Hemi tick repair

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duaneprouty1

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Sorry for another one of these posts, but just want to run this by everyone.

I do have the exhaust manifold flavor of the tick. The dealer at first said it would be a roughly $2k job but luckily I got 7yrs warranty because of the truck being a certified pre-owned....just surprised that didn't show up in their system. So all is covered, just have to pay the $100 deductible.

Anyways, both sides have broken bolts and the dealer is telling me that they will have to remove the heads to extract the broken bolts. I've seen a few YouTubes where the heads stayed on. In a way I don't care since I'm not paying $2k, but out of curiosity, is the dealer trying to milk the warranty? Is it really necessary to pull the heads off?

The only thing I do care about is that everything is put back together correctly and nothing fails 1 day after my warranty expires that is linked to this repair because they didn't do it right.
Sorry for another one of these posts, but just want to run this by everyone.

I do have the exhaust manifold flavor of the tick. The dealer at first said it would be a roughly $2k job but luckily I got 7yrs warranty because of the truck being a certified pre-owned....just surprised that didn't show up in their system. So all is covered, just have to pay the $100 deductible.

Anyways, both sides have broken bolts and the dealer is telling me that they will have to remove the heads to extract the broken bolts. I've seen a few YouTubes where the heads stayed on. In a way I don't care since I'm not paying $2k, but out of curiosity, is the dealer trying to milk the warranty? Is it really necessary to pull the heads off?

The only thing I do care about is that everything is put back together correctly and nothing fails 1 day after my warranty expires that is linked to this repair because they didn't do it right.
Honestly it’s possible to do it without removing the head. As it’s aluminum, you can weld a nut to the broken stud and extract.
 

tntdiddy

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I experienced this with my exhaust manifolds last summer and it's possible the dealership has enough experience with this issue that they know at least 1 of the 18 exhaust manifold bolts is going to break off flush in a head (which happened to me). Once that happens it can be difficult to drill the hole for an extractor, and very difficult to get a wire-feed welder in there. That means that it's fastest to just remove the head. Once the head is off, they can tack a nut in place to the broken stud and remove it. Since it's a warranty claim, the warranty provider will probably pay for new manifolds to be installed too, which isn't necessarily a good thing. The new manifolds will begin to warp during the heat cycle and then you could be back in the same position later on. I'd request that they machine the original warped manifolds and reinstall them because they aren't going to warp again. Sure this dealership could be getting all they can from the warranty provider but it could be that they actually have a knowledgeable service manager and techs. They're giving a worst-case scenario because it's likely that's how it's going to end up for the tech that does the work. BTW: My truck wasn't under warranty and I did my own repair.
 

ORSPG

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I find it hard to believe they need to remove the heads to drill out the bolts unless they damaged it somehow. There's a company that makes a jig the bolts to some good bolts holes. It guides and centers the drill to help eliminate any screw ups. I'll see if I can get the name of the company. I guess one way you can look at it though is if they do remove the heads you'll be getting new head gaskets which is a plusView attachment 499559
Agreed about no nood to pull the heads. The reversing taps in a set such as above work amazingly well at pulling broken bolts but MAKE SURE you do a penetrating lube FIRST and don;t skimp on it. They'll come right out.
 

Hydrasport23

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Do these shop techs not have the basic hand tools? I have many broken bolts in many different applications. Left handed cobalt drill bits and a 90 degree air drill. Start with the center punch and then small drill. If the drill catches the bolt, it will spin it out. Doesn't matter if it's broke off 1/4" below the surface of the head. To me, it's not a good idea to break the seal on an engine if you not need too. New head gaskets and required new bolts and the potential to mess up other things if they can't even remove a broken bolt. Or perhaps they are charging the warranty company for removing the heads and not really doing that?
 

KDT1970

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I did my own bolt extraction when I owned a 2010 truck, bought a flux core inverter welder at harbor freight, first time welding and extracted 3 broken bolts, replaced the manifolds because they were warped pretty bad also.
 

Steve White

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I work at the dealer and i can tell you that there is no reason to take the heads off. I do several trucks a week with either broken bolts or manifolds. 2019 and newer trucks crack the manifolds and come off really easily. Have not seen them break any bolts. 2018 and older trucks have the bolt issue. The new bolts that are given to us from parts to fix the issue are stainless steel and are harder as they are also not magnetic. after replacing the bolts and gaskets and just cleaning the head with a scotch brite pad on die grinder and wire wheeling the manifold they will be fine for a long time. The reason the newer trucks are breaking the manifolds is they added a brace that runs the entire length of the manifold on top and bottom and it doesnt allow for expansion of the manifold. I very rarely ever weld the bolts. i use a 90 degree drill and and only go in a little more than a 1/4 inch into the broken bolt and use a good extracter like MAC tools SXE7RBRTOR. The bolts come right out and never have an issue with it. If you are going to do it yourself, take the inner fenders out!!! That is the best advice and will open everything up. I do tune ups on the trucks this way as it saves on the chest and being bent over really far reaching into the engine area. Hope this helps but you do NOT have to pull the heads to do the repair!
 

Hookedup87

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At a dealer? I would wager they wouldn't look at anything other than pulling the heads and slapping them back on. And obviously telling OP they need the fuel system flush and transmission flush and an air filter (without checking the current one). The usual.

And don’t forget a cabin air filter and brake fluid flush. They love those.
 
OP
OP
R

RamFP620

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Reading all these responses, I'm now tempted to call other dealers in the area to see what they do for this repair.
 

DILLIGAF

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Welding a nut is the only way I do it. No need to try reinventing the wheel on such a simple repair.

Don't ever use OEM garbage when replacing parts and you wont have issues after.
 

Steve White

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For anyone who want to know how bad they wrap here is a straight edge on a manifold I took off of a truck. It is warped 0.054” from the center ports to the rear most of the manifold. Believe it or not these will still seal up if bolted back on. That’s what we were doing here for a long time but now Dorman has a kit with the bolts gasket and shield available. Not badly priced but it’s better than what mopar wants for the manifolds. In case anyone was wanting to know the spec for warpage is 0.008” per foot.01BBDE6E-8898-4062-B2D6-D5190EB64DA6.jpeg8AB766D2-C3AE-4037-A23A-D76922EDA823.jpeg
 

EdGs

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That's godawful. No wonder the bolts break with .054" stretch after torqueing.
Yep, mine were every bit of that, and then some. Plus, they were also twisted somewhat.

I'm sure others here have had them warp even more than that.
 

HEMIMANN

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Grade 8 bolts would likely fatigue snap due to thermal warping too - might last a little longer, but that's all.
 

PoMansRam

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Sorry if I missed it, but I'd be curious to know why the dealer says they have the need to pull the cyl heads.

I'm not sure I'd trust them at all.

You don't have to be a welder to weld nuts on the studs if they break flush with the head. If you can squeeze a trigger and get a MIG welder tip in there, you can be a welder for that job.
 
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