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Header Problem

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mylesw

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Hello

My exhaust has been blowing for a while and has been steadily getting worse. I took all the nuts off the downpipes and one of the studs looks like the attached photo. What is the best way for me to deal with this? I guess I can either remove the stud or rethread it but I guess both are difficult to do in situ. Any remarks about whether this is a DIY job or a job for my local Healey mechanic would also be gratefully received.

Thanks

Myles
 

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mylesw said:
Hello

My exhaust has been blowing for a while and has been steadily getting worse. I took all the nuts off the downpipes and one of the studs looks like the attached photo. What is the best way for me to deal with this? I guess I can either remove the stud or rethread it but I guess both are difficult to do in situ. Any remarks about whether this is a DIY job or a job for my local Healey mechanic would also be gratefully received.

Thanks

Myles
Click to expand...
Are you using the original brass nuts or plain regual nuts like the ones used on modern cars?
 
I'm using the original brass nuts.

Myles
 
mylesw said:
I'm using the original brass nuts.

Myles
Click to expand...
The studs need replaced. I've seen it done without removing the exhaust manifolds from the engine but it was done by a guy who said the "the heck with it and if the studs beak off in the process I was going to have to remove the manifolds anyway".
Localized heat from a torch and a stud remover. He was fortunate!! I would replace the studs (which ever way you get them off), with stainless steel ones.

Another trick is to use a spacer and a nut to grab the remaining threads on the stud. It'll buy you time until you eventually remove the engine for othew work.
Patrick
 
Myles,

Unless you are ready to remove the exhaust manifold, I would use the washer trick that Patrick outlined. I needed to change my manifold studs. 5 of them came out with a little effort. The last one did not come out easily and broke. Then you will need to drill out the broken stud and clean up the threads to install the new one. Not something you can do (easily/correctly) with the manifold mounted.

Mark
 
With the age of the manifolds, and the known poor condition of one stud, it's more than likely that if you just temporarily fix the one stud, you're simply postponing the inevitable. I know it's a pain, but this is a good weekend job, especially when the weather's bad. When I did mine, I discovered that more than one of the studs was not a stud at all, but had been converted to a long bolt, running entirely through the manifold, with nuts on both ends. Not wanting to continue with that setup, I did find new manifolds, and replaced all studs, after having them ceramic coated. I'd vote for the whole fix.
 
I had a stuck stud which a machine shop removed by doing the following--he strongly advised against heat and said it was almost impossible to get the drill centered if you want to drill it out.

He used Sili-Kroil and two vise grips--after a good soaking for a couple of days he started rocking the stud back and forth in larger and larger arcs until it became free. Two vise grips give a better turning force than one.

I replaced all the studs with SS studs from the Dun-Rite Tool Company:

https://www.dunritetool.com/AH Products/DRT Site AH Products.htm

Dun-Rite is a supporter of the North Texas Austin-Healey Club and has quite a few goodies they make.
 
Caution with the flang as it can be broken easily! Then you will be replacing the manifold($$). Best to push it through while supporting the flang.
 
For those of you that do not want to use heat(or don't have it), try dry ice on the studs. It should shrink the stud and actually free it up so that you can use vice grips on it or a stud remover tool.

Patrick
 
Thanks for your advice on this one. Not wanting to remove the header from the car as I am up to my eyeballs right now in the TR4 restoration, I instead rethreaded the stud and installed a new gasket (the old one had blown out) and everything seems to be sealing ok for now. Quite a change to hear the exhaust note behind you instead of infront! Also took the opportunity to install some of those mikalor clamps which will hopefully help seal up the rest of the system. We'll see how it goes...

Myles
 
tahoe healey said:
Caution with the flang as it can be broken easily! Then you will be replacing the manifold($$). <span style="font-weight: bold">Best to push it through while supporting the flang.</span>
Click to expand...
The stud is threaded into the exhaust manifold flange, so any attempts at "pushing" it through would almost certainly break the corner of the flange off.
 
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