i have a 2003 f250 with the v-10. i have two broken exhaust manifold bolts broke off per side. i guess from wat i hear this is pretty comon. just some advice on wat to do and the easiest way to fix this. also i am lookin for the best set of studs to put back in so i dont have to worry about this problem ever again. im a die hard ford man but this really pisses me off since ford has known about this but wont fix it.

 

its gonna be fun, let me tell you that. stop at your local hardware store and pick up an easyout, or bolt extractor. they are like $4 and come with a drillbit and the reverse threaded tap. you drill about halfway into the bolt, the screw in the extractor counter clockwise and it will unscrew the broken bolt. the PITA part is making room to do this.

 

is pulling the cab really neccesary? ive got a crew cab. do have access to a lift.

 

wat kind of bolt or studs should i use so i dont have to worry about this again?

 

FORD 6.8 LITER V10 STAINLESS EXHAUST MANIFOLD STUD KIT - eBay (item 130484334151 end time Mar-10-11 07:22:43 PST)

Saw these on ebay.I'm thinking of going this route..


Dick

 

I'd bet money regardless what bolt you use you will have the same broken stud problem again down the road. The studs usually do not rust off they usually shear off or snap off due to the manifolds expansion and contraction from heat/cool cycles. My 04' came with stainless studs and but the nuts were some kind of powdered metal. When I put headers on around 20k miles one stud was snapped off already.

You do NOT need to pull the cab. Pulling the inner fender liners and getting the shock out of the way gives good access to the manifolds. The manifold will have to be removed and the studs either turned out or an ez out used to remove the studs. The studs that are broken off below the heads gasket surface will have to be removed with an easy out. Studs broke off above the surface can sometimes be grabbed with a vice grip pliers and turned out. Its a PITA job however it can be done with the cab on the truck and without a lift.

 

I did this on my 5.4L. I only had one broken and I ended up breaking another when working on it. It was fairly easy on my 5.4L but I don't think having the two extra cylinders would've made it that much worse.

A bunch of pics of mine here....
2004 F250 Broken Exhuast Manifold Stud

One thing that seems to work like a charm for removing them is to build up the broken stud with weld and then to weld a nut to it for removal. I think the heat works wonders on it. Like this:

 

Same thing on mine but I had to weld on 5 of them. 20 hrs in the wheel well. No way I was going to pull the head off. Ran a tap in all the holes then new manifolds and studs/nuts.


Dick

 

just a thought but once you figure out how you are going to get in there. ive found its always a good idea to run the truck a while before trying to pull any exhaust manifold bolts. the engine heat makes them easier to free them up. i would try the easy out method. but i don't have a welder so i couldn't tell you which way is easier.

 

i got motor out a donor truck and it had 8 borken manifold bots (all on top)drilled them out. i didnt want to retap the the holes so that i dont have to worry about drillin them out again if i have to do the manifolds bolts next time if they brake they will just fall out. i hope

 

this is a warranty job for 8 years or 80,000 just FYI. as long as it hasnt been heavily modded. had my 04 fixed at a dealer a few months ago no questions asked.