Exhaust studs broke off in cylinder head

Another tip would be to drill with a left handed drill bit. If the stud broke on its own due to fatigue, the threads may not be seized, and it may back out on its own as you're drilling.

I've also seen a welder just stick a rod into the hole and build up the stud until it protruded enough to grab on to with locking pliers and back it out. The slag from the flux on the rod kept the threads safe, and backing the stud out cleared the slag out of the threads.

 

Best feeling in the world when those bolts come out

 

Drilling a whole all the way through is key. When you weld to it it sucks it in releiving pressure.

 

A few things that have worked for me are:

-If a bolt is broken off a ways below the surface, I've stuck a short pipe nipple down into the hole and welded it through the center, then spun it out with a pipe wrench or vice grips.
-Good old fashioned easy out.
-If it's seized in there solid (this method takes a lot of patience and skill). Drill a small hole through the center (dead center and straight). Then progressively re-drill with larger bits until there is only the threads of the bolt left stuck in the threads of the hole. In most cases you can pick out the thread pieces with a sharp pick or simply just run a tap through the hole.

 

Thanks for the info and pictures

 

nice!

 

Can't argue with success.

Obviously, their are few different ways to defeat the broken stud, but when anyway works it feels good.