Exhaust gasket nightmare!

My exhaust downpipe/maniold gasket is blowing. Tried to separate to replace gasket and found one of the studs has been sheared off some time in the past and another feels it's about to go . Decided best thing to do is remove manifold and down-pipe together and seperate the two off the car.

When trying to undo manifold/cylinder head nuts found two nuts at one end came loose easily with a 12mm socket. However, at the other 12mm is too big and 11mm wont fit on :dontknow: the nuts don't appear rounded off? Do I need a 11.5mm socket/spanner?

Thinking best approach may now be to remove inlet manifold to get better access at exhaust fixings. The bolts on the inlet manifold have a hex allen key type end. Can I buy sockets to undo these?

Any advice much appreciated

Cheers

Hi Markwon,

The first time I removed my exhaust manifold I took the inlet manifold off to get to the rusty nuts that didn?t seem rounded at the time but wouldn?t fit either 11 or 12 mm sockets, it made it much easier. I think i found a socket that fitted better in the end I cant remember exactly.

You can get hex socket bits to remove the inlet manifold bolts. Or you could use an allen key with an extension tube on the end for leverage if there's enough space.

Do you think there will be enough room to get the exhaust manifold and down pipe off while they are still together? Won't the anti roll bar get in the way?

Change the nuts to copper ones afterwards, that?s what VAG ones are like now…. you wont have as much aggro the next time. Unless your daring only renew the studs that might come out with the nuts when you undo the nuts.

Cheers Ross, interesting you had the same problem with the nuts being a non-standard size - whats that all about :dontknow: . Did try some imperial sized spanners and non of these were a good fit. Good point about the anti roll bar - need to have a proper look at it all. I was thinking that with the car up on axle stands or ramps I might be able to turn and manouvoure the pipe and manifiold out from under the car?

Main problem with nuts on downpipe/manifold section are they are seized on and hard to get to - been soaked in WD40. Should I risk shearing more off - at least I would get them apart easily that way :twisted: . I'm getting the manifold remachined by a friend of a friend who does that sort of thing for a living, so assume no reason he couldn't redo all studs if needs be?

I had the same problem with the manifold nuts, some of mine were just round blobs of rust. Put it down to their age and that they have been heated up almost red hot twice a day for the previous 20 years!

Eventually hammered on a too small socket, some came out with the studs attached. Fortunately this was with the engine on the floor. Not sure I would have attempted it with engine in car. Don?t remember any of them being Allen sockets?

I also had an exhaust manifold stud missing and after welding bolts on, getting it glowing orange and failing to remove it had to drill and retap to fix it. Then a palaver with a pattern down pipe and genuine heat shield meant I sheard off another one. This was on the car and I had to drill it out and retap. Not fun on a concrete garage floor.

This is why VW changed to the c-clips. Now everyone who has them complains. If only they knew?..

Success , it took the whole of yesterday, a lot of help/guidance from a friend and a can of WD40. Removed intake manifold which allowed me to get access to exhaust manifold from above. Eventually got all nuts off manifold to head and also managed to separate manifold from down-pipe meaning I could just lift the exhaust maniold away in the end.

A lot of non-standard size nuts - they seem to be between 11 and 12 mm, anyone got any ideas why? They don't fit any imperial size either. Going to refit with decent proper sized nuts so can undo in future with a rachet and without unbolting half of car :roll: .

Some of the studs came out with the nut, but most stayed in. I assume the struds are reusable or are they the use-once variety (all looked good condition)? If so any easy way of removing old studs?

Cheers

The old trick for removing studs is to put 2 nuts on the exposed thread. You then tighten them up together using 2 spanners. Use a spanner on the 'bottom' nut and it (should in theory !) bring the stud out. Might be a bit hit and miss on manifold bolts though.

Good luck with it !

Mark

Well done mate.   Its a job thats very satisfying, one of those that you just keep putting off as you know its gonna be nasty.

I'd just leave the old studs that are still in the head if they are in good condition and just replace those that came out if you want to. You could remove the rest but I'd just leave them as the penalty for snapping one or stripping the threads and still not being able to get them out would be mega     :evil:  :dontknow:  :cry:

Definately get new copper nuts though.

I removed all the studs from the top of the cylinder head where the rocker cover bolts down, the 2 nut trick didnt work and just stripped threads. I used a monkey wrench/stilson to get them out.

Ross

Cheers Ross, was very satisfying, although most credit should go to my mate and Mazda RX7 devoutee - Russ, trying to get him into Golfs . Girlfriend can't understand why I keep staring at the two dirty manifolds and grinning inanely - if only she knew how hard they where to remove. Will replace all the nuts with copper ones and the couple of studs that came out, but will leave the rest.

Did you have any problems getting brass nuts ? Have you a part number ?

No problem getting them from VW

Part number: N 900 850 01   ?0.28 + VAT

Manifold studs for cylinder head are…

partnumber: N 044 411 5   ?0.58 +VAT

GSF probably cheaper?

Cheers,

Ross

Got mine from Euro Car Parts (sorry no part number, just asked for MK1 exhaust manifold nuts!). Looked good quality and went on no probs .

Cheers

Thanks guys one less bit out of the way