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| Snapped Downpipe Bolts - Help!; Why did I bother...? | |
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| Tweet Topic Started: Sat Nov 24, 2007 4:02 pm (1,671 Views) | |
| philhoward | Sat Nov 24, 2007 4:02 pm Post #1 |
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Part of things
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Things are not going well today.. Started removing the old exhaust (totally shot thanks to the badly maintained roads and speed humps). Things started going badly when removing the downpipe..first one bolt sheared. Second bolt came out, but the bolt told me that the thread is totally goosed. Onto the second downpipe (twin downpipe - 190E 1.8); first bolt out fine and dandy. Last bolt of the day...SNAP! I now have one good thread out of 4. This is where things start getting worse (!) OK, sod it - have drills and taps, so off with the manifold. First nut - sheared clean off. Second nut - slackened. Third one, spanner job only. Nut already rounded (third one from the front on the top) - NO chance... So.. The car is now half in/half out the garage, on the ramps and immobile. Its raining. I feel like i've got whiplash by neck hurts so much. Fingers have no feeling any more and i'm basically frozen. WHAT THE HELL TO DO?!??!! It looks like MB cast nuts (complete with the hex) into the manifold? Or are they actually nuts which just ain't moving? |
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| RobertE | Sat Nov 24, 2007 4:19 pm Post #2 |
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Serial victim...
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Oh, this sounds like a bugger... Short term, sling a tarpaulin over it and retire for a well earned drink. Longer term, I think a little application of heat will be needed, but not too much. I had this happen with a Rover with a cast manifold (it, too, was around 20 years old) and as well-built as any Merc. The serious risk is that you crack the manifold by over-egging the blowlamp. Patience is the key, as I recall, because only a modest amount of heat will do it. If you have an easyout kit, you need to heat up the entire manifold. Q: will the car start? Q: if your exhaust is disconnected, will the neighbours mind? What I did was to start and run the engine up to warm, shut it off and while the manifold was hot, took it off (BIG gloves) and went at it. Once off, use the oven to re-heat... |
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| philhoward | Sat Nov 24, 2007 4:30 pm Post #3 |
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I deliberately went for a run to make sure the manifold was hot before setting to the downpipe bolts (as my burnt wrist will testify). Been there before! Best dig out the blowlamp and get ready to annoy the neighbours... The strange question at the end of my post was basically asking if they are nut/bolt or just clever looking tapped threads for the downpipe bolts... |
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| RobertE | Sat Nov 24, 2007 4:36 pm Post #4 |
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Serial victim...
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I have no knowledge about the manifold on yr car, but if it's like other Mercs I've owned I recall that the bolts (pins) are threaded into the manifold. Sorry not to be of more help. The Russian site should give you an exploded diagram... |
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| RobertE | Sat Nov 24, 2007 4:48 pm Post #5 |
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Serial victim...
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Can someone post the Russian site details for Phil's car's exhaust manifold? My pooter is on the blink. But they are double ended pins/bolts, as I thought... |
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| Lewis 190E 2.5 16 | Sat Nov 24, 2007 4:53 pm Post #6 |
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W201
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Downpipes for engine 201.018 ![]() Manifold for engine 201.018 ![]()
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| philhoward | Sat Nov 24, 2007 5:09 pm Post #7 |
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Just looked at the Rassian site and it does show "something" attached to the exhaust manifold which might be a nut? If so, just hope i can drift it out without smashing the manifold...Did just have a "feel" and there seem to be 3 flats of a nut, but maybe captive by a machined recess in the manifold? Which has the higher coefficient of expansion from heat? Steel or cast iron? Do I heat it, or freeze it? |
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| mb190e | Sat Nov 24, 2007 5:17 pm Post #8 |
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The retained nuts (8mm) on the manifold can be cut off and you can put new ones on from up top, you will need two people to refit the manifold though, one to hold the bolts up from underneath and one to fit the nuts. The broken studs can normally be removed by hitting the broken stud on end as hard as you can, this drives it towards the head breaking the corrosion and loosening the stud, then using a stud remover or some small stilsons you can unscrew the broken stud. Be careful you don't hit and damage the face of the head. When you go to fit new studs get them from the vauxhall dealership, ask for omega manifold studs and copper self retaining nuts, they are about £8 or £9 a set whereas mercedes charge nearly £20 just for the studs. Good luck! |
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| RobertE | Sat Nov 24, 2007 5:19 pm Post #9 |
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Serial victim...
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Cast Iron has a higher coefficient than steel. So heat it. |
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| philhoward | Sun Nov 25, 2007 9:17 pm Post #10 |
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Thanks for the support, chaps (as always) - both technical and moral! After a good nights kip, things are usually clearer. Out with the blowtorch for a bit of gentle warming of the manifold. Back under the car and with a suitable drift and extension out popped the "captive" nut, complete with the first snapped bolt. For snapped, read rusted to half thickness in the middle, so no wonder it snapped! Out with the other two duff ones, in with 3 new bolts (managed it solo..just) and a refurbished 4th and away with the rest of the job... Slight blow from the manifold to dowpipe joint (will nip them up once it's had a short run and settled), need a new centre o-ring (chipped a bit out of the old one when fitting it...) and still the second loop hanger on the back to do (how tight??!), but its on. Way hey - the 1.8 is now de-catted! Full 190E 2.0 new exhaust courtesy of ebay for £50... Now to sort out the firework display..post in the ignition section...BTW, does anyone else keep all their "black museum" bits for posterity - even though they're no good to man or beast?? or is it just me?
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Now to sort out the firework display..post in the ignition section...

9:28 AM Jul 11