In this video I bring you through the process I use to replace exhaust manifolds on a Chevy 2500HD with the big 6.0. This is a pretty common job in our shop and is pretty much the same process for all GMC, Chevrolet trucks with V-8 LS engines. Broken bolts can be recessed or protruding and both are relatively easy to get out if you have the proper tools. Come along as I finish off the drivers side. -Enjoy!
If an SMA Video has helped you out please consider giving using "Patreon" to help support us. The videos take real time to create and pull us away from real work that pays our bills. CLICK HERE: https://www.patreon.com/southmainauto
CHECK OUT OUR "SMA SWAG" STORE! Go on Teespring and get your very own SMA merch!
https://teespring.com/stores/the-sma-store
If you don't like Patreon feel free to use the "PayPal Me" link: https://www.paypal.me/SouthMainAuto
The South Main Auto Amazon Store:
https://www.amazon.com/shop/southmainautorepairavoca
AES Wave Automotive Diagnostic Tools: https://www.aeswave.com/cart.php?m=affiliate_go&affiliateID=2525b91fc8e906e8215984074c9d9e8f&go=https://www.aeswave.com/Miscellaneous-p9347.html
Thank you for all the continuing support!
--Eric & Vanessa O.
Feel like sending some swag to SMA because you love the videos but don't know where to send it?
Just ship it here:
South Main Auto Repair
47 S. Main St
PO Box 471
Avoca, NY 14809
Disclaimer:
Due to factors beyond the control of South Main Auto Repair, it cannot guarantee against unauthorized modifications of this information, or improper use of this information. South Main Auto Repair assumes no liability for property damage or injury incurred as a result of any of the information contained in this video. South Main Auto Repair recommends safe practices when working with power tools, automotive lifts, lifting tools, jack stands, electrical equipment, blunt instruments, chemicals, lubricants, or any other tools or equipment seen or implied in this video. Due to factors beyond the control of South Main Auto Repair, no information contained in this video shall create any express or implied warranty or guarantee of any particular result. Any injury, damage or loss that may result from improper use of these tools, equipment, or the information contained.

Round two fellas it's the next morning. Obviously this side is not gon na, be as handy to record, at least from your perspective. You're, not gon na be able to see as well we're gon na do the best we can i'll give you uh. At least the commentary the play by play, you can see what's happening right now.

The plug wires are coming off pretty much the same process as the other side, just a little bit more of a pain in the hulu just because of the stuff. That's in the way come on baby. You want to loosen that grip. There we go yeah, all four of those little guys are off.

Of course, we have the y-pipe loose now we're going to grab the torch, and it looks like to me that this connector is already melted on this coolant sensor, which i would like to disconnect get it out of the way yeah. The little lock tab is already melted on it, a little bit we'll get that out of the way, because we are going to be down in there with the torch and the less stuff that we can burn the better. However, sometimes there is some casualties uh. I like my glove already lasted.

Oh almost a minute uh the torch can heat stuff up. I think we determined yesterday this back when it's broke. We heat those up clicks around my light is just flickering and then we'll zip. These up we'll be good shape that didn't work fella that one might have been partially fractured.

That's a super common bolt to break and from the sounds of it, this gun broke. It way too easy with this much extension and stuff that shouldn't have broke that easy. So usually the very front one and the very back one is the one that has a tendency to break on these chevys. That's what it should have sounded like he's going to get his car josh he'll just wait for him.

Just let him know it's finished. If you would, i don't know, vanessa is still on the phone all right, damn it just dropped. My socket now we got ta start over son of a mother. Can't finish this little guy.

I need a longer extension is what i need. There's that one, let's see before we get started on this one, no we'll be able to get right on it all right, firm up the gas axe. Where is it baby, hmm get on there? Fella that's right baby should be. I should be touching stuff.

I think if i remember right these manifolds you fish to the top, let's get her up out of there and then i think i send him straight up and out. Maybe i can't recall, let's see if it goes down, i don't think it does. That's a hot bolt: that's another hot bolt! No, let's just instead of pissing around just go up and out and stick it up like this and then just work it straight up and over the top. I think we can clear the steering shaft here right.

