lww

Yeah, you basically just went too fast. It's a common problem among young men...

When working with old rusted Datsun's, patience is not only a virtue, it's a bank account saver.

I have yet to find one I couldn't get off with a LOT of penetrating lubricant and/or a butane or acetylene torch. Many times, heating the rusted part will burn off the rust and help break the parts free. Make sure you clean off the penetrating oil PRIOR to applying heat. You don't want your car going up in smoke from an engine fire YOU started!

With the big wrench, extension and jack handle, you probably applied 1000's of lbs of torque to that bolt which is what broke the stud.

NismoPick

^^^ 2nd that. I had the same thing happen to me as I was taking out my L28ET donor motor. I took off the downpipe, mounted it in a vice, took an Oxy-Acetylene torch w/ a "rosebud" tip & heated the studs red hot, & used a good set of vice grips to turn them loose.

n00blar

Hmm, is this pipe that you're talking about eliminating the one that goes from under the intake (right below the EGR) and bolts on to the exhaust?

I was wondering the same, if I could replace this pipe or do I have to have this pipe? I replaced the stock exhaust headers with the ones from MSA, but the ones from MSA also have the opening to hook up the pipe to it.

duowing

Well luckily the studs are still very much there, they just broke where the other pipe mounts to the downpipe. So I figure at least now that I'll have it out I can work on removing the broken studs and replace them. Thanks for all the advice and info. Also I'm still wondering would it be worth trying to remove the downpipe from the turbo and replacing the studs, or if I don't need to then don't bother with it? Would the bolts mounting the downpipe to the turbo itself though be in a position that they're weaker and more likely to break? I'm almost debating doing what Snw said and replacing them with Stainless studs. Although I'm really considering getting a whole custom downpipe as well.

duowing

Alright, the whole Exhaust manifold is loose and free. I can move it, but I can't manage to get the downpipe to disconnect from the other pipe even though those nuts are off.I get a crowbar under the manifold and use the strut tower as support and try to go up and down to move the manifold hoping that it will help to free the downpipe from the rest of the exhaust, but so far no luck. I'm probably going to have remove the turbo from the manifold or the down pipe from the turbo. I'll probably need to remove the down pipe anyway to get the broken studs out. So I'm trying to take a more careful approach. I sprayed the nuts/studs mounting the downpipe with some PB blaster and liquid wrench. Then I took a wrench and started knocking at the nuts, I put the open ended wrench and kind of tried lightly to loosen. Let it sit for awhile, hit it with some more PB blaster, tapped on the nuts more. I'll just keep doing that and slowly trying to loosen the nuts. That should save me a lot of headache.

Otherwise if anyone has some advice on how to help get the downpipe free from the rest of the exhaust pipe, or advice on anything let me have it. I appreciate everything you guys have done. I'm just getting very anxious with my car. I really want to finally have my Turbo engine running perfectly.

tickwon

This is what I did...I had a broom stick handle, like a push broom. Well, I unscrewed the broom part or you can leave it on (I've tried both) and with one end of the stick I had it on the downpipe (this is going through the top of the motor) and took a hammer and starting whailing on the top of the stick...it worked for me...that downpipe gets rusted on there pretty good. I did that and wiggle the downpipe from side to side, to break some of the rust free. I'm thinking you stuck where you have those three studs and nuts, right? Good luck...

duowing

Yeah, I got the nuts off and along with them came part of the stud, but that's ok. I'll fix that later. Anyway you put the top of the broom right on the downpipe as in right where it comes off the turbo, and before it bends down? I might have to try that. Anything at this point to help loosen that crap.

Also as far as the nuts mounting the downpipe to the turbo go. I've been carefully spraying them, tapping them, putting pressure on them little by little. I've managed to remove two of the nuts holding the downpipe to the turbo. As far as the other two go they're in odd positions that I can't fit a socket it on. So I guess I'll have to keep playing with that. I imagine once I get this manifold out of the car things will go much more smoothly.

Oh and well I'm at it. Can someone point me in the right direction as to where I can get the slew of gaskets I'll probably need?
So far I believe I need:

Intake/Exhaust Manifold Gasket(Have it already)
Thermostat Housing Gasket
Exhaust Flange Gasket(do I need a gasket?)
Gasket where down pipe meets turbo?(do I need one?)
The oil supply and return lines off the Turbo?

