot stud is is reported to work well. The wax will wick down into the threads and lubricate them. Have been wanting to try it. Just never seems to be a bee handy when I need one. Used Kroil and a left handed spiral bit on two broken bolts yesterday. Walked them both right out!

Take it from someone that is a mechanic for a living, you can try all of the 'tricks' listed below and probably wind up breaking a stud anyway or you can do it the sure way and never break a stud again. The only sure way is to split the nut. The easiest way to do that is to get a SHARP cold chisel, hold it square against the flat of the nut, and give it a good smack with an appropriately sized hammer. Best case you completely split or at least spread the nut enough that it loosens and comes off easily. Worst case you have to hit it a few times and/or maybe work it a little because it won't spread like it should. The worst thing you can run into is a flange nut and they are a PITA to spread or split but even they can be done if you use a really sharp chisel and start the spread with a blow to the flange inline with the stud. Once you have a chisel mark on the flange you can carry it through to the body of the nut and work it from there. In your case your dealing with a smaller nut shich is good as the walls are thin and easy to split but on the bigger nuts, say 1/2 inch and up, I've also had occasion to use a die grinder with a carbide burr on it to cut away the side of the nut. This also works when it's not possible to get a chisel on it at the proper angle and still be able to hit it too, etc, etc. I've been doing this for over twenty years on everything from small engines to big diesels and and have yet to break a stud. It all works out to the fact that time is money and a few nuts are extreemly cheap to replace vs spending several hours trying to get the end of a broken stud or two out of a part. Good luck.

I will second what NCwayne said. Splitting the nut is the only sure way. I have a nut splitter that works great if you have room. It has a hole in it that you place over the nut and then tighten a screw that pushes a blade into the side of the nut.
The next best way it to use a acetylene torch to heat the nut red hot,fast. Propane torches heat slower and that heats the stud too. You want the nut to expand more than the nut. So you have to heat the nut fast. Then while the nut is red hot use a six point socket on it to remove it. I often have to use a metric one that is a little smaller than the English size. Those old exhaust studs and nut rust away. I also have a set of nut removers from Snap on. They are basically just a left hand internal sparling taper that bites rounded off nuts.

Wayne... WHY would a REAL wrench like you waste time with a nut splitter when it's so much quicker and easier to blow the nuts off of the studs with the smoke wrench?

It's not even moderately difficult to blow the nut right off of the stud without harming the threads on the stud.

Enquiring minds want to know!

Since inquiring minds want to know here's a few answers, though not necessarily in any order of importance as they all pretty much weigh equally on the job at hand. First it takes alot longer for me to get out and put back up the torch than it does to grab a hammer and chisel. Like I said my time is my customers money and though I like to make money I don't like making my customer waste his. Second in tight quarters it's way to easy to hit something with the flame that should not be hit and cause alot of damage. The third reason goes right along with the second and that is the fact there is really no way to control where the molten metal sparks fall or fly. When your working on a machine with belly pans that is full of leaked oil, leaves, etc, or setting in the middle of a field of dry material, anything involving a torch is a major fire waiting to happen. Unfortunately there isn't always enough water or fire extinguishers available top put it out when your out on a job site like that. On top of that throw in wiring harnesses on newer machines that can run well over $2500 to replace, not counting labor, and it makes things even worse. Personally I can't afford to eat the cost of a harness and a weeks worth of my labor to change one out because a hot piece of metal melted into one and shorted several sensor wires, or whatever.

Basically it all comes down to the fact that I've seen many machines 'burned to the ground' from something as simple as a spark from an electrical short so I know for a fact it doesn't take much to light one up. So for me the torch is a tool of last resort, not the first thing I grab, especially when I know a sharp cold chisel will do the job just as good and alot faster with no chance of causing any damage to the machine from it's use.

WELL SAID SIR,

I've heard the story so many times, about using a torch to get a rusted bolt out/off. Most often either there's a mess left to pass on or there's a mess left to straighten up. Not saying I never have used a torch before, but it's usually the last resort.

AMEN

working out in the woods full of deer flies on a broken down machine is a lot different than working on a degreased pulled motor in the shop