I am one of a few people I know who can turn a simple project into an utter epic. I'm in the process of doing so with the removal and replacement of the cracked manifold. So far I have managed to remove ALL bolts that hold this thing in there -- all six bolts from the manifold, the two going to the EGR, and the three underneath connecting the manifold to the down pipe. This may be a stupid question, but it now seems a bit obvious -- do I HAVE to remove the studs going into the engine block in order to get this damn thing out? I figured I'd have enough leeway once everything was unbolted to wiggle it out but it's not budging at all. I'd love to get some input from those of you who have done this project -- any tips to progress beyond this point? I'm going to head to the garage and start drinking...

 

An hour round trip to Harbor Freight to pick up a set of Torx sockets has answered this question for me. FYI, you'll need an E10 to loosen the studs from the block and the studs that go into the manifold at the down pipe. You then need an E8 to loosen the studs that go into the manifold at the EGR pipe.

Everything is now out. NO idea how I'm going to get the studs threaded back into the new mini-header at the down pipe. That's going to be a lot of fun.

 

You might find these links useful.

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