Sheared off bolt for muffler brace into exhaust Manifold

[Ingerdeere]

Started a post in JD Ag tractors replacing a steering line then I snapped off the bolt on the left hand side in the picture. I've tried to drill out out, extractors (broke 2 of them) and it's soaking in penetrating oil overnight. Will try chisel tomorrow. Anybody got any voo-doo solvents to get this very rusted bolt removed? Not set up to mig-weld a nut nor is there really enough the bolt proud of the manifold to thread anything. Thanks in advance for recommendations.

 

[Tractor Seabee]

Once they get rusted up like that it becomes more difficult. You may wind up breaking the manifold apart getting all the bolts unscrewed or drilled out then replacing with a new manifold and bolts. If and when you get new bolts in use brass nuts and high temp anti-seize. You will get lots of advice on penetrants so I will defer on that. It is a crap shoot in your case. I have had to replace a few manifolds in my younger days when I did a lot of work on old cars and trucks.

Ron

 

[TMGT]

Lots of heat and paraffin or beeswax, get it red hot and put the wax against it so it draws it in, then try to remove the bolt before it cools down too much.

 

[KYErik]

I'd drill it out with a left handed drill bit then retap for a slightly larger bolt. Cast iron isn't hard to tap. I'd put a grade 5 stud and nut in rather than using another bolt.

 

[ddbackhoe]

I'd drill it out with a left handed drill bit then retap for a slightly larger bolt. Cast iron isn't hard to tap. I'd put a grade 5 stud and nut in rather than using another bolt.

Why bother retapping? From the picture it looks like enough clearance to just use a bolt and nut.

Id try aerokroil and a punch first, then heat and wax, then drill using a centering bit, then a left hand bit or extractor

Center Drills - MSCDirect.com

 

[pmsmechanic]

I have done so many bolts like this.... This one is easy. It's out in the open.

Weld a washer to the bolt. Cool the welded stud with candle wax. Just hold the candle against the cast manifold momentarily several times. Be careful not to start a fire. As the area is cooling, tap the washer for about a minute with a ball peen hammer. Weld a nut onto the washer once the bolt is cool. Again cool the area with candle wax. Again tap with a hammer. You don't need to hit hard. What you want is the heating and cooling and the vibration to loosen the rust.

Put a flat wrench on the nut and start moving the wrench back and forth firmly. You don't want the welding to break but you want to use enough force to start breaking the rust up. Once you can feel a bit of movement then you know you've won the battle. Spray liberally with WD-40 to wash the rust out of the threads and keep moving the wrench back and forth. Soon it will start moving a little more. All of a sudden your at a quarter turn. Smile!

I've also used an 3/8" air impact set at the lowest setting (1/2" is too large). Don't hammer long in one direction. As you are hammering just change the direction of rotation back and forth. It doesn't hurt an air tool to have directions changed while holding the trigger. I've never done it like this but an air chisel with a punch point in the center of the nut would also do the trick.

Several more hints. If the weld breaks just start over. I've started over up to 4 times before winning! In the highly unlikely event that the threads are galled you will still get the bolt out. It will be tough going all the way out and the threads will be ruined. You might be able to repair the threads sufficiently by running a tap through. If not just install a Heli-coil. When you install the new bolts use never seize.

Edited to add that this is not a job to rush on. Take your time. Every time the bolt heats up it expands. It can't go anywhere because of the cast iron around it. When it cools it shrinks. So even without any rotation you are still getting movement.

 

[Ingerdeere]

Hunting down the replacement hose today. Restart on the bolt this afternoon. This bolt supports the exhaust stack. Thanks for all the options

 

[Tx Jim]

I have done so many bolts like this.... This one is easy. It's out in the open.

Weld a washer to the bolt. Cool the welded stud with candle wax. Just hold the candle against the cast manifold momentarily several times. Be careful not to start a fire. As the area is cooling, tap the washer for about a minute with a ball peen hammer. Weld a nut onto the washer once the bolt is cool. Again cool the area with candle wax. Again tap with a hammer. You don't need to hit hard. What you want is the heating and cooling and the vibration to loosen the rust.

Put a flat wrench on the nut and start moving the wrench back and forth firmly. You don't want the welding to break but you want to use enough force to start breaking the rust up. Once you can feel a bit of movement then you know you've won the battle. Spray liberally with WD-40 to wash the rust out of the threads and keep moving the wrench back and forth. Soon it will start moving a little more. All of a sudden your at a quarter turn. Smile!

I've also used an 3/8" air impact set at the lowest setting (1/2" is too large). Don't hammer long in one direction. As you are hammering just change the direction of rotation back and forth. It doesn't hurt an air tool to have directions changed while holding the trigger. I've never done it like this but an air chisel with a punch point in the center of the nut would also do the trick.

Several more hints. If the weld breaks just start over. I've started over up to 4 times before winning! In the highly unlikely event that the threads are galled you will still get the bolt out. It will be tough going all the way out and the threads will be ruined. You might be able to repair the threads sufficiently by running a tap through. If not just install a Heli-coil. When you install the new bolts use never seize.

Edited to add that this is not a job to rush on. Take your time. Every time the bolt heats up it expands. It can't go anywhere because of the cast iron around it. When it cools it shrinks. So even without any rotation you are still getting movement.

DITTO

 

[Industrial Toys]

It's an easy one. Drill and use easy out, or weld a washer onto the stud and a nut onto the washer. Then get it red hot. Nothing much useful usually happens until something is RED hot.

 

[Captain Dirty]

It's an easy one. Drill and use easy out, or weld a washer onto the stud and a nut onto the washer. Then get it red hot. Nothing much useful usually happens until something is RED hot.

In my experience Easy-Outs are not! They may work on an Never-Seize-lubed bolt, but on a rust-is-the-best-thread-locker secured bolt the resistance is applied with a lever arm half the diameter of the bolt, the removing force is applied at the ends of a tap handle several times as long as the bolt diameter, and that force is transferred through a brittle easy-out with a diameter that is a fraction of the bolt diameter. The weak link fails, i.e. the easy out breaks, and one is left with a hardened piece of metal in the center of the bolt where one wants to drill.

The OP reported he had broken two extractors already and did not have the set up to weld to the bolt.

My suggestions are: Heat to expand the manifold and then ice (or wax as suggested) to cool and shrink the bolt a little faster than the manifold. Drilling two holes in the bolt fairly near the edge on opposite sides and using a center punch to apply the removing force alternating the holes. For magic sauces I usually start with PB Blaster, move on to Kroil, and finish with some mil-spec penetrating oil given to me by the widow of a Navy Chief who lived across the street from my boyhood home. Obviously the last is best because it is no longer available. Patience and perseverance are virtues as noted above.