Am i right bring her down down a little and then straight up and out and then leave it sitting there and then just let the truck down and take it out the top. Now she comes now we have to deal with this fella and i do believe that we didn't break that uh. I think we were the proverbial straw and that was the camel's back, because you can see you know fresh meat on this top half but down here. It's a little crusty almost like it was already fractured, and you could see also how hard like that impact would labor.
You know pulling out the other ones where this one i just went uh which, like i say, it's not uncommon on your chevy's. If these come in with broken bolts, it's usually always this front one and the very back one, particularly on the driver's side. Uh super common so that one's sticking out so it should be easy. We're gon na get it easy out and beat on it.

Quarter inch drive one and see if we can get a good bite on it and once we do we'll heat the crap out of it and then just try to spin it out. So i'm going to use this little easy out. Quarter inch drive, mac tools makes them. I'm super abusive to these things.

Usually one time use for me bash them right on there get a good bite on it. Hopefully, that's a good bite. You got about one shot to make them. Babies work they're, real crappy.

I don't know who makes them for them, but let's see if we can to get some extensions on here, make sure we have a good bite. Is that actually turning? Oh, it's actually turning without heat uh, i'm putting quite a bit of torque on it. So before we lose our bite, we are going to heat it a little. The good news is, it is turning.

That's good news baby, try to turn and hold the torch at the same time, not working see if i can't rest it right there. There we go now we're cooking, you do what you got ta do folks there. Now we got ta, get one out and we're home free video's over show's over we're winning, as you can see, i've cleaned the head off same as we did on the other side. Now this little guy, we got yeah this little guy back.

Here is one we're going to contend with, so i'm going to thread in a bolt, so we have a place to clamp the ground for the welder, so our current flow should be. You know straight across the head here: shouldn't cause any issues, we're going to do that and my plan is to get a flat washer. Stick it up here. I've got you guys in the best possible spot.

I can get where you're out of the way, and i can see stick a flat washer there fry it on to what's. It is recessed a little we're going to fry it right on in and we'll stick a nut on there and fry the nut on and then we'll try to use up. What's left of our good juju from part one and see if that bolt comes out, see if we can't use the magnet to stick the flat washer up there and hold it? This gets a little hot on the fingers. If you're trying to hold that with your fingers, i haven't ever been too concerned about welding the unit right to the head.

The knot or the bolt on aluminum never had an issue. A lot of people asked that i think years ago, when i did one video where i did this and this experience - i've never had it be an issue. So, ah, can i get in there probably not try to center that baby up a little bit get at the bond there slightly get this thing out of the way wow terrible job. Mr, oh, this one's not gon na work, just fyi, but that's a we're.
Gon na have to do some finagling here yeah this one's, probably not gon na work. I think i got a big booger of aluminum in there or some cross contamination rather, but we're going to go with it, we're going to keep trying. What's up? Mrs? Oh, do you need my help now we're working in part one? I asked the people to send good juju. Oh i'm here to rub your back and give you my you got juju good stuff: oh yeah, you're, good son, just a minute folks, i'm gon na try to pass the wand up through the bottom here.

Oh yeah super convenient now. Okay, now we're gon na be right on the money come over here. Left-Handed this this one ain't going to work but demonstrating the oh. I can't see it wait the people can't.

I don't know i can't so. How could they it's amazing yeah? They can see which really isn't important. At the end of the day, this ain't working grab me a 9 16 wrench way there. Mrs oh yeah, it's over on the american side, that's which is the right side of the box, america you're over on the canadian side.

Over there, any old, 9 16 wrench as long as it's the right one, not a stubby, not a ratchet, not a line. Wrench 12 point plain old, plain old, plain old plate on 12 point. Look at you! Go this one! Just don't snap off anyways ready come on. Oh yeah wow, the washer was all just welded on there all shitty, so we had to.

We got ta redo it. Now you need a new nut yeah. I think i'm gon na go straight nut no washer yeah um, but i told the people in part one like. Oh here's, my new method.

I do this blah blah. How awesome you are and then and then i try to demonstrate it. You got ta, go the old-fashioned way, huh! Oh, i need to get the damn camera out of my way and just get the job done, which ultimately might happen. But let's see here he didn't start and then uh.

I don't see that that's my problem, but i might have to move the camera just to get up in this joint how i'm supposed to because that's got to lay flat and center yeah baby, pretty light. Thomas though, with a little bit of luck, i wouldn't be able to see tonight. I can't see right now. I only saw a first second, don't stare at the light.

