broken exhaust studs

[BRussell316]

so i thought id play it safe and buy a jims jig, but today i started to tear down to drop the exhaust to be able to get the jig in the head. i coated the studs in wd40 and let it sit for awhile then stated to take the nut off the good stud... and snap! now i have 2 broken studs in the front head. I'm really scared to even touch the rear head, which by the way are rusted to hell. the front head has one stud broken off inside the head and the other is broken off with alittle of the stud sticking out of the head. any suggestions??

 

[BRussell316]

heres some pictures of it

 

[dipper]

Hi just done the same thing! there is only one way to do this and that is to take the whole exhaust off, drill out and retap the threads, fit new studs. They are made of quite hard stuff so you need good quality high speed drills! Start by centre punching the broken studs to start the drilling central, small drill as a guide and gradually use a larger drills until you get to the desired size, then retap the holes and fit the new studs.The rear ones on mine although rusty came off ok just take it a little at a time working them backwards and forwards, the fronts get all the weather so seem to be a lot worse!

 

[Internet Annoyance]

I agree the exhaust has to come off,,,,no room to work, its not so easy to center punch a broke bolt or stud like that,, or drill square even with the tool. So,, get a good quality small ball file,, a carbide cutting tool, you can use a dremel or HF knock off if you like, carefully center the ball file, use a small one 1/8" size works well, then center it and grind a divot into the center of the bolt/stud. you should end up with a half moon shaped divot in the middle, if you get off a little,, work it back towards center, then you have a nice bowl shaped area to start the drill and get it centered.
Otherwise it just walks off center everytime, digs into the head or parent material, you end up with crooked or off center holes.
carbide cutting tools arent too expensive especially for a small ball or egg shaped ones, use caution, and wear eye protection, take your time, its not that hard, but if you rush it, or screw up, its going to get very expensive and time consuming to repair.

 

[Tony216]

Just curious, my XB has backed out stud since the day I bought it. This weekend, it broke one off instead. I think thinking about ordering titanium bolts from Yoyodyne and threading them into the head. Anyone ever try doing this? Seems like exhaust studs breaking is a fairly common issue.