Exhaust Manifold Bolts? Difficult to remove on older cars? (1982)?

Question

I need to change the gasket should I worry of the bolts being seized? Is there anything I can do? If I should heat them, should I just run the car for a while or should I use a torch and bring the temp up beyond standard operating temperature?

Answer 1

spray them down, WD-40, brake cleaner, you might end up breaking them. good luck

Answer 2

You will have a 20% chance of breaking a bolt, hopefully just the bolt head will only snap. If this is the case have a small pipe wrench handy when you pull the manifold off. Hopefully there will be enough bolt left to get the small pipe wrench onto. I have done this method a dozen times. Spraying it down and torches, I have done this to to no avail. The oil never gets past where you can't see, and the torches only heat up the out side of the bolt. I stop using the oil and torch method, and the results continued to be the same, sometimes they snap and sometimes they didn't. Chances are, one or two will snap off on you, but like I said just the bolt head will break off leaving enough thread with the manifold off to get the pipe wrench to work for you. I have never had to drill an exhaust bolt out I've always used my little pipe wrench, good luck to you. To answer your question about letting the engine war up or not, I say work on it cold. Cold or hot the head manifold and bolts are going to be the same temp. I would much rather work on it cold to keep from burning myself.

Answer 3

You can try some heat on the but if they're gonna break, that's life. If they break,cut the bolt off at the face of the head with a hack saw. Buy yourself a set of what we in Australia call EASY OUTS. To use these you centre punch the end of the broken bolt, drill a hole in the end of the bolt and tap the correct size Easy Out into the hole in the bolt, Then with a spanner carefully turn the Easy Out ANTICLOCKWISE to undo the broken bolt. Done hundreds of bolts, not just manifold bolts, this way over the years! Good idea is to clean the thread out with the appropriate tap before putting new bolt in hole. Also, get some COPPER anti seize grease from a car accessory store and coat the bolt thread before putting it in the head. This will make the bolts easier to remove next time and lots less likely to break.

Answer 4

Save yourself time and use the torch. You may want to have replacement bolts handy. If you need to cut them out then you'll be able to finish the job. Since the gasket is being replaced you don't have to worry about hurting it. Just make sure you let it cool down before installing the new one.

Answer 5

Even before removing the valve covers, Spray everything with Diesel fuel, then give special attention to suspect bolts and screws with same treatment. Let stand a couple of days to evaporate and then wipe down with crumpled up newspaper. The oil in the diesel fuel will penetrate any number years of rust and sludge and most "frozen" bolts will come out with ease. But most of all, Have Fun with it.

Answer 6

They are very likely to twist off try spraying them with WD40 and let them set about 15 minutes and spray them again.If you have an impact wrench try that,if you don't use a ratchet and socket and loosen a little and then run them back up a little to break loose the rust.There's no guarantees they want break...

Answer 7

if u heat them heat them cherry red!!! ive had to drill some of them bolts out already good luck to ya w/ those

Answer 8

you MUST heat with torch or you will risk snapping them