stud removal

[mark t4]

hi

how hard is it to remove one of the engine block studs that holds the head down?

thanks

mark

[philthehill]

Has the stud broken off in the block?
If it has not put two cylinder head nuts on the stud and lock them up tight against each other. When tight unscrew (with the spanner on the bottom nut) and hopefully the stud will come out.
Even better if the stud is soaked in release oil - not WD 40 type fluid - for a while before attempting to unscrew.
If broken off - take a picture and post on here for further advice.
Best of luck.
Phil

[mark t4]

thanks for the reply phil

the stud has snapped at the top level with the rocker shaft assembly so there is plenty of length but not enough thread to do the 2 nut thing

how tight are the studs in the block normally?

oh the head is still on the engine and i cant get to fiddle for another week so just wondered what to expect when i do

mark

[Declan_Burns]

Mark,
I use one of these for stud removal and insertion.
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/4pc-Pro-Stud- ... Sw9N1VpBqF

Regards
Declan

[mogbob]

Mark
That's good news. You'll need to remove the rocker assembly to gain access but it's not a major job. Workshop manual refers.
Either purchase a Sealey VS7232 Stud removal tool ( a certain website is selling them for £5.97 ) or beg / borrow something similar . You'll need a new stud of course !
Follow Phil's words of wisdom and soak the stud with penetrating fluid before hand.
Bob

[philthehill]

Do you have a pair of Mole Grips?
After removing the rocker gear and soaking the stud - give the stud a couple of wacks on the top (but not too hard) to loosen the grip between block and stud. Attach the Mole Grips as tight as you can and hopefully the stud will loosen enough to be removed.
If not - this is a similar type to the Sykes Pickavant I use for stud removal.
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Sealey-Stud-E ... 1089563101
Unless you are removing studs on a regular basis there is no point in spending lots of money on a stud remover.
Phil

[bmcecosse]

If there is enough stud showing when the rockers are removed - stillson wrench may get a better grip than mole grips. Of course - removing the rockers is risky for the head gasket - make sure the engine is stone cold and retorque all the nuts when you refit. How did the stud snap? Were you tightening up after a head gasket change ? It's very unusual for them to snap if using the correct torque - 44 ftlbf max.

[philthehill]

To alleviate any major head gasket problem you can remove the broken head stud this way.
Drain the coolant.
Slacken off completely all rocker adjusters and disengage push rods from the rockers.
Remove the two split pins at either end of the shaft
Remove the rocker shaft locating screw.
Draw out (forward) the rocker shaft carefully noting the position of each rocker/spring and spacer.
Remove the 5/16" nut and stud (using the two nut method) holding (& which has no effect/impact on the head gasket) the rocker shaft pillar holding the broken stud.
Lift off the rocker shaft pillar which will expose the broken stud which can be extracted using your preferred method.
Replace broken stud and re-assemble in the reverse order.
Torque the studs and re-torque after the first heat cycle.
Having just the one stud broken will have little effect on the cylinder head gasket especially if the engine has not been run.
Phil

[mark t4]

Thanks again everyone

its all sorted now

i took the head back off and the stud came out quite easily with some mole grips

it was odd that it snapped though as was not up to the 44ft/lbs on that stud before just went ping! & i had that sick feeling

mark

[mogbob]

Well done Mark
Bob

[bmcecosse]

Well - if one was ready to go as easily as that - I would be suspicious of the others... May have been seriously overtightened in the past.

[philthehill]

Well done.
Fitting a set of 'A' Plus cylinder head studs is a good idea.
Much better material and can be done up to 50 lbf ft.
The studs can be identified by either a dimple in the top, a stamped 'P' on the top or a tapered top.

When fitting new studs it is best to slightly counter sink the stud holes in the block. See diagram below.[frame][/frame]

Phil

[bmcecosse]

The 50 ftlbf is only if used with the flanged nuts on these better studs. Studs sometimes also marked with a 'Y' on top.