Snapped header bolts

[Winder]

Mate of mine has bought a stinker 2001 5eb Yam R6

Rather than screwing bolts into the head to secure the exhaust downpipes there is threaded rod attached to the head. Some of these have snapped.
If these are welded in it'll need drilled out and heli coiled and I never done this before.

How much would it cost to get a garage to do it, roughly?

Has anyone done this themselves and have any tips?

Any R6 experts know if these screw out of the head? (I haven't seen the bike yet he just called for advise and I'm not sure)

Cheers

[Sid Squid]

They're studs, which is a typical way of attaching exhaust headers, they screw into the head.

Are they snapped off flush with the head? If no, you might be able to use grips or similar to uncrew what's left. If yes, there are several ways of dealing with them, the method I prefer is welding a nut onto the remains and using that to remove them, this method has the benefit of getting a good bit of heat into the parts which often makes them easier to remove. If they're broken off under the surface, (unusual but not unkown), there's no choice but machining out what's left and repairing the thread if needed. Spark erosion is perhaps a possibilty, but expensive and less commonly required.

Unless you are suitable equipped and have experience of this sort of work, you'd be best advised to take it to somone who can, any mistakes could be expensive.

This problem has come up several times with SV front exhaust studs, and the best advice is always the same:

Unless they unscrew easily and immediately, do not try to undo them, they will snap and leave you in the circumstance you are now. Cut the nut off and the stud will almost certainly be good enough to hold the exhaust on however corroded they may be.

[Winder]

Cheers Sid, he reckons they are snapped but still stick out around 30mm from the head which is just to short to get a nut on.
I wasn't sure if they screwed into the head or were welded in place.
So heat and some mole grips may be the answer?
Thanks for the info

[Sid Squid]

A bit of judicious heat and few sharp taps with a hammer square on the end *might* loosen them, but bear in mind what I said above, any mistakes could prove costly, by which I mean make sure you're not going to make it worse - that's only too easily done.

[Winder]

Thanks again Sid, last question.
What would you do?
These are very heavily rusted studs and snapped the nut off with little effort. Cheers

[Sid Squid]

If they're too short they'll have to go that's for sure, first off I'd try a few taps, a little heat and some grips if there's enough to get a grip onto. Don't try to undo them straight away, try to turn them back and forth for as long as it takes to free them, once you've got them moving, even a fraction, then there'll come out if you're patient, if you meet resistance stop and find out what's amiss - don't just pull harder.
If they really won't free off doing that, I'd wind a nut on until it's only a mm or so from the head, weld it in place and then gently try to turn the stud back and forth until it frees off in the same manner as above.

But don't lean on it, whatever you do - that way lies disaster!

If it still won't go get it to someone else. If you use heat be careful - unlike the heat produced when you run the engine it will very localised, overdoing it can distort castings and damage rubber parts.

[Winder]

Okay Sid, thanks. I'll put the hammer back in the tool box

[Badeye]

Snapped exhaust studs what a bummer, this happened to me last month, the day before i was to ride to the NEC for the bike show, was gutted. Both studs on my SV front header snapped. I have to drill them both out and re-thread them, end result is now better than it was stock. Not an easy job tho.