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Broken exhaust manifold stud
- Thread starter mirchandise
- Start date
mirchandise
Passed Driver's Ed
Cool. If you've got nothing else constructive to add you don't need to reply anymore.
BudgetPhoenix
Autocross Champion
It's the top left stud which snaps off, its notoriously impossible to reach with any sort of right angle drill so its difficult to remove if its recessed and it breaks frequently. Its not just about removing the manifold and It's not just a simple fix. Just google the issue and you will see many other people who had the same issue. I believe one user here said he had to spend 10 hours with a mirror and welder to build up enough of a "hill" where he was able to weld on a lever to unscrew it. Another guy said he had to pay a specialist like $1000 to drive out and he laid on top of the engine and went to work on it with specialty tiny bits and remove it bit by bit for hours. Other people had to pull their engine or head to get it out and others have been turned down by shops who said they cant reach. Another use said its possible to undo the motor mounts, (pull rad fans and fans too?) and then rotate the engine forward to remove it.
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mirchandise
Passed Driver's Ed
Yep I think I’ve read all of these. Was posting to see if anyone recently had dealt with it and had any suggestions. I think I’ve got some leads via Facebook so we’ll see what happens.
BudgetPhoenix
Autocross Champion
This guy is a TSI wizard in the bay area he can do the tensioner in like 1.5 hours lol and even he's like fuck that shit.
@ 10 mins 30 s
@ 10 mins 30 s
MrFancypants
Autocross Champion
carwerks101 is legit. If he can’t do this easily and in ten minutes or less it’s almost certainly a massive pain to deal with.
MrFancypants
Autocross Champion
Reading up on what has to happen to pull the cylinder head..... $7000 total for this job still sounds steep. Removing the turbo looks like it’s about 70% of the labor. After that pull the intake manifold, lock the cams in place, compress and lock the chain tensioner so you can get the chain off the cam sprockets, then pull the head.
Maybe I’m missing something and there‘s more to it, but I don’t see how this is more than an extra $1000 in labor from an honest shop.
Maybe I’m missing something and there‘s more to it, but I don’t see how this is more than an extra $1000 in labor from an honest shop.
Tony48
Go Kart Champion
That one user would be me. The full story and photos are in this post of my build thread. Best of luck OP. I think the best route would be to try to find a mobile specialist who will get at it in-place with carbide bits.
Here's a picture of the bolt I was finally able to weld onto the recessed stud to remove it.
jay745
What Would Glenn Danzig Do
PB blaster is your friend. Go slow, usually you can feel if it's going to break. If you think it will, get the map torch out and heat it up. I think people breaking studs on the manifold and downpipe are just hulking it.Mannnnnn, I'm scared to start my K04 install now.
mirchandise
Passed Driver's Ed
Yea definitely use some sort of penetrant the night before. Or be unlucky like me and the others and have it break by itself.
Just to update, it looks like this may be covered under the California PZEV warranty, so fingers crossed.
Tony48
Go Kart Champion
Definitely use penetrating oil and a torch if you have access. But in my case the stud was broken before I even put a socket on it.
Great news OP. Makes sense since the PZEV warranty covers everything exhaust related.
mirchandise
Passed Driver's Ed
I just found out about it. I’m pretty sure all CBFA engines are covered by it.
https://www.golfmk6.com/forums/index.php?threads/items-covered-under-pzev-warranty.301512/