Can you drive with broken exhaust manifold bolts?

Leaking exhaust would have no effect on air fuel ratio. It could slow the car down but mass air flow is still mass air flow. Broken studs won’t hurt anything.

Do you need special bolts for exhaust manifold?

Are exhaust bolts special? Exhausts are not high stress areas so the bolts can be 8.8 or even softer. We used to use brass nuts on exhaust manifolds so the nut could be easily cut off in the unlikely event it seized. Grade 4.6, 4.8 or 5.8 should be all be fine.

Can you reuse exhaust manifold bolts?

You could reuse them, if you think they look good, but your chances of one breaking later have gone up now. I replace them every time, just heat the area around the studs, and melt a candle or crayon into the threads, let cool, they should come out easy, may need to heat again.

Why do LS exhaust manifold bolts break?

Each duty cycle will provide tension stress on the studs or bolts that hold the manifold in place. This expansion and stretching of the manifold bolts over numerous duty cycles eventually causes too much tension on the bolt(s), stretching them beyond capacity and causing them to fail.

Can you use regular bolts for exhaust flange?

Super Moderator. I agree, the bolts in place of studs and nuts would be okay. Be sure to observe the torque specs for the bolts, i.e. to be the same as the nuts on the studs. You dont want an exhaust manifold to be too tight – it interferes with the manifold expanding at a different rate than the head.

Can you use Grade 5 bolts on an exhaust manifold?

Just some guy. You don’t need seriously strong bolts just to fasten manifolds to the heads. Grade 5 is fine. I’ve never seen a regular manifold bolt that wasn’t rusty though, the corrosion resistance of stainless is definitely a plus.

Can an exhaust manifold warp?

The exhaust manifold often warps and cracks, breaking off the studs between the cylinder head and the exhaust manifold. The noise may be most noticeable when the engine is cold.

Are header bolts reusable?

The stock header bolts can be reused many times. As long as the threads look good and your not wanting to spend the coin on new ones go for it.