While under my truck (99 F-250 4x4 supercab V-10 of course) the other day, I noticed several the last three bolts on the bottom of the manifold were broken off and 2 on the other side. All were at the rear. I have recently noticed more of a "putter" when cold but not very loud. Should I get these fixed ASAP to save the manifolds from cracking. Is there something better to use? The truck had a longblock installed at the dealer at 85K and I now have 110K. It is out of warranty. Does Ford need to install better hardware? This is the third truck in a row with issues. The other were a '95 F-250 5.8L and a '97 Explorer 5.0 Any thoughts are welcome. Thanks.

 

Yeah, Ford just can't seem to get this right. The 5.0/5.8 had problems and now the 5.4 and 6.8 have problems with it (our 95 w/5.8, 2001 6.8 and my 2000 5.4 all have this problem..).

I don't think you will have any problems except the annoying ticking that comes with an exhaust leak. Its up to you if you think its worth the money to have it fixed.

 

The new genuine Ford exhaust studs are stainless and seem to last. Your dealer should have them in stock.

 

This could get costly though with a broken bolt in the head. If you're lucky it will just come out with some vice grips. I had a friend weld a nut onto the end of mine so we could get them out on my 5.4. If it had broken off in there it would NOT be cheap to fix.

 

as dave has said ford has changed the metal the studs are made out of .so you just may have gotten a long block with the older studs . you did not asy if was a r/b or new so i don't want to take any guess on which are there
yes i would pull the manifolds and make the repair as you will also be sucking air and throwing off the o2 senser readings as they are down stream . once off replaceing all the studs and haveing a auto machine shop plan and true the long manifolds so they torqe and seat the new gaskets correctly is how i would do the job.
good luck

 

Just curious... Why did you have to put a long block in at 85K miles?

 

25K miles and the studs are broken? Sounds like a used one went in there instead of a rebuilt or new? Or has it been 5 years since it was done ?

The bolts usually break off flush with the manifold, so when you remove the manifold there is plenty of bolt left to get a pair of vice-grips on. And if not, they are such mild steel that most people have no problems drilling and easy-outing them ...

Take the opportunity to put headers on it if you want

 

The engine was replaced by the previous owner, I was told it had a knock or noise in the valvetrain. It was replaced at the dealer with a new longblock approx. 3 years ago. Is this going to be a big job to pull the manifolds? Thanks.

 

Since your in there already, put on a set of headers. I have the Banks power pack and love it.

 

Others here have done it already, and from what I heard, it wasn't a major pain, but that can vary based on your skills.

3 years, are you up North with lots of salt on the roads?

 

I think I will check out the Stainless Studs at the dealer and see what I can do.

Yes, I am in Ohio and the last couple of years they do a lovely thing called Brine, which is spraying salt water on the roads, before a snow storm is forecasted. Between that and the salt they use when we receive snow, it does a number on the vehicles.

 

yeah, local municipalities were working with "brine" this year here on Long Island.

It seemed to really help with ice/snow, but I even wondered what it would do.

Last year here was a doozy - it would snow a few inches, then rain for 10 minutes. Freeze. A few days later, it would rain for an hour, then snow another few inches, freeze. By the end of March, we still had stuff on the ground, and even on the back streets, they were still an inch or two of solid ice.

Everyone ran out of the calcium chloride (or is it potassium chloride?) and started using plain sodium chloride (table salt). Or so it seemed to me, they certainly ran out of the "normal" road salt and started using something else.

Instantly rusted my Rancho shocks right through the paint. Didn't do that the two years before. Gladly, it didn't do much to my undercarriage other than rusting the shocks. And I don't mean chips, not cancer-looking rust, I mean the white paint turned rust colored.

 

headers each to his own in that area.

best is stock and resurface the manifolds to true them. stud wise the new ones are pretty good.

 

I noticed broken studs on mine as well. Flush with outside of manifold. What is easiest to remove? Soak with PB Blaster first? I would hate to bust them off flush with the head trying to remove them.

 

Hey Dave.... my truck needs your skills!.... I clay bar and Ziano till my back hurt on the Platinum.... Every weekend I look at my beautiful white King Ranch and promise the tender loving care but always find something better to do with 40 hours of my time

Most of the time the broken studs have enough meat to get off or out once the manifold is removed. PB Blaster is as good as any other penetrating oil, I use a small 8 oz ball peen hammer I have and smack the stud sharp one time straight in to shock it a little before I clamp on a good "American Made"*** set of vice grips and counter clockwise back the broken stud out. I can feel if the torque is very high that she is not going to be nice so I stop and get out the miniature Butane Pencil soldering pen I have and concentrate heat on the aluminum surrounding the stud BUT NOT on the steel stud at all. One more solid smack with my trusty little Ball Peen (Flat side) and usually she will back out. Oh BTW I doubt any of the BP Blaster gets down the stud threads into the head hole... But it helps in removing the "not broken" stud's Nuts, so you can get the manifold out of the way.

If one breaks off flush they can be removed OK with small sized easy outs... this takes a careful touch. I use a cobalt drill in a variable speed Dremel Tool with the router guide attached. This method keeps your drilling straight into the stud and perfectly perpendicular to the head. Do NOT set for 30,000 RPM High speed, start slow and feed the drill a little then back off and shoot WD40 or any other lube on the bit to keep her cooled off as you go. BTW before I dd all this I use that trusty Ball Peen and a small diameter Punch to smack and shock the stud in the aluminum head.

The studs are steel alloy and with the head being Aluminum there is NOT rust as we know it.... but the corrosion that is there from Galvanic action, electrolysis, and normal oxidation all conspire to make the stud be just as stubborn as if it was rusty steel in iron head. The Smacking works to help break the inter thread bond, corrosion and stubborn torque lock action.

Caution!! These studs are very small diameter and IF you break one off deep in the head you have a lot of grief. Fortunatly...MOST of the time they snap flush with the out side of the fairly deep exhaust manifold flange.

*** Chinese el cheapo vice grips do NOT have very good steel in the jaws and they do not grip worth a tinkers damn!