Snapped Exhaust Stud....now what?

[FZ Fan]

Figured the bike wasn't going to be ridden until this Chicago weather gets above 50 again.
I want to remove the headers so I can polish them indoors.
Removed 6 successfully and broke 2 studs.

Now what do I do?
This happen to anyone else?

 

[Motogiro]

Assuming you have the header off is there any stud left stick out of the head enough that you can get a tool on them? If not you may be able to drill the stud and use an easy out with some heat and penetrating oil. If you do any drilling check the depth of the other holes and put a drill stop on the bit so that you don't plunge into a water or oil way. If you're not adept at this get help.

 

[greg]

I was able to use heat + a stud extractor on mine. I used penetrating oil too, but not sure if that helped.

Be careful drilling it out a as there's an oil channel behind there I think (I seem to remember one member drilling too far?).

When you replace the studs use plenty of copper grease on them to prevent it happening again. They are only screwed in hand tight, and then the nut on the other end is tightened, so they should hopefully be easy to remove.

 

[TownsendsFJR1300]

If you have access to a MIG, wire feed welder, simply place a nut over the stud.

Then put a plug weld to make the stud and nut as one. While its's still hot, gently work it back and forth, squirting PB Blaster(or something similar) while working it. It should come out. (PB Blaster, IME, works about the best as a penetrating oil, more so than Liquid wrench, WD40, etc).

**Should you weld it, disconnect the battery and the ECU, you don't want to fry anything electrical on the bike.

And plus 1^^ on drilling. We did have a member drill thru, but he hit the water jacket and had a water leak he had to then address coming out of the stud hole threads.

As Cliff mentioned, if there is some stud sticking out, a good "vise grip" (not a knock off), some heat and PB Blaster may work. Just go slow, back and forth or you'll destroy the heads threads.

 

[FZ Fan]

Thank you for all the help so far.

I do still have about a quarter inch or more of the stud still sticking out.
I do not have access or the talent to be welding a nut on the top unfortunately.

I have soaked all nuts in PB blaster from the very start.
However on some studs the PB didn't penetrate enough.
I have been soaking the snapped studs in more PB blaster since they broke.

I'm going to try heat, vice grips and more PB blaster.

Any other tips or tricks would be greatly appreciated.
Happy holidays

 

[TownsendsFJR1300]

Thank you for all the help so far.

I do still have about a quarter inch or more of the stud still sticking out.
I do not have access or the talent to be welding a nut on the top unfortunately.

I have soaked all nuts in PB blaster from the very start.
However on some studs the PB didn't penetrate enough.
I have been soaking the snapped studs in more PB blaster since they broke.

I'm going to try heat, vice grips and more PB blaster.

Any other tips or tricks would be greatly appreciated.
Happy holidays

Not mentioned either is some semi-gentle tapping on the bolt itself once hot, right before vise grips applied.

Not super hard, it is stuck in soft aluminum but some sharp blows (similar idea to an impact air gun).

Once again, once it starts to move, go back and forth (in and out) as the stud allows. Once its initially broke loose, (that's the hard part), work it as slow/long as it takes..

 

[greg]

I used one of these to get mine out (about 3 of them snapped)

Laser Tools | 4393 | Impact Stud Extractor Set 2pc

I paid around £20 for one

It tightens around the stud the more you turn it, much stronger than vice grips

 

[TownsendsFJR1300]

I used one of these to get mine out (about 3 of them snapped)

Laser Tools | 4393 | Impact Stud Extractor Set 2pc

I paid around £20 for one

It tightens around the stud the more you turn it, much stronger than vice grips

Can you work the broken bolt/stud back and forth with that tool or just one direction?

 

[greg]

you can probably wiggle it a bit, but it's one direction really, as if you go the other way it will loosen its grip

I guess it's very similar to the things you get on screw drivers. I wonder if a redneck fix would be to use a screw driver tightened onto one as an impact driver.... (I'm not recommending this btw)

 

[TownsendsFJR1300]

you can probably wiggle it a bit, but it's one direction really, as if you go the other way it will loosen its grip

I guess it's very similar to the things you get on screw drivers. I wonder if a redneck fix would be to use a screw driver tightened onto one as an impact driver.... I strongly suspect that if the nut (already frozen on the stud), couldn't break the stud loose from the head, the hand held impact driver with a screwdriver head(and notched stud) wouldn't work (I'm not recommending this btw)

It sounds like a good tool to at the very least get started and get it initially broke loose (the hardest part).

