Every head stud i have seen brake was due to some surface pittting that
extended into the core of the stud mostly at the base of the stud

Bob Donalds
Boston Engine
http://www.bostonengine.com

----- Original Message -----
From: "jbange" <hfinn@INGRATES.NET>
To: <vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM>
Sent: Wednesday, May 11, 2005 11:14 AM
Subject: Re: Broken stud, anyone has a good one?

> >Hi guys,
>>I just did it.  The longest kind broke.
>
> So, regarding broken head studs: why do they break? Corrosion is one way,
> from what I read, but what about the ones that break when they're still
> shiny, the ridges from the lathe still perfect? Is it a simple "weak part"
> issue, with years of heating and cooling leading inevitably to breakage
> because one of the sixteen studs just couldn't hack it? Or is it maybe the
> result of the initial official VW "over-torque fix" for leaky heads? Is it
> perhaps sometimes a result of overheating putting too much strain on them?
>