I finally got the backplate for my s5 Turbo and discover one of the studs for the downpipe is bent so it won't slide on. What's the best way to fix this problem?

Bend it back somehow? Remove it and replace it?

How should I go about doing it?

My first thought was to bend it back by using a torch to heat it up first, but a friend told me that could weaken it and cause it to break later on.

The other idea was to take it off with two bolts back to back , heat up the housing with torch to help it come out, but I'm not sure if that will work.

Then the other was to get a bolt welded to the end of the stud and then take it off with a socket wrench.

What size are the nuts that go on the studs for the downpipe , I could only find one for some reason in my bolts. Nothing else would thread on properly.

The lther

 

I've had that happen. Damn turbine slipped out of my hand and landed of all places, the stud.
I bent it back slowly after heating it up and held up.
I thought, if it breaks, it breaks.
Or you can have it removed and put another in.
It's a14 mm nut.
I would get new s/s nuts and locking washers.

That's your 2 options. If you can bent it back, it should be ok since not a lot of weight will be resting on it.

 

I have to get another one, none of the nuts I have go on other than one , the rest go on one and no more unless forced and will screw up the threads.

I'm gonna see if I can have a shop take it off but if they charge like 25 bucks ill feel ripped off since its so easy.

 

Just fixed this on my car yesterday. I got a new stud from mazdatrix for like 8 bucks I think.

 

That stud is an M10x1.5 thread, which is different from just about anywhere else on the car... most everything else that is M10 is 1.25 thread pitch.

Jam two nuts on the stud back to back and use the inner nut to wind off the bent stud. Get a new one from the dealer and get new nuts while you're at it. M10x1.5 is hard to find in a 14mm hex - standard hex is 17mm.

 

It's not always easy...due to the age and heat cycling, and the material the studs are made from, it can be VERY hard to get them out of the turbine housing, and sometimes they would rather break than back out of the hole. In some situations $25 would be charity work. Rotary exhaust fasteners are not as easy as say, a bolt in a water pump or an intake manifold.

 

Old factory fasteners that have never been loosened anywhere on the car, but especially the exhaust, ******* suck to remove.

Any fastener I have ever removed on my exhaust has been replaced with stronger, stainless equivalents. Never had an issue with the proper replacements.

Just a tip, unrelated but since we are talking fasteners, never ever EVER us stainless bolts or studs if they are going into aluminum. Use zinc coated fasteners only.

 

I was going to see if a machine shop or exhaust shop could get it out. How much you think they'll charge. It really depends on how long.it.takes them to take out

 

exhaust shops are a rip-off. Take it to an actual shop to get it done, you'll get a better deal.

I'd probably charge you and hours worth of labor (at my shop, it's $80)

 

It's gonna cost 80 to get that stud out? Is there an easier cheaper option?

By the time all is said and done I could have gotten my old s4 Turbo rebuilt instead of spending all the money on this one.

I got a propane torch but I don't think that will heat it up enough to bend it, its literally only 1 mm or two off.

I'll take a pic to show

 

Its off by barely sh*t.

Take a look at how close the cover is to sliding on, if I could bend it ever so slightly it would go right on.


In the picture of just the studs sticking up its the stud on the left.

In the picture of me showing the studs lining up to the cover its the stud on the bottom left.

 

Vise and Mallet. Three whacks.

 

I'd assume a rubber mallet, unfortunately I don't have the mallet or a vice.

Pays to have friends with tools you don't have(unfortunately I don't know anyone that does) , ill see what I can do to get it dkne, this needs to be done soon , as it will delay me from dropping my engine in.

 

You know what...when you said bent ...I thought it was bent as BENT..dropped.
That's VERY minor. Years ago I had mine bent more than that and slowly tapped it straight.
Never had a problem. Like I said before, there is no heavy weight puttoing strain on it like a turbo. As you can see, there is room for play and on the downpipe as well.
Get some s/s nuts and locking washers and good to go.

Oh before you start tapping on it and accidentalky damage the threads ( you'r e never going to get another nut on if you messed up the end), screw in a new nut all the way in , THEN start tapping slowly. Reason for this is most times thread will get damaged. When done and you unscrew the nut it'll clean out the threads.

 

Yeah already messed it up a tiny bit whacking it but nothing major, I have to fix it now without messing it up any further.

 

Ack....well...if you need to remove it, you have very few options. Pay a shop or...put on your thinking cap.

You can try...using loctite 271 (red) on the thread and screw on a nut. After 24 hours curing, it won't come off and then you could unscrew it with an impact. Borrow if you have to from auto shop (usually free).
Or weld on a nut and impact it off.

Or...see if you can rent a stud remover tool from parts store. Very easy to use. http://www.northerntool.com/shop/too...FSKCQgodVgQAlQ
Use some penetratig oil first.
I just remembered I have this in my tool bag.

I've no idea how hard it would be but I imagine on extremely heated 20+yrs cast iron , it'll be really stuck on there.

 

Its not messed up to the point where it can't be used, guess I shouldve pointed that out.

I havent checked by threading a nut on but I'm 99% sure its fine.

I've seen messed up threads before from cross threading etc, it doesnt take a brain surgeon to.figure this one out. Lol

 

I would use a dead blow or a rubber mallet and beat the studs till they line up.
I was thinking of a really bad bent stud as well.

 

A picture is worth a thousand words.

I'll see how much they go for and pick one up asap, ill return the torch I bought and never used, it should cover most of the cost of the rubber mallet/dead blow.

Plus its a useful tool I can use down the road, its win win.

 

My dead blow is one of my favorite tools. Nice to have!

 

You can use a regular hammer. Thread a nut that you don't particularly care about on the very end, stopping about 1 thread before the nut is flush with the end of the stud. Now determine which direction the stud needs to go in order to be straight again. Turn one side of the nut in that direction and whack it with the hammer firmly. Repeat 3-5 times as needed and it should go back into place.

You can test fit it with a downpipe gasket, or with the s4 turbo backplate flange.

If you had a vise you could also firmly mount the turbo in the vise and use a pipe or an appropriately sized deepwell socket and extension to bend it back into shape.

 

Voila---fixed.

 

Awesome!