frozen header bolts

[Guest]

Any ideals on how to remove frozen header bolts on a 83 gs 1100e

[MisterCinders]

Penetrating oil, heat, rinse, repeat.

[jmains]

Mister thanks been trying that for the past 3hrs

[Steve]

Sometimes it takes multiple applications of penetrating oil over the course of several days.

What are you using for penetrating oil?

.

[jmains]

Pb blaster

[Nessism]

How much heat did you use? Get the bolts red hot and let them cool. Try to turn the bolt both in and out. Back and forth. Once you get the bolt to crack loose just a little, hit them with more oil and more heat. A 1/4" ratchet handle will help remove the temptation of turning the screws too much and snapping them off.

[jmains]

Thanks ness ill try it 2moro. I had them red

[SVSooke]

I had 3 sets of header bolts to do when I got my 4 83-5 750's.I let mine soak in penetrating oil applied daily for a week.Then I hit them with a hand impact driver with a 12mm socket.Was told that was the wrong tool here,still trying to figure out why.

[1980GS1000E]

An impact driver will almost guarantee a busted bolt.

[SVSooke]

An impact driver will almost guarantee a busted bolt.

OK why?seems to me that the downward blow and twisting action will help loosen the bolt with out snapping it.Note I used this method after very liberal applications of penetrating oil,I'm sure trying to use an impact on a dry bolt would be an invitation to disaster.

[recycled64]

My story

Actually, a good outcome story-one of my 650g's, 35k miles, spent most of its' life on the coast of Maine, a few even on an island there. Plenty of opportunity for rust and corrosion, and, as you would expect, a rust-rotten exhaust. So-I faced the prospect of busted bolts with some trepidation, but they all came out ok. What I did was to, first, spray the PB behind the exhaust collar, as directly on the threads as possible, a few separate times.
When I used the propane torch, I didn't heat the bolts, but the head material where the bolts threaded in with a thin pencil flame, so as to expand the aluminum, not the bolts. I then used a 3/8 ratchet and socket and applied very steady, firm loosening torque on the bolts. Very steady. And tried to judge carefully whether the response from the bolt movement, when it came, was actual movement, or the feeling of a bolt starting to stretch too much, and then break. It worked, and they all loosened properly. However, a poser: I mentioned that there was considerable salt corrosion in evidence, and when I applied the torch, the aluminum sweated little water drops in the immediate area. The bike had been dry-stored for a couple of years, so no recent exposure to moisture. Anybody else see this happen on stuff you've worked on?

[MOC]

MAPP Gas + Oxygen = CO2 and H2O. i'm willing to bet it's just the water vapor from your torch condensing on the aluminum. same as when you're in a warm car and you breathe on the inside of the cold car window.

the aluminum sweated little water drops in the immediate area. The bike had been dry-stored for a couple of years, so no recent exposure to moisture. Anybody else see this happen on stuff you've worked on?

[recycled64]

Interesting

MAPP Gas + Oxygen = CO2 and H2O. i'm willing to bet it's just the water vapor from your torch condensing on the aluminum. same as when you're in a warm car and you breathe on the inside of the cold car window.

Hey, thanks, makes a lot of sense!

[1980GS1000E]

OK why?seems to me that the downward blow and twisting action will help loosen the bolt with out snapping it.Note I used this method after very liberal applications of penetrating oil,I'm sure trying to use an impact on a dry bolt would be an invitation to disaster.

In use, the impact driver can break a bolt with no warning. Applying force by hand gives the needed feedback.

[SVSooke]

Ahhh yes that does make sense.Worked the trick for me 24 times on bikes from a wrecker though.Happy I put SS studs in the 750.