Had an exhaust leak at my header gasket. Decided to nip it in the bud with a new gasket from OTTP (arrived promptly, thanks OTTP!) Picked up a new 3/8" torque wrench from Autozone to replace a lost one and set to work on Friday afternoon.

...to make a very long story short... the new torque wrench came defective...no click...awesome. The real kicker is that I foolishly started using it without testing it first. Set it to 106 in-lbs and started tightening up the first header-stud. Just as I started to think to myself "This is getting pretty tight, I wonder if there's something wrong with this new wre..." <<SNAP>> There goes the stud.

I managed to tighten everything else back up without breaking anything and can drive it (it's my Daily Driver...ugh) but I sound delightfully like a model-T. heh.

So how much is it gunna cost me to get the broken stud drilled out and replaced? It's in a tight spot back there as anyone who's done their own header knows. I definately don't want to bring it to the dealer. What type of place would be set up to handle this problem? Any advice or guidance would be very welcome guys!

 

Did the stud break off INSIDE the head? Is there any sticking out that you can grab it tightly with some vice grips?

 

No luck there. Nothing sticking out. It broke just beneath the surface.

 

you should be able to heat the broke off stud with a tourch and back it out with an EZ out. i broke head bolts off before and got em out like that no problem

 

You didn't have any issues prepping the stud in that tight space? I'm worried about drilling off-center and messing up the threads...

 

were you using anti seize on the threads? if so then yeah like posted above heat it up with a torch and back it out with a reverse drill bit (easy-out)

if you werent using anti seize then it might be a pain in the ass and require a full drill out and re-tap or heli-core it... they sell right angle drills for cheap now days that will give you the room you need...

Is the broken one in the center? your supposed to start tightening in the center and work your way out, if not done properly then that alone could cause a leak...

 

Ez out, drill, and a torch and you'll be able to do it yourself. Try without the torch first you may not need it.