Skip to main content
Gerry | Vanagon
Checking account...
← vanagon.com home · Continue the discussion in the forum
Subject:Re: exaust removal woes
From:dylan friedman
Date:Fri, 13 Jul 2007 19:36:23 -0700

to do it the right way and have it work when you are finished, the head should come off and use a drill press and good bits to make a hole for an extractor.  I have had similar issues in the past. I don't mess with it in the van.  I pull them and do it so it will last and not make matters worse.

dylan

craig cowan <phishman068@GMAIL.COM> wrote: So today my day at work started as any would (except discovering the trash
truck put a sizeable dent in the nose of the vanagon......which will be
repaired free of charge), and the mecahnics at my work started working on my
vanagon. I popped in from time to time to check the progress. The goal was
to replace the manifold gasket at cylinder 1, so the manifold had to come
off as the studs were damaged. Of the 4 bolts that connected to the heads
and 2 that connected to the collection pipe (1.9L) The collection pipe bolts
came right off, and 3 of the head nuts. One was not so lucky. It snapped and
the mechanic welded a nut to the stud and started backing it out.....it was
working really well....till it broke the stud halfway inside the head.
So......out comes the tungsten carbide drill bits.......a very accurate and
perfectly executed drilling went horribly wrong when the bit broke off flush
with the head. "You cant drill out a drill bit" boss mechanic said.....so
over the course of the weekend the entire staff is trying to figure out how
to fix this without removing the head (or even if the head comes
off.....what do you do?)

Sudgestions so far include "Burn it out" though i dont know how, "Stronger
Drill Bits" which are on order but have low expectations, and "replace the
head".

Any ideas are greatly appreciated!!!!!!

-Craig
'85GL (which isnt having its best day)