(Now I get buy a new tool, thanks Greg!)

 

[greg]

They look to be about $45 for the pair on american ebay

 

[Motogiro]

KD Screw and Stud Extractors

 

[TownsendsFJR1300]

They look to be about $45 for the pair on american ebay

I found one company here in the states for that specific tool, 2 piece set, (which is apparently made over there), $75+ shipping etc, shessh!!

I looked on E-bay and found mostly EU links only..

 

[TownsendsFJR1300]

KD Screw and Stud Extractors

Cliff, (or anyone else), do you have any experiance with the removal rachet style tool posted above (not the easy outs)?

 

[FinalImpact]

I found one company here in the states for that specific tool, 2 piece set, (which is apparently made over there), $75+ shipping etc, shessh!!

I looked on E-bay and found mostly EU links only..

Unless there's meat above the potatoes, it don't matter tho.... It really depends how they break.

In some cases, one could get lucky and have something to bite on too (Ribeye for example).... :thumbup:

As you stated:
Best case is a tiny nub, weld a nut, and remove!
Even if flush, one can still weld a nut. Done it several times.
The worse case is grind it flush, center punch, drill with reverse cut bit as sometimes they catch and back out. If that fails, then hammer in the easyout. The important part here is hitting the center, staying on center, and not breaking through the side.

One tip for keeping angles is this: grab stud of the same pitch and size and insert it into an existing hole. Use this to get a visual on your drill angle.
Another trick is to thread a nut onto an existing stud, and then thread a stud into exposed threads in the nut. This also acts as a visual guide.

Good luck!

 

[Motogiro]

Cliff, (or anyone else), do you have any experiance with the removal rachet style tool posted above (not the easy outs)?

Unless there's meat above the potatoes, it don't matter tho.... It really depends how they break.

In some cases, one could get lucky and have something to bite on too (Ribeye for example).... :thumbup:

As you stated:
Best case is a tiny nub, weld a nut, and remove!
Even if flush, one can still weld a nut. Done it several times.
The worse case is grind it flush, center punch, drill with reverse cut bit as sometimes they catch and back out. If that fails, then hammer in the easyout. The important part here is hitting the center, staying on center, and not breaking through the side.

One tip for keeping angles is this: grab stud of the same pitch and size and insert it into an existing hole. Use this to get a visual on your drill angle.
Another trick is to thread a nut onto an existing stud, and then thread a stud into exposed threads in the nut. This also acts as a visual guide.

Good luck!

I've removed many many broken studs over the years. There are so many different combinations of breaks and frozen threads. Anyway you look at it, un-seizing the threads is the way you'd like to get the stud out. I've removed broken studs by tapping them in a counter clockwise motion (if they were lefty lucy's) using a hammer and a punch. Penetrating oil, physical shock, and heat are your friend. Have patience use the oil, shock it and heat and repeat.

That ratchet type is very effective if you have exposed stud but you still want the thread un-seized if possible. If all else fails you'll want to try the internal removal type stud remover. Grind a flat and find the center of the stud. center punch it and drill a smaller pilot hole. Remember that if you drill too far you may hit water jacket or an oil pathway. You need to know how deep to go. After your pilot drill you can use the prescribed drill for the easy out you're using and clear the hole out. Clear the chips often when you're drilling so as not to load up the drill bit. Keep it oiled. Better to push and release often so the bit does not overheat and glaze. Once you've overheated the bit it's done and you may as well be trying to drill with a nail. Easy and steady be patient.

 

[TownsendsFJR1300]

Any updates????

 

[Athosch97]

Just got myself into the same situation aswell and I'm more than upset. Are the studs removable if I have a grip on them they can be removed and I just put new ones in? I know this is an old thread hope someone has dealt with this before!

 

[Gary in NJ]

Attach a photo of what remains.

 

[Athosch97]

Attach a photo of what remains.

I will post tomorrow morning I'm currently not home. Thankyou for the reply Gary!!