Now what to do with this?

[Frankencelery]

My new muffler arrived for my 250SX! Unfortunately, I couldn't get the old muffler separated from the headpipe, so I had to take that off, and of course one of the exhaust studs broke. I know heat is your friend, but I don't have acetylene, so I gave it all I had with my mapp torch, to no avail. Tried some vice grips and a pipe wrench, but the angle is all wrong. It's got almost a half inch sticking out, but the tools I have are just shaving metal off. Any ideas before I wear it off to a nub? Next stop is a machine shop where they know what they're doing.

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[leevarnado]

you could weld a nut to it if you have a welding machine,the heat alone from welding the nut to the stud should brake it free.

[AtcFactoryRacer]

I agree thats how i fix them, if you have a half inch sticking out you have a great start

[Dirtcrasher]

Send it my way once your done getting pissed at it..........

2 new SS studs, done.

[TatTooL23]

Welding a good size nut to the stud works the BEST!! I use a water squirt bottle. As soon as u weld the nut on the stud spray just the nut and stud so it cools and slightly contracts while the head or cylinder is still slightly expanded from the heat. Be VERY patient and slowly work the stud back and forth with a wrench and keep cooling the stud with the water. Works amazing.

Make sure u fill the nut full of weld and get a really good penetration.

[fabiodriven]

you could weld a nut to it if you have a welding machine,the heat alone from welding the nut to the stud should brake it free.

I have done this before, but the key word here is "should". I used to change exhaust manifolds for a living and it's kind of a 50/50 shot with those. I used to get nervous when my mentor would put the impact gun on those, but I snapped way more off by hand than we ever did using the impact gun.

Sometimes the candle wax trick can help.

Or just send it to DC and be done with it.

[Frankencelery]

DC, I appreciate it. It might come to that, but I still have hopes of not having to take my engine apart. I'm afraid I have no welding skills myself. If I can find someone locally who can weld a nut to it while the engine is still in the machine, I'd like to try that first. I've got a cylinder that was just rebored at my local machine shop that's done, so when I go to pick it up, I will ask them about this, but I'm sure they'll want the head out of the engine too.

[oldskool83]

I always use 2 locking nuts to get them out but your way from that now. the welding idea is best now.

[Frankencelery]

Yeah, I would have done the locking nuts, but when it broke, all that was left was that smooth area in the middle of the stud. I didn't have any threads to work with.

[RubberSalt]

Take a washer, put it on the stud, stick a nut on there and weld. The washer will help remove alllll the worry about messing up the head.

[R-tifacts]

If ALL else fails, center punch it, drill it, and heli-coil it, have had to do that before and it worked for me, but try the weld and hot cold trick first.

[RubberSalt]

I just got done drilling, punching, and heli coiling 1 of my head studs on my 175, someone was nice enough to strip it before i bought it - i bet that's why it was missing that stud.. lol

[Frankencelery]

You guys are going to shame me into buying a welder and learning to weld....:lol:

[Dirtcrasher]

I'll just add this. Out of the 100 or so studs I've repaired, 25% of them were "attempted" to remove by welding. Some of them broke the casting, some broke off the stud even lower and all of them were harder to drill out once welded on.......

It's worked for me sometimes, and failed just as many times.

[jrsqlc]

I'll just add this. Out of the 100 or so studs I've repaired, 25% of them were "attempted" to remove by welding. Some of them broke the casting, some broke off the stud even lower and all of them were harder to drill out once welded on.......

It's worked for me sometimes, and failed just as many times.

I have to agree 100% !!! the correct way is to pull the head and machine is stud out, drill it undersized so you dont destroy the casting or bosses

[beets442]

What even sux worse is when you snap an ez out off in the hole. Time for the high carbide bit.

[jays375]

Would have to be the one behind the frame.The problem with those studs is they are knurled.I had one recently on 250SX.Heated up the nut cherry red with the torch and it came right off.Problem was I bent the stud in the process.The motor was coming out anyway so I drilled and tapped it.No matter how hard I tried that stud would not come out.Thing that made me mad is that the other stud screwed right out.

[Frankencelery]

That's what happened here too. The top stud just came right out. I sent the pics to Hickman Racing, our local machine shop, and they said "We'll try", meaning to get the stud out with the engine still in the machine. So I'm bringing it in next Tuesday. Obviously, if that doesn't work, the head will have to come off. I've got a ride scheduled with a buddy weekend after next, and I'm praying it doesn't come to that, because I'll never get it back together again by then.

I've sworn off ez outs, because I've broken more of them off than I've ever been successful.

[ailll1]

Can't you just unbolt the engine,remove the driveshaft, carburetor, all cables, hoses and twist the engine to clear the frame?

[Frankencelery]

Oh is that all? Now why didn't I think of that? :rolleyes:

[Frankencelery]

Got 'er done! I took the whole trike to Hickman Racing (for those of you in Iowa, they're great for machine shop work). First, they welded a nut on, and as DC predicted, they immediately broke it off. Then he grabbed a cordless drill and with much more skill than I could hope for, drilled it out and tapped it. Having failed to EVER successfully drill out a bolt and keep the drill in the center, I was terrified, but he did a pretty good job! Tonight I got the new muffler installed. Not only is it much quieter, but it fixed my hard starting issue too. The old muffler with holes in it must have been causing a lean condition.

[Deathrocket]

what I have done, first get your favorite penetrating oil, soak it for a few days, next if you can get a grinder in there put some flat spots on the stud so vice grips have a really good grip on the stud, or after soaking, get a stud removal tool, http://www.jegs.com/images/photos/500/555/555-80510.jpg there a handy tool to have.....