Header removal questions
 

Ok guys, i picked up a dc 4-1 header and im going to be installing it sometime soon, now what im worried about is the stud breaking. Has this happened to anyone before, is it common on integras? I have a 95 LS so i mean it is fairly old. Any way to prevent a stud from breaking. Please post of some advice and experiances

use lots of WD-40 on the studs before hand. I would be more worried about the bolts that connect the manifold to the cat breaking. I can pretty much guarantee those will be the ones giving you the problems. But you can always buy new bolts from home depot. Don't forget about the 14mm bolt on the front of the engine that holds the exhaust manifold to the engine. That one is easy to miss and hard to see. Also before you do anything make sure the flanges line up. I remember when i installed a DC 4-1 on a 94 LS the flange for the cat was at a different angle then the flange on the header. Midas had some adapter flange that we used, i think it was for a Ford.
Anywho, you'll find out soon enough.

yea penetrating oil. aka wd-40

Yeah, I had a head stud break on me as soon as everything was completed and bolted up. It was the very freakin last nut I had to tighten as well, then the nut just kept spinning and I knew something was wrong!

All I can say is to make sure you torque them correctly as to not overtighten the nuts.

its only like 22 ft/lbs. If you brake one you can always use a regular 12mm bolt instead, its not a huge deal.

It is a huge deal if the stud snaps flush with the engine block.

not really, they make tools (such as the extract-it) to remove broken studs or stripped screws.
Trust me, i've been there and done that.

When i installed my header, I broke the two to the farthest left when looking at the engine.

If the studs on your header are rusty now, expect some problems. You can still drive around with the broken stud as long as no more than one breaks. You just won't have the power, compared to if there was no leak.

also wd-40 isn't a penetrating fluid

grab some liquid wrench

thanks for the advice, i will definatly penetrate it to ----

i didnt have a problem with mine.