SteveJ_in_TX

<center><img src="http://pictureposter.audiworld.com/13566/exhaust_test_fit.jpg"></center><p>Got the exhaust studs in today, the old head had two studs that broke very easily and one very loose stud - never even heard any exhaust leak. The new exhaust manifold has been bead blasted and the mating surface checked for straightness, note the color difference between the bead blasted manifold and the original wastegate.

Continued cleaning the block exterior today, will hit it with the POR metal prep tomorrow (etches the metal like a primer) then the block painting begins.

icon73

looking real good, heads so clean ya can eat off it. why didn't ya bead blast the lower part of wg?

RussB

I r&amp;r'd the head on my car last winter.

I wasn't able to find a spec on torquing the exhaust manifold studs in the head. An engine rebuilder told me not to worry, since when I torqued the nuts on the studs, it would snug the studs in the head. That was bad advice, since a few months later I noticed that the lower exhaust manifold stud on number one cylinder had fallen out(!).

Recently a VW mechanic told me that on Rabbits (our engine is a 5 cylinder version of the Rabbit engine) the dealers learned to use some sort of high temperature threadlocking compound on the exhaust manifold studs -- or they'd rattle out -- especially the end ones. Then they'd double-nut the studs and torque them in the head until they bottomed in the tapped holes.

On teardown of my head last winter, I found that 5 of the 10 exhaust manifold studs had sheared, either completely or partially.

Your glassbeading looks nice.

Make certain that the exhaust manifold is indeed flat. I had mine milled, despite a head shop telling me that it didn't need it. Before I sent it out to be milled, it had a slight "rock" (a few thou?) on a flat plate; after milling the "rock" was gone. YMMV.

SteveAngry

Nice work Steve.

Steve
Michigan

SteveAngry

on the headside of the stud's thread.

So far so good. None have backed out yet(2+ years)

I have no idea what the Blues heat range is good for and YMMV.

Steve
Michigan

SteveJ_in_TX

The manifold was sent to the blaster before the head and WG came off. Plus I am lazy

SteveJ_in_TX

I used the blue threadlocker, says its good to 300+ deg

icon73

lol! just curious, still looks good! Good luck on the project!

RussB

Experienced mechanics told me that regular loctite on exhaust manifold studs would melt. My VW mechanic said that VW supplied a high-temperature thread locking compound to its dealers for this application. (He said that whatever the factory did worked, because the dealers never saw any Rabbits with missing studs from the factory -- only from independent mechanics.) He suggested JB Weld but another mechanic friend didn't like that idea, since JB Weld isn't designed to be a threadlocker.

If I had it to do again, I'd probably use Loctite 266:<ul><li><a href="http://tds.loctite.com/tds5/docs/266-EN.PDF">http://tds.loctite.com/tds5/docs/266-EN.PDF</a</li></ul>