I wasn't. I was staring at the nut and then bam bam. Next thing you know you're blind. Let's see, i don't know if i want to mess with it, because it's still warm, i know, do you do it well? No, because you do biscuit, that's not bonding at all fella um.

Let me build that out a little bit, but usually i don't struggle like this folks. Not this bad was the lady with the equinox. Did you see her? No because in the books it said she's waiting at home. This is the one that had the noise but didn't know if the noise was when the van, where the car was moving or sitting still or on or off, no something about the bumper.
Oh, i didn't talk to her no she's she's waiting at home. Then the bucket says 8 o'clock waiting at home, oh uh did i have it down for a drop off? No, it says eight o'clock waiting at home. Oh, i would have never wrote that i wrote that okay, so what do you? What are you asking me? Well, i didn't know if there was something different going on, because i see that you aren't. I don't know my boy.

Josh is almost ready. Okay, okay. I think she has a day off today too. What i think that lady has the day off.

Sometimes the problem with aluminium is when we're whacking on this with the welder: it pulls the heat out of that bolt. So fast, it's really difficult to get a good bond, we're gon na. Let this one cool a little bit, which should happen very quickly and then we're going to try it, but quite frankly, i'm not getting a good good bond there. Yeah it's still a little warm.

The head itself is cold. The knot is still pretty warm, as you can see by the smoke. I don't want to. Let it get too cool, it's not smoking hot right now, let's just give it a little wiggle.

I can't tell if it's i'm not putting a lot of pressure on it. Folks it feels like the bolt is moving to me. It doesn't feel like it's breaking off. So if that's the case, we're just gon na little baby steps because we might have to throw some heat on the head now yeah.

I think it's moving. So, let's throw a little heat on the head, because if we can get this thing to come out a little, can you even see back in here? I hope so and hence depends. If we can get this to come out a little bit. It makes the job a lot easier.

If that makes sense to you. Let me go find my torch. Let me go find my torch. He said like it's not right next to his toolbox, where it is every day this is going to get tricky folks, i'm going to come in with the right hand, eating the eat.

The head he's a bolt, so i can't ruin this wrench. They don't make these anymore. I've had them since i was 14 years old and i don't want to ruin it. It's the last of the napa professional usa made stuff.

Oh yeah, chevy thunder more like an exhaust brake, but um so yeah. They don't make these wrenches napa. Pro napa now only sells the carlisle line, which is wicked expensive for what they are, if you're going to buy carlisle just by snap-on, because they cost just as much i'm not saying their quality is complete crap. But you know if you're going to pay for pay, that kind of price for tools you might better buy some snap on.

I was really really disappointed when nafta quit making their professional line of tools. I mean not not super disappointed but pretty disappointed. It was my very first set of tools i ever owned. It was a nap for professionals, still have them still use the sockets and wrenches.
Today, as we speak, hey look a wacko youtuber's, leaving a message, even though the answering service says we will never ever call. You back ever in your life forever. Never even if you say i want to make an appointment, i have a million dollars. I might call you back then just kidding.

I won't. Let's see oh hallelujah, we got that one out little few casualties there in the beginning, but we won in the end. That's what's important that thing's still hot you think nope, it's not there. It is baby out.

She comes got a good bond on it that time and it worked. So i guess that's that the rest is history. The 916's got enough grippy on this thing, nope not to give a 13. if you're going to use one of the og bolts for the ground.

For your welder, there make sure you wire wheel this baby up, get all the loctite and crap off it shine up the head a little just to make sure you have good contact now we just need to clean up this part of the head a little bit With the whizzy wheel, we'll clean that up we'll get these out of here or we'll break all the spark plugs loose. Just like we did on the other side blast things off with the blow nozzle, it doesn't look like we had any casualties. We're basically done knock sensor on this side of the engine is also broke, got a big old crack across it. That's it.

Let's rock and roll again fresh from the prc. We have the other exhaust manifold, takes a different style gasket. Now i would tell you before you slide this baby down in from the top replace the gasket on the pipe this one here, because when you slide this one in we're going to line up the studs, obviously and it'll be a real pain in the ski to Try to pull that y-pipe down and put that gasket in. If you forgot so don't forget, i guess is what i'm saying: hey it's that guy.

Actually, i think it's josh yeah must be. I think you just had to do some tire sensors there on a chevrolet. Actually, that's kind of a funny story. I'll tell you in just a minute.

