| Author | Message | ||
     Skifastbadly |
My exhaust exhaust flange came off again and it appears that either the cause or effect of this is a partially sheared off front exhaust stud. I say this because I can't get the bolt back on, it's a wee bit too short, and the end seems rough, as if something broke off. Searching the internet I find that replacement studs are available, which leads me to believe this is common, or at least not really rare. So, how the heck do I replace a stud? Are they screwed in or press fit? Do I simply turn it counter clockwise and back it out? or do I have to drill it out and re-tap? All experience much appreciated. | ||
| 70_west |
It's been my experience that most exhaust studs are screwed in, turning them counter-clockwise will remove them... Uly could be different though as I have no first hand knowledge of them. | ||
| Mnrider |
If you have enough threads you can double nut the stud and turn it out. You may want to replace both studs and nuts. | ||
| Dio |
Broken studs are commonly caused by broken muffler mount straps, particularly the front one. This adds extra load to the studs and they break. They are threaded into the head. If there is enough stud left, you may be able to grip it with something and screw it out. If its broken flush with the head, it's drill time. There are some kits available from some suppliers that include a drill guide that fits into the exhaust port and has 2 small holes that align your drill bit on the center of the broken studs and allow you to drill out the broken stud without damaging the head, by keeping the bit properly aligned. | ||
| Paralegalpete |
Mine just went missing one day. The clamp was still intact. I replaced it with a stainless allenhead from a specialty fastner store.  | ||
| Skifastbadly |
pete: Do you remember the size of the fastener? | ||
| Paralegalpete |
Sorry I don't, its called a "front muffler mount fastner" in the service manual but I don't have a parts book. The stainless one I bought was a little longer than the stock one but still cleared the oil filter. I just measured it off the bike. I also got a stainless locknut for the other side. I fits into it's own little nut shaped hole. (Message edited by paralegalpete on February 08, 2010) | ||
| Bobbuell1961 |
Your not in for a good time, the studs don't like to come out, i'm not sure if it's because of dissimilar metal corrosion or a loctite HD uses. To get it to unscrew i would recommend lots of heat, it it's not leaking too bad run the engine up to temp and then hit it with a torch, you have a large heat sink so it's very hard to get any heat in the head with it assembled. I've drilled a few with a jig with good results and i have a friend that has access to a machine that will burn out the steel with no damage to the aluminum, don't know the name but it works wonders,HTH Bob | ||
| Dio |
Surely you don't mean a plasma cutter! | ||
| Skifastbadly |
Pete, Not clear on your photo. Is the hole with no fastener in it the missing bolt? | ||
| Paralegalpete |
Yes The hole with the missing fastner. The missing bolt, "front muffler mount fastner" fastens the "front muffler mount" to the bottom of the engine. There are also a couple of bushings and of course the "front muffler strap" The pic is from the right side of the bike. Not sure if we are talking the same thing here. | ||
| Skifastbadly |
Exactly the same thing. I'm missing the same bolt which would explain the bolt shearing. So what's interesting about this is I had a whole episode of failure with the headers this summer, which I documented in the "Court" section here. Looking at the busted stud, I figured that 1) maybe the shop would take some responsibility, as they worked on the bike in this area less than 3K ago, and 2) while I'm a shade tree mechanic, I have no experience in this area, and likely not the proper tools either, and the odds of my busting off the stud and making things worse were condsiderably higher than the odds of me actually fixing this. So I called the shop. They came out with a truck yesterday afternoon, took one look and said, "we can fix this, and naturally there will be no charge"...so if they can get this sorted quickly and if they have the proper hanger bolt or muffler fastener or whatever in stock, and if they actually don't charge me for any of this, I'm a happy camper. Stay tuned. (Message edited by skifastbadly on February 10, 2010) | ||
| Reepicheep |
Exactly what happened to me. I am fairly methodical about always using lok tite and a torque wrench, especially on any job involving a Buell exhaust related component. I was the last to touch that bolt, and low and behold it was gone. Shortly thereafter, it was followed by the inevitable sheared stud. If you have the Jim's tool, which the dealer no doubt does, it's a straightforward repair. | ||
| Skifastbadly |
Hopefully they won't need Jim's tool, as the stud didn't shear off flush but instead only a half inch or so on the end. There's plenty for them to grab hold of. | ||
| Skifastbadly |
So the dealer not only fixed this for free, he also came and picked up the bike. How's that for service? Hats off to Eastside HD in Bellevue, WA. Turns out that the stud did need to be drilled out, apparently it was broken in two places, one external and another 'in the hole'. I'm very glad I didn't attempt this one myself, I surely would have botched it. | ||
| Mnrider |
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