Stripped head on exhaust mani bolt

[KingKong8247]

Any tips on removing an exhaust manifold 12-point bolt that is stripped?

I've been slowing working from the rear to the front on all the exhaust mani bolts being very careful not to snap any. Lots of heat and lots of tapping with a hammer. Anyway I have three left and one of them is stripped.

There is barely any room to bang another socket on there, I've tried. I am about to try some vice grips but I think chances are slim.

 

[ihscouts]

Grind off head, remove manifold, grab shank with vice grips.....

 

[listerdiesel]

If it's one of the bolts which is hidden under the bulge of the manifold, you're not going to get in there with any power tools, best bet is a NEW socket and possibly look for a Metric or Whitworth size that is a bit less on the A/F size than the existing socket.

You need to fit new ones anyway, one of the reasons they round off is that they rust away and get re-used.

I'll have a look tonight and sww what possible sizes could be used, but you'll have to find a way to bang it over the head.

The other thing to try, is to get the remaining two bolts out, and see if you can rotate the manifold slightly, breaking the seal on the threads. The bolts are fitting with locking compound, which comes on the new bolts as well.

Peter

 

[KingKong8247]

Sorry it took so long to reply.

Anyway I ended just waiting until the next day and went to home depot and I bought a bolt extractor set. The kind where a socket just fits over the head of the bolt. It didn't have a 12mm in the set but a 11mm worked just fine. I put it on there, heated it up and it came right off.

Every other bolt was fine. I think one of the PO probably tried to take off the manifold at one point, stripped the first bolt and gave up. Only explanation I can think of.