need oipnion on broken exhaust bolt

[njm1985]

i developed an exhaust leak on the driver side and crawled under to find my exhaust was loose where it bolts to the exhaust manifold. SO i purchased new bolts and figured i'll change them no big deal heat em up and get em out put new ones in lickity split.
i wasnt so lucky. i snapped one off almost flush with the flange on the bottom of the manifold. i tried welding a nut on and backing it out, didnt work. tried to use my plasma cutter to burn the bolt out... couldnt get to it really. so right now its pieced together with one bolt and a hose clamp holding the exhaust flange up.

So should i pull the exhaust manifold and fix it right? thats my only option now i guess.
How hard of a job is it to pull that manifold on the drivers side?

any input appriciated... the good new is my exhuast quit leaking. so at least i know thats where the leak was... even tho i have to pull it all about again. ha

 

[njm1985]

sorry its a 4.0 sohc by the way

 

[2000StreetRod]

Removing exhaust manifold

I rounded the hex head on one of those bolts on the passenger side while preparing to pull my engine. I ended up grinding the head off using a Dremel and cutoff wheel.

In order to remove the driver side exhaust manifold you'll either have to disconnect the EGR valve from the EGR pipe or remove the upper intake manifold. If you decide to disconnect the EGR valve be careful not to bend the EGR pipe. If you do it won't seal properly in the large O ring where it enters the upper intake manifold and your fuel mixture will be lean.

You'll need to remove the front wheel and inner mud flap to get access to the exhaust manifold mounting nuts. I suggest soaking them in rust solvent for several hours before attempting removal or you may be looking at broken studs or rounded nuts. Use a 6 point socket instead of 12 point to minimize chance of rounding nut corners.

When I reassemble my exhaust I will use anti-seize compound. The bolts may work loose from vibration with time but to me that's better than having them rust together.

 

[njm1985]

thanks a lot! its nice having someone thats done it before tell me whats nessesary to remove and stuff.

 

[Bill MacLeod]

Actually, that exhaust manifold comes rather easy. As mentioned above, remove the EGR pipe (need about a 1" wrench) and unbolt manifold.
What I did was drill the broken stud out, then used a large s/s bolt lockwasher and nut. Worked like a charm.

 

[mufflerman]

Mufflerman

i developed an exhaust leak on the driver side and crawled under to find my exhaust was loose where it bolts to the exhaust manifold. SO i purchased new bolts and figured i'll change them no big deal heat em up and get em out put new ones in lickity split.
i wasnt so lucky. i snapped one off almost flush with the flange on the bottom of the manifold. i tried welding a nut on and backing it out, didnt work. tried to use my plasma cutter to burn the bolt out... couldnt get to it really. so right now its pieced together with one bolt and a hose clamp holding the exhaust flange up.

So should i pull the exhaust manifold and fix it right? thats my only option now i guess.
How hard of a job is it to pull that manifold on the drivers side?

any input appriciated... the good new is my exhuast quit leaking. so at least i know thats where the leak was... even tho i have to pull it all about again. ha

They make a product made just for your problem. They call it the Hush studfix, Its really a neat fix. There web site is studfix.com , Mufflerman

 

[clsale1999]

Thanks for the info mufflerman. That stud fix looks like it would be cheap at twice the price. Nice to know.


1995 Ford Explorer XLT, 111,000 miles, Original Owner

 

[Spuddy]

I'm currently running a Nickson Clamp-a-Stud. (Sorry, I don't know the part number)

Same idea as the StudFix.

Available at NAPA, Advance, O'Reilly's, Amazon, etc...

 

[RandomNerd2000]

Before you do anything there's a kit around that has a square to go over the lip on the manifold and the bolt runs through the flange, never used them, they're on Amazon and someone will know what I'm talking about, seemed decent when I saw it but I ended up with manifolds due to another issue.

 

[96eb96]

Shops told me replacing those bolts on Rangers and Explorers for some reason is extremely difficult and time consuming, especially in rust areas. I think they are bolts, not studs in some cases. And they harden into the flange making removal almost impossible. Fortunately I was able to get my Y-pipe welded by a true professional.

 

[RandomNerd2000]

I know on my 01 SOHC engine I'm going to drop in if my mind doesn't change, I just drilled them out and got regular bolts and bolted it together like that, and on the 01 XLT I'm selling, it's been done like that.