Header bolt keeps spinning
Thread Starter
Instructor
Joined: Sep 2006
Posts: 157
Likes: 1
From: Tampa FL
Header bolt keeps spinning
i'm in the middle of changing my exhaust manifold gasket. one bolt closest to cyl 8 just keeps spinning and never backing out. theres barely any room for me and i'm turning it like a 16th of a turn at a time. how would it be possible to remove this darn thing? if the threads are bad would i have to pull the head off to retap it? thx
Melting Slicks
Joined: Feb 2005
Posts: 2,135
Likes: 0
From: Sebastian Florida
St. Jude Donor '06
threads are stripped, there is a slim hope that it is just the bolt threads. You can retap it with the head on, if it is one up front, but if it is 7 or 8, then you will have to remove the head.
Le Mans Master
Joined: Mar 2004
Posts: 8,700
Likes: 298
From: Ft. Lauderdale Fl
Melting Slicks
Joined: Feb 2005
Posts: 2,135
Likes: 0
From: Sebastian Florida
St. Jude Donor '06
Yes, bought a car w/headers and I got a leak. One of the bolts just spun, had to get it out with vise grips, pulling on it the whole time. It was a different bolt then all the rest and took it to the parts store and the guy told me this was a regular bolt and the threads had weakened from the heat (leak was right beside the bad bolt). Had to retap the hole and was good to go after that. This was also back in the day, when you had to be knowledgable to work in a part store, so I believed him.
Corvette Stories
The Best of Corvette for Corvette Enthusiasts
Corvette ZR1X Will Be Pacing the Indy 500, And Could Probably Race, Too!
Verdad Gallardo
Top 10 Corvettes Coming to Mecum Indy 2026!
Brett Foote
Top 10 C9 Corvette MUST-HAVES to Fix These C8 Generation Flaws!
Michael S. Palmer
10 Revolutionary 'Corvette Firsts' Most People Don't Know
Joe Kucinski
5 Reasons to Upgrade to an LS6-Powered Corvette; 5 Reasons to Stay LT2
Michael S. Palmer
2027 Corvette vs The World: Every C8 vs Its Closest Competitor
Joe Kucinski
10 Most Common Corvette Problems of the Last 20 Years!
Joe Kucinski
5 MOST and 5 LEAST Popular Corvette Model Years in History!
Joe Kucinski
2027 Corvette Buyer's Guide: Everything You Need to Know!
Joe Kucinski
Team Owner
Joined: Dec 2000
Posts: 90,675
Likes: 304
From: SE NY
Cruise-In II Veteran
how would it be possible to remove this darn thing?
It likely stripped because it's in an awkward location and someone simply cross threaded it.
Drifting
Joined: Aug 2004
Posts: 1,430
Likes: 2
Thread Starter
Instructor
Joined: Sep 2006
Posts: 157
Likes: 1
From: Tampa FL
i do see some aluminum threads that came out with it. so whats a heli coil and how do you tap it in? theres still barely any amount of room to work here with so i really might have to take it off. how hard is it to pull this one head of this motor? i know its easy on dsms but im pretty clueless to what im gonna have to start doing here.
-julia
Le Mans Master
Joined: Feb 2000
Posts: 9,715
Likes: 27
From: Kempner Texas
Keeo outward pressure on the bolt as you turn the wrench/socket.
Jake
Le Mans Master
Joined: Feb 2000
Posts: 9,715
Likes: 27
From: Kempner Texas
Keeo outward pressure on the bolt as you turn the wrench/socket. The only other way I've dealt with them (as a last resort) is to grind/saw off the head of the bolt.
Jake
