I am on my 5th round of replacing broken studs in my '07 V10. That's right, 5th round. I have a broken stud on the passenger's side on the front cylinder top side. I cannot seem to get the stud out and I am getting tired of doing this every 9-10 months. Last time I did this was in January 2020. Each time I replace all of the studs once I fix the broken one. I've bought hundred of dollars of tools for this job and I have been fighting this problem since day one when I bought the truck in 2017. I've had the manifolds milled (both sides) and I have used Remflex gaskets the past 2 times. The broken studs seem to switch sides. Last time it was the driver's side and now the passenger side and it is never the same cylinders. I am running out of will power to try and get this current broken stud out. I've used the Lisle template for drilling to center the bit but the square extractor is too small to grab inside the hole. I could just drill out the hole and re-tap it but I would end up doing all of this again in a few months. The truck is in near perfect shape and runs great with lots of new parts. The list of parts is too many to mention. It has nearly 170k on the engine so I am thinking about just replacing the motor. Other than the broken stud, the motor runs perfectly and has plenty of power and is completely reliable. Transmissions shifts great and was just serviced.

Is it even possible to get a factory replacement motor these days? I'm not talking about the Crate motors but a factory replacement. I would want a dealer to do this work. How long before the studs start breaking on a new engine? Any idea? I would be happy if it last until I die but I am only 53 years old.

 

What torque are you using on the studs?

Denny

 

89-115 in/lbs on the studs
18 ft/lbs on the nuts

 

It looks like I can get another engine for $4,642 plus $1,200 core charge from fordpartsgiant.com. It would probably be around $5,000 for the dealer to swap it for me but that seems like a small price to pay to not have to replace studs every year.

 

If your Studs are straight I can't see where changing the motor will fix your problem. I would get new manifolds, different brand of studs and gaskets.

Denny

 

Something is off, I have done lots of these using OE gaskets and ARP studs with no further breaking.

 

That's the problem. None of the studs are straight. I documented the entire ordeal here: https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/1...l#post17387706

I am dealing with a problem created by the car lot I bought the truck from. I suspect that this problem will keeping recurring due to the bad drilling. The truck probably isn't worth anything to anyone else so I can't sell it. I'll either fix it, replace the engine or scrap it. I am tired of dealing with it. The trouble is, unless I buy new, I am guaranteed to have to deal with someone else's headache. Buying new is not going to happen.

I am so ****ed. I should have taken out full coverage insurance and driven the thing off a cliff right after I bought it.

 

I am guessing manifold studs correct? If they a not 'straight' as you say, why would your R&R the entire engine when new/replacement heads are in order? A set of heads would run about $2500 or so and new manifolds would be a plus to ensure everything is right. A lot cheaper than the amount indicated for an R&R!!

 

My Ford dealer (diesel shop) said it would be easier to replace the engine than replace the heads. Removing and replacing the heads guarantees more problems for life. I don’t know anyone who has ever attempted it. My master tech says they can pull the cab and replace the motor faster than they can replace the heads and I believe him. They can have the cab off in a day. They do it all the time on fleet vehicles.

 

Ford no longer makes these manifolds so it would have to be cheap Chinese manifolds that rust completely through in 18 months. I’m not sure I could even get new heads. If you read the original ordeal link above, the dealer I talked to said that it is only $2,000 more to replace the motor than to replace the heads and manifolds. That is why a new engine makes more sense. I have had both manifolds milled so they are as flat as they can get. I even bought a used manifold and had it milled before I installed it. Local machine shops would not do these manifolds because they are a mild stainless. There was only one shop that had diamond bits that would do it for me. They had the only machine in town capable of doing it and even they had problems with clamping them. I’ve done all I know to do except replace the engine.

 

These manifolds are still available new. They were still in production until this year. Some surplus shows up on ebay pretty often.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Genuine-For...4383.l4275.c10

 

Would hedders be an option? I think I might be dealing with this soon.

 

There are no headers available for the 3V engines. The stock Ford exhaust is pretty "header-like" so no one makes headers for this engine. There are lots of headers available for the 2V engines, though.

 

The manifolds I have are flat. I have checked them with a straight edge. I don't think new manifolds will fix my problem. My problem is bad heads and that is what is breaking the studs. The benefit of a new Ford engine is that it comes fully dressed and everything is new. I just want to know how many miles I can get before I have to replace broken studs in a new engine.

 

I remember your original post now. Before I replaced the motor I would straighten the studs by going to a bigger stud and using a drill and tap block and the Fel-Pro style gaskets.

Denny