trying to remove the intake manifold to pull the heads and cylinders, but the 1/4" allen head bolt that secures the intake manifold to the front head is stuck but good. I've been doing everything I can think of to keep from stripping it: I've used applied heat from a MAPP torch for 30 seconds (no-go), another 30 seconds (still no go) and then a full minute and still no go. I've tried using a hand-held impact driver (the kind you hit with a hammer) with no like. Of course I've used ball-end wrenches and standard ones, with no luck. I just applied some PJ3 to see if that helps, but the bolt head is just about stripped at this point so I'm hoping that someone might have some magic trick I can try before I strip this sucker and have to resort to grinding off the head.

Any ideas out there? Any magic?

 

 

 

You may be able to remove the head that both bolts came out on, while leaving the manifold still attached to the other head. Will take a little maneuvering but should come out, once exhaust is out of the way. Then you can pull the other head off and get it in a place you can work on it better. I believe you can mount the head on a long tapered punch, through a head bolt hole, that is tightly screwed in a vice. That way you can get at the bolt better.

 

Thanks for all the great tips.

I used the wrench indicated in the FSM: 1/4" ball-end allen head, and I turned it with as much force as I was comfortable with, but no luck. I was able to get a square-end allen in there property seated, and applied more pressure but it wasn't budging. Put the hammer-type impact driver on the ball end and wacked in pretty good a dozen times or so, but no help. Then applied heat: no help. couldn't find Freeze Off locally so pulled out the pneumatic impact driver and hit it with the ball end. IT Hammered and hammerred but amazingly it didn't break loose and finally just stripped.

Guntoter, thanks for the pointed about getting the bolts off one side and then removing the heads. That worked out, and I can deal with the frozen bolt later, on my bench.

 

 

I really needed to get those heads off today and resorted to the impact knowing it would likely fail, but everything else had already failed so it was a last-ditch effort. With the head off now it wont take but 5 minutes to grind off the bolt head at which point I should be able to back our the bolt shaft with vice grips.

PB Blaster is soaking in as we speak, so I may still be able to get it out.

 

A LITTLE bit of heat will hep the PB Blaster to wick down the threads.