OK Here's the deal. I'm taking off my factory turbos to put on my new Apex single kit. I have removed all the intake piping and am all ready to take the turbo setup off. (believe there are like 7 studs holding the turbo manifold to the block manifold) I remove two of the studs with the nuts attached and on the third, as with the others, I'm giving it all I got when the nut strips. I decide to come back to this one later and try another. That one comes out so I move on to the tough to reach one just under the primary turbo. That one strips. By now I'm screaming up profanities and I notice, My socket has a hair line crack down the side. DAMN IT. All this because of a cracked socket.
So what do I do? I have two nuts striped. One at the bottom left closest to the passanger motor mount, and the other near the primary turbo(has a chanel in the manifold to get to it). I spent $30.00 on this sh*t set of Craftsman "striped nut and bolt" socket set with the refersed teeth inside that's suppose to get anything striped out and all it did was round off the nuts even more. (Total waste of $$) My Gator Grip won't grab the one by the mount at all because it is so striped. Vice Grips won't work either. THESE ARE REALLY TIGHT! All I can think of for the lower one is a nut splitter to carve an new groove in it to maybe give me some new grip.

otherwise I'm thinking I might have to pull the motor. I don't see anyway to detach the two manifolds together off the engine because of the lower intake being in the way. Any Ideas?
Thanks
Dominick

 

Couple of ideas... First saturate the nuts/bolts with PB Blaster... it is good stuff. It will help... Also, you can sometimes go back and use a good 6 point socket to loosen a bad nut or bolt. One that works off the flats rather than the corners of the nut...I think pulling the motor is worst case...but it will only cost you a saturday...

 

I'm working with using a spray now so we'll see how that works. Thanks as far as using a socket, those craftsman sockets with the reverse teeth for removing striped nuts and bolts shaved everything! I'm not sure if heat will help in this situation being that they are so use to heat but I guess it can't help.

 

Question... when you are adding the turbo... (Apexi-Rx6?)

Will you just be adding it to the stock motor, with a stock IC, and stock fuel system, stock ECU?

The creek may expand into an ocean if that is the case, perhaps your car is trying to tell you something!

I just pulled off my stockers last night, and luckily only snapped one bolt. Can you use some deep creep on the remaining ones?

Would it be possible to drill a whole in the stripped bolts, and try to mount a new screw in the bolt, and then take it out?

Good luck with your project!

-Ben

 

I have my motor completly ready in every way for this turbo. Not to sure about drilling a hole in the nut though. it's pretty small.

Thanks!!!
Dominick

 

Can you get to the stripped nuts well enough to use a Dremel and cutoff wheel?

 

My suggestion:

Use a dremel and shave the nut back into shape that a socket or vice grips can get. If you are going to use a socket or your Bolt-Outs, pick one a little smaller than the nut and hammer it on. Next, take a torch and heat up the bolt/stud before you try to back it out again.


You might also see if you can remove the oil return lines and then just unbolt the manifold from the engine to take the whole assembly off (I can't remember if one or the other line is in the way of the manifold bolts or not).


Good luck.

 

A pair of junk vice-grips and a tack weld.

 

torch and vice grips should be able to get it...haven't met a stud vice grips could retract. Get a tighter grib if its slipping.

 

Maybe these might help.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00...lance&n=228013

 

****You might also see if you can remove the oil return lines and then just unbolt the manifold from the engine to take the whole assembly off (I can't remember if one or the other line is in the way of the manifold bolts or not).****


I like this Idea the best because I would just love to undo the 4 nuts mounting everything to the engine. I see that the lower intake needs to come off to reach the top ones though. Possible?

I have seen a lot of great Ideas though fellas. You all have slowed my fears of pulling the motor.

Dom

 

just bought the craftsman bolt extractor kit and it elivated my problems to the next level. just rounded the edges even more.

D

 

I'll have to take a look when I get home to see what kind of access you have for getting to the upper bolts on the manifold. The problem is, I don't know if you'll have access to all the LIM bolts with the turbos in place.

 

ya that's what I'm thinking. I hope I can though

 

Get a Dremel and a pack of the reinforced cut-off wheels. Cut a slit on the side of one of the nuts so the nut is basically split in half - this will greatly weaken the nut. Then, try the bolt extractor on it then. Put the bolt extractor on the fastener, hammer it in so it's biting good, then go for it.

Next time, PB Blaster. EVERYONE should have it in their garage - don't waste your time with the substitutes.

Worst case, removing the manifold. May be tricky to physically get the manifold and turbos as one unit out of the car.

Also, with enough grinding/cutting tools, you should be able to destroy the damaged fasteners enough to get the turbos off. It will take some time, but it's doable. Dremel is your friend, just wear safety goggles .

Dale

 

^ Gotta agree with Dale (and the others) on using the PB Blaster. There simply is no substitute. Liquid Wrench comes close, but is still a very distant second. The PB Blaster simply IS 'The ****' when it comes to bolts, ESPECIALLY any exhaust-type bolt.
Bolts/nuts/studs that won't even THINK about coming loose with even impact wrenches will just damned near unscrew themselves after using PB Blaster.

 

Weld the ******* socket to the nut and twist that mother ****** off. Shoot the wire through the back of the socket and that should do you. Then take it back to sears and get a new one since it's life time replacemehts. Done it more than once. If you did not soak the exhaust nuts with PBlaster first it serves you right. Next time you will know better. Good luck

 

If some of you haven't seen a "new" bolt from Mazda, they aren't exactly round all the way through (more oval at the top). They are that way by design so they lock onto the stud when they are first used (basically like a one time use crush washer). Depending on how long the bolt has been on there and how many heat cycles, PB Blaster will do absolutely NOTHING on those bolts.

 

^learn something new everyday. hehe^

 

Weld a piece of scrap metal to the stud and there you go.

 

I'm going to have to agree with Dale too. Just use a dremel and cut a slit in the nut all the way down to the stud, then you can stick in a beefy screwdriver in the slit and twist. The nut will split in half and come right off. I had to do this last weekend when my downpipe nut rounded off and it worked great.

 

and make sure to use ceramic anti seize when you put it all back together

 

Do you have enough room around the stud/nut to get a nut splitter (tool used for breaking the nut without damaging the stud) on it. If you can pick one up and just don't tighten it up too far.

 

i had something similar to me happen. I was taking off the last bolt for the exhasut manifold and the bolt broke!!!. I have a broken stud in the side of my rotor housing....but im getting that professionally taken out...Try using a dremel and make a hex shape, find a socket barely smaller heat it up nad pound it on with a hammer....Ive done that method on other cars but not mine yet *knock on wood*



Have fun!!!

 

X2 what Dale said about safety glasses. You don't want to be unprotected when one of those cutoff wheels flies apart.