Club 80-90 Forums

Read most of the posts on this topic, but not seen anything which answers this question...

Does anybody make/know of a jig/drill guide for drilling out snapped off exhaust studs? The Porsche community obviously have similar problems to us lot and I've seen guides available which bolt onto the good stud (assuming there is one), plugs into the exhaust port, and then has a hardened drill guide to get you "cock"-on when drilling out the remains of the snapped stud. Anything similar for a DG? Before I contemplate making one myself.

Don't know yet if I need one, but Xmas hols will see me dropping the engine to change the exhaust and I know at least one of the struds has snapped (upper one on the manifold flange which faces the front of the van). Just preparing for the worst! I might find it has snapped leaving enough to weld a nut on, but then the law of sod might come into play and it has snapped flush.

Or do I just stop pussying around and do it by eye?

I used Plus Gas several times over several weeks before I changed exhaust. Then used more when changing it. Also used Rost Off Ice from Wurth on a couple that were still stuck. Rost Off Ice is a penetrant/freezing spray that freezes bolt/stud to shrink it and allow penetrant to get in easier. Same principle as using torch to free things. Had one that wasn't coming loose.. Hit it with Rost Off Ice and still didn't seem to be coming loose... until I realized it was so loose I could screw it out with my fingers. Everyone I've talked to who's used Rost Off Ice praises it.

Plus Gas:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/s/?ie=UTF8&keyw ... csczwdic_e" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Rost Off Ice:
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/WURTH-893-24-ROST ... 3ca4da6182" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
Is under £5 from Wurth

Do not attempt to use an ezi out or similar. 99 times out of a hundred they will break leaving you with a hardened tool snapped off in the head. One old trick is to centre punch the broken stud, drill a pilot hole and then tap a tapered file tang in, this has the advantage that it will grip in a parallel hole. You can then try grips on the file itself, obviously use a flat file.
If you have to resort to drilling with a jig then the file trick can work as an extractor once about 60% of the diameter of the stud has been drilled. This saves trying to collapse the residue then having to resort to helicoiling.
HTH
Richard

Thanks for all your tips people! Sounds like the freezing spray is the way to go.

I can't really see how banging a tapered file tang into a parallel hole is any better than an Ezi-out, they're both tapered, so will wedge the stud in the hole, and they're both likely to break and leave a nasty remnant in the hole. Files aren't renowned for their torsional strength, are you sure it works?

After 35 years its files broken 0 eziouts broken 99%.
If you dont trust the file then a left hand thread tap should get it going.

Left hand drill bits. Center punch broken bolt and drill it out with progressively bigger left hand drill bits. They usually pull thread out as they drill.
http://shop.ebay.co.uk/items/__lefthand ... 459_228460" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;