I know most of these like Thermostat housing and the exhaust gasket I can get pretty much anywhere. I don't know if there's others that I will need or where to get them.

tickwon

Yeah, you put the top of the broom where the bend is on the downpipe...there's is where terminology get confusing. The bend I'm talking about is where the downpipe meets, what I call, the O2 housing. There's a small little pipe there. It houses the O2 sensor and has the EGR tube you've been fighting. The front pipe or downpipe, as I call it, is what you're hitting on.

As for getting gaskets...none is needed to connect the downpipe (frontpipe) to the O2 housing. The hard to find ones I get from the dealer or MSA. All the other gaskets the local parts store should have.

duowing

Oh ok. What I end up calling the downpipe, whether I'm right or wrong is what you call the O2 Sensor housing. Then where those 3 studs/Nuts are, everything below that I call the front exhaust pipe, but I'll try out your idea.

tickwon

Yeah it's that terminology thing that I always confuse everyone on...sorry. Hope we're on the right page now.

duowing

Bah, I still can't get these pipes to come apart, I'm beginning to think I might as well just cut the pipe.

NismoPick

Can you remove the bolts on the front of the cat? Then you can just drop the whole front of the exhaust & slide the downpipe off the turbo.

duowing

I might have to try that, I got all 4 nuts mounting the downpipe to the turbo off without breaking anything, now I just need to figure out how to get that off the turbo. That's really stuck on there too, but I figure prying, tapping, and pulling should get it off.

duowing

Alright any other suggestions on this. I've got the nuts off the downpipe, I've been spraying it, tapping at it, prying at it, etc. Trying to get the downpipe off the turbo. I have it starting to come loose around two of the four studs, but I can't seem to get the downpipe to budge around the other two edges, are there any other suggestions? I'm beginning to think the only other way to go about this is to heat it, in which case I'm just going to have to go by a torch. Man this sucks, I just work with it a little bit a day slowly less and less, this is really bugging me. I need to get this crap out so I can get this done. I guess that's what you get when you buy a Z car from Ohio.

Oh just to make sure before I order these from MSA:
The gasket between the Turbo and Downpipe would be the Turbo/Manifold Outlet Gasket, 81-83 ZX, right? MSA lists this at $20.23, would it be cheaper to go to the dealer?
And then I would just need the Turbo Oil Inlet and Outlet gaskets too wouldn't I?

thxone

Try a solid rubber mallet first...so you don't dent it and bang that sucker from the front side and .....hey did you take the EGR tube off first???? If you did just pound it hard, it is cast iron, it can take it.

snwbrderphat540

ummm.... dude, its you have the bolts off the down pipe but the rest of the exhaust still attatched to the car, how do you plan on moving the exhaust backwards towards teh cars rear, when its still all together and attatched to the car. lol. unbolt it from the cat to seperat that section get it out of the way then try to slide teh down pipe off the turbo

duowing

I only have to get the downpipe loose from the turbo, because then as I pull the manifold out the car I can pull it away from the downpipe. There is enough clearance to pull the exhaust manifold a bit towards the front of the car while leaving the rest of the exhaust in place, but I might as well see if I can remove the exhaust from the cat.

duowing

Ok this isn't the best pic, but


A friend was looking at it, and now he's kind of got me worried. Saying that if you see blue on metal it could mean that something has gotten really hot and started to warp, but it's on the block. I find it hard to believe that something is wrong considering how well the car would run once it would warm up, and not to mention the compression was fine when we tested it.

Any comments, concerns, or suggestions? All I'm doing now is waiting for my last few gaskets to come in so I can put it all back together.

RodMoyes

Your friend sounds like an idiot.

The block is PAINTED BLUE AT THE FACTORY.




Rod.

duowing

Well that puts my mind to rest! Thanks for the info. Although, Blue block kinda crazy and weird. Then again it was the 80s.

NismoPick

Sheet metal can turn blue / various colors when it's heated up (like w/ a torch)... cast iron would be hella difficult to do that.

duowing

Yeah that's what kinda got me worried, the way he was saying things can turn blue, but it didn't make sense for the block to be warping and not the head.

snwbrderphat540

tell your friend he is dumb, ol that doesnt even look like the blue meal turns and it prolly flakes

n00blar

I painted my block blue

Matt K

I too have been feeling the pain of this! Me & a friend spent 3 hours last night getting the damn intake off to install a new header...first time for me working on the Z's engine. All I can say is WTF? It's almost easier working on a Z32 than doing this job!