tryan037

So my 4.6 with 185k is ticking like a time bomb from the driver side exhaust manifold. I would love to fix it but am a little apprehensive to do so. I have had a problem with the studs breaking on a 460 I did about 6 months ago. and in comparison the stauds look about half the thickness of the ones on the 460.
Im wondering if there are any tricks to getting them out with out breaking them and if broken, tricks on getting them out without pulling the head.

ideas?

Thanks

TheJMC

Lots of penetrating oil, not WD40. Spray it the night before and in the morning before you start. Removing the fender liner in the wheel well will expose the nuts. Loosen and then tighten and loosen. Keep it up till the nut is off. They should be 13mm but with heavy rust they may shrink. Do not use a 12 point on them. That will just strip the head of the nut if they are tight. Good luck.....


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tryan037

i have heard it is good to let the engine warm up some before starting to take the studs off. not like completely but enough where it is hot but can still be touched. Any body know if there is any truth to that, or better cold?

TrickyRick

I am getting ready to do mine and I was told to grind off the nuts and remove the manifold then use penetrating oil and vice grips to remove the studs easily. I haven't tried this yet but seems the easiest way...

TheJMC

Take as many off the easy way first. That is to use a wrench or socket.

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twilson16

Grinding the heads and using Vice Grips is a NO NO. I just replaced mine a month ago. Take off many as you can. There will be one in the back that you will have to get from underneath that you probably wont be able to get a socket all the way on and it will strip. NO worries. go ahead and cut the head of the stud and pull off manifold. Throw the vice -grips in a ditch. You will need heat(torch) and a baby baby pipe wrench. Harder to turn tighter it gets!!! It will be a slow process, two hours just work it back and forth.

TheJMC

Make sure that you use stainless steel fasteners for the new headers/manifold.

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udderbrudder

I have done this job many times on 4.6l and 5.4l
If you have access to torches and a mig welder you can save yourself a lot of grief. I remove any nuts that I can with a socket-usually not many. I weld a nut to any exposed studs and remove them.Once the manifold is off, I weld nuts onto any studs remaining and and remove them. When I re-install the manifold I use all new studs,nuts and gaskets. i also apply anti-seize to new studs after threading them into the head. Sometimes with stubborn studs I GENTLY heat the cylinder head aound the stud to loosen it up. This is what works for me. Without access to at least a torch I wouldn't even consider it.