In the 7 years I've had my disco, I've had to drop my downpipe three times. Every single time, at least one of the studs snapped off. The first time that happened, I bought a whole new exhaust manifold to really fix the problem. The last two times I was too upset at the designers to give them more of my money, so I'm running now minus two. Of course, this causes a bad seal, exhaust gas leak, and noise.
So... Two questions:
1. How can I care for these studs better so that they don't snap on me next time? Anti-seize? PB Blaster every 3000 miles? Titanium?!?!?
2. What about just drilling them out, and using a real bolt instead of the double-sided threaded stud? Anyone tried this? Can you effectively get a wrench (or maybe a crow's foot) up there to hold it?
Whoever thought of threading a hole in a cast-iron part that cycles 500 degrees in temp several times per day needs to have their head put in a vice!
So... Two questions:
1. How can I care for these studs better so that they don't snap on me next time? Anti-seize? PB Blaster every 3000 miles? Titanium?!?!?
2. What about just drilling them out, and using a real bolt instead of the double-sided threaded stud? Anyone tried this? Can you effectively get a wrench (or maybe a crow's foot) up there to hold it?
Whoever thought of threading a hole in a cast-iron part that cycles 500 degrees in temp several times per day needs to have their head put in a vice!