it is one or the other

vladasap · Nov 9, 2008

either you get stuck not knowing what to do or when you do know, something has to break...hence my story

well i was all so giddy putting the ported performer rpm on and i drop the lower, gaskets match..oh life's just perfect n so on...when i start torquing down the lower manifold bolts...im going ahead with the 3 step torquing sequence and im just on the 3rd sequence, turn it up to 24 lbs/ft and i hit the 5th bolt from the front on the passenger side when instead of the tq wrench clicking, the FU**ING bolt breaks in the head!!!

well, i ended up finishing everything else n it seems like all is well.....what do i do now?? leave it n pray to mustang gods that it seals with no leaks or what?! (i already drove 50 miles since n it seems fine...

PLEASE GUIDE ME HERE!!!

mo_dingo · Nov 9, 2008

Put some alumaseal in the radiator and just drive it!

You might want to do a coolant pressure test as well. But if it holds the pressure, I would just leave it.

The lower intake is not under intense compression like the heads are. But like many people, you will probably never have a problem. Many motors have a bolt or 2 missing and drive just fine, even one head bolt.
Scott

final5-0 · Nov 9, 2008

It all boils down to ..............

You decide if you want to get that bolt out
or
Hope it will seal as things are now with that one broken bolt

I'll share some thoughts

1) You don't need that much torque to seal the lower
2) The gaskets will compress as heat cycles pass
3) Some of the lower bolts pass through water jackets
4) If using Aluminum heads ... Steel bolts can freeze up over time
5) If bolt integrity is in ANY doubt ... replace it

1) 18 lbs would do the trick just fine helping to put less stress on the bolt

2) You should recheck the tightness of each bolt after a couple of heat cycles

No ... ifs ... buts ... or exceptions ... about that statement
cause
You will ... absolutely ... positively ... find several loose

Not doing this will most likely allow a leak of air or coolant or both

3) The water can cause rusting, corrosion, etc, of the bolt and its threads
thus
Weakening the strength of the bolt

Thread sealer ... NOT ... Loctite ... can help with this issue

4) Steel bolts in Aluminum threads (dissimilar metal contact) will cause
a white power like build up that can cause the bolts to be near impossible
to remove and most likely snap when trying to remove.

The simple solution is to use anti-seize during installation

5) What more can be said It kinda speaks for itself

One last thing

All of the above can be said about
Water Pumps
and
Timing Chain Cover

Grady

vladasap · Nov 10, 2008

this is sort of a relief to hear

i figured that the lower isnt under all that much hence only 22-25 lbs/ft when torquing

so vote goes to leave it with the cracked bolt since chances r i wont run into issues with that bolt missing?

.....grady, as far as taking it out...i really dont have the time or money to pull the heads off anytime soon so unless this thing really turns out to be a **** show imma have to leave it

anyone else??
experience with such?

vladasap · Nov 10, 2008

this is sort of a relief to hear

i figured the gasket might actually hold considering that the lower isnt under all that much hence only 22-25 lbs/ft when torquing

so vote goes to leave it with the cracked bolt since chances r i wont run into issues with that bolt missing?

.....grady, as far as taking it out...i really dont have the time or money to pull the heads off anytime soon so unless this thing really turns out to be a **** show imma have to leave it

anyone else??
experience with a broken lower intake bolt or bolts???

final5-0 · Nov 10, 2008

vladasap said:
.....grady, as far as taking it out...i really dont have the time or money to pull the heads off anytime soon so unless this thing really turns out to be a **** show imma have to leave it

anyone else??
experience with such?

Believe Me! ... I understand
and
In the past ... I have run around town with one missing

As for the snapped off bolt

You might not have to pull the heads to get that bolt out

Just depends on

where the bolt broke
how clean the threads were
if you used some kind of lubricant on the threads
etc

I assure you

Those little tips and tricks

I learned each and every one of em ... The HARD way

BTW ... Can't stress it enough ......
especially since you are down one bolt :Word:

Since you've already driven it around a bit .....
Check those bolts one more time

Grady

BlackVert · Nov 10, 2008

um, if it is an intake bolt, then why would you have to remove the head?

revhead347 · Nov 10, 2008

24lbs is way too much torque for the lower manifold. That much torque can actually cause the intake to wedge into the heads, causing the upper part of the heads to lift, resulting in blown head gaskets. I always use a 1/4" ratchet and wrist calibrate those bolts tight. It doesn't take much torque to get those gaskets to seal. I would leave the bolt in for now, and see if it seals. I would make plans to change that bolt in the near future. It's going to be a lot easier to change now then way down the road. And whatever you do, do not put alumaseal or any other sealing agent in the radiator. That **** gums up your cooling system and hurts the water pump.

Kurt

vladasap · Nov 10, 2008

yea im not putting anything in my radiator...i put water wetter in once and nothing but coolant goes into my radiator...that thing turned my coolant BLACK and no matter how much i tried to flush nothing....i only solved the problem after i changed the heads, radiator, hoses nn water pump...so deff nothingin the radiaiator

well...i think im gonna leave it in as is and pray for the best....ill recheck the bolts in a few days (figure 150-200 miles after the install)

its been about a 100 n everythings OK so.... i hope it'll all turn out good

***i though the head would have to come out since the part of the bolt that broke is threaded into the head so i didnt know how i can possibly get it out unless i have the head out....

95BlueStallion · Nov 10, 2008

Just remove the lower intake and hopefully there is enough bolt sticking out of the head to get a hold of without removing the head. Like the others said, I vote for leaving it unless you run into a problem.

vladasap · Nov 10, 2008

im convinced....its staying in

revhead347 · Nov 11, 2008

Remove the intake, big ass pair of vice grips. If that doesn't work, you can use a dremel to cut the bolt flat on two sides, and use like a 1/4" wrench to turn it out. All the tension is on the head of the bolt, as long as there is enough sticking up, you should be able to get it out.

Kurt

Black95GTS · Nov 11, 2008

That would drive me crazy knowing that existed like that. I'd have to remove it. I've done the dremel thing myself, or just drilled it out. I vote remove the MFer, but I am OCD with things like this.

Adam

94-302-vert · Nov 11, 2008

I would leave it alone until it dies... if you pull the intake to change the bolt you need new gaskets anyways... what is the harm in trying to get away with it...

Now you could maybe get it out with a left handed drill bit if you removed the upper but I wouldn't worry about it...

it is one or the other

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Apparently my ex-husband made that mistake.

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My assy trans to myself

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Apparently my ex-husband made that mistake.

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