Exhaust studs

[DrDonnyBrago]

Hi, just got round to doing my CBR downpipes. Of the 8 studs, 6 came out with the nuts seized on the end after a bit of heat and some plusgas, 1 of the nuts unscrewed leaving the stud in the head and 1 of the studs appeared to be moving so I moved it back and forth until it eventually snapped off in the head...

There is about 5mm of broken stud poking out so I have something to work with at least, I will try heat, plusgas, molegrips, filing flats and grinding a screwdriver slot in it later on. Would really like to weld a nut on but I don't have a MIG.

However is it worth trying to remove the unbroken stud so I can replace it? The thread is pretty grotty and ideally I'd like to replace all of them so I can copper grease etc etc. I intend on owning this bike for some time yet so best practice would tell me to make it easier for 'future me' and try and remove it now so I can copper grease all of the new studs. If I mess the thing up though then I have doubled my problem of stuck studs.

In the worst case scenario, I end up snapping both heads off flush with the head, I wouldn't trust myself to drill them out so I'd pay a mechanic to do it. Would they need the engine out of the frame or can it be done in situ?

How hard is it to remove an engine? How do you support the engine as it comes out?

[Blau Zedong]

If there is 5mm poking out of the head then you really need to have a go at MIG welding a nut onto it. The localised heat often helps free the remains of the stud and make winding it out quite easy.
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[Pie-Roe]

Did you also give them a good tap all round to break the stiction, and try and turn them in a sharp movement initially?

When I replaced my bandit header bolts, there were all stuck in, but I managed to get them all out eventually by heating them with a blowtorch lighter and using a massive set of molegrips.

I got a bolt stuck in an engine casing once and just drilled a very small hole about a cm into it, shaped it slightly and hammered an allen key into it, it turned fine then.

Pyro
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[DrDonnyBrago]

[Pie-Roe]

[DrDonnyBrago]

Had thought about reassembling and using the engine heat but I have removed the rad and drained the coolant to get better access, would be a PITA to reassemble temporarily.

Thanks .

[Raffles]

[DrDonnyBrago]

[radical]

I have used pipe freezing spray on stubborn studs with some succes, it can be bought in plumbing oulets or good hardware stores and can be sprayed onto the stud making it contract and easier to remove.

[ZRX61]

[DrDonnyBrago]

Update:

I cannot get the thing moving, I can't even get a decent grip on it.

I bought some bigger locking pliers but I still can't get a decent grip on it. I thought Stanley was a decent brand but the ends of the grips have just bent and the stud hasn't moved at all. It is slightly tapered because the middle of the stud is fat and unthreaded which hasn't helped, my pliers just pop off as soon as I apply some torque, I can even feel them opening as I try and turn the stud. The pliers are going back, they are shit.

I tried hammering a small socket and then a female torx bit onto the end and that did nothing, just turned and chewed up the stud more. For now, it is soaking in a bath of plusgas but I seriously cannot see it moving any time soon.

When a mechanic drills out a stuck bolt, do they do it with a hand held drill and the part on the bike or do they remove the offending item and use a pillar drill? If the front wheel and/or forks were removed there would be good access to the stud from the front, otherwise it is an engine/head removal which I would prefer to avoid. The engine is a stressed member, so I would need to find a very novel way of supporting the bike to remove the swingarm, and engine at the same time.

[Raffles]

I don't think that any benefit will be gained by continuing to apply copious amounts of PlusGas. The option that I would take is the one that you mentioned in your opening post. As you don't own a MIG welder then you should transport the complete bike to your local steel fabricators/welders and ask them to stick a nut onto what's left of the stud. It should only cost you a couple of quid tops.
Stanley brand tools have not been manufactured to a high standard for a long time. I consider them to be only marginally superior to the cheap Chinese crap that can be obtained at car boot sales. They are best avoided.
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