I don't want to forget my gasket, so i fed it down through from the top and got a couple bolts here, we'll get our gasket again gasket same thing: manifold side, this side down it says and of course make sure, like i mentioned, that you replace that Gasket down on your pipe, actually we're gon na set this up here, just kind of let it hang up out of the way, because we need to get the manifold now set into the pipe under those three bolts. Well, it's gon na be a trick. It'll be tricky, tricky, ricky, stern. Okay, let's see, maybe the front bolt might be the easiest one for me.

Give that a big gasket hold the gasket up here in the back pick the manifold up, see if we can't get that baby started and i believe it started i'll try to get one here towards the back uh. Maybe not. I can't really stick my hand in there too, easily wow all right. Let's get an extension and a socket and we'll see you get all the rest of them started by hand here get one of these back ones.
Starting should start them with the impact. It's only aluminum, don't start them with the impact. It's a joke. Come on baby instead, use a little hand ratchet like this and a wobble extension to make it look ridiculously difficult to do at this point, we're basically the same as we were on the other side.

I'm just gon na go through and get things snug down here. A little bit work our way from the inside out get the plug swapped out, get the new wires on bolt the pipe up. Call it a day. Actually we're going to be waiting on parts for tomorrow i got it.

I had to order some of the screws and the nuts that hold the fender liner in on the passenger side. Some of them were missing well, several of them were broke off in the edge of the fender, so it was down to one. So i ordered them forgot to wear them yesterday. So now we got ta wait.

We got ta get them today, all right yippee, which waiting an extra day is kind of fine by me, because because you get a chance to heat cycle, the manifolds one time i.e warm them up, let them cool down and then re-torque them. Babies hold forever. But i don't know if the torque specs that we're using are valid because we're not using the loctite uh depends. Is it like a chevy colorado isuzu? Then? Yes, is it the guy from the other shop, the other shop yeah? He warned me about it.

He called okay. Was it a no start? I don't know. I only got this far yeah. As long as this is chibi colorado we usu or is you as my dad used to say we used to work on? Is you npr's and suzuki's were suzuki's ambulances, suzuki's issues chimlys, you know you got a name for me too.

Yeah vanessa vanessa come on. The guy was hard of hearing huh and he's dead. We can't pick on him crying out loud, not here, to kick my ass yeah. My dad always had a funny way of saying some stuff, but he wore two hearing aids.

He was hard of hearing since he was a child, so some of his enunciation of words was different, made it hard to understand for some people. I understood them because i grew up little. He always claimed to be hard of hearing, but i tell you what, if you're walking down hallway you just got in trouble and you call them something you shouldn't call you just whisper in your both hands. He'd hear that i always thought he had selective hearing yeah.

You walk away mother, effin boy, you heard it every time either that or he he hedged his bets is what i'm guessing. Can i do the same thing with my kids what'd. You say nothing, nothing! Anything! We just bet that they're saying something. So i'm pretty sure that my dad really couldn't hear me.

He just assumed that i was gon na muff off and say something walking away. That's what you do when you're a coward turn your back, walk away and see stuff, don't forget to tighten up your spark plugs skipping some of the process here, folks, because, if you've seen part one, it's basically the same thing except two things one. You could see what i was doing and two it was on the other side, so there's that that one's in don't forget to plug in your temp sensor here, there's that and basically all we're left with is going underneath this little guy, oh white down, that's the First time i dropped it today, it's pretty good, it's almost 9 30.. Actually, i think it's almost sorry.
It's almost 10 30.. It is supposed to be 90 degrees out today, 90 folks, that's toasty, you're going to want to make sure you wear the order. A lot of times in the winter i get away with no deal there fun facts. You don't want to do that in the summer time.

Let me tell you why i'll tell you what okay everybody's clicked in i like to go sugar make sure they are clicked in. I don't want to be that guy, that's the customer. Call, it says: hey my spark plug wire fell off. Okay, that's good! Let's go under it and button it up nuts.

Yes, they are a little crimp on the end of them. So i'm going to start over on the driver side. It's attached to my certain driver's side, that's the flat flange and we'll tighten that one up. First, let's start with the ugga dugga gun, just because they're so long winded there and they are locked nuts, so the passenger side's a little different style.

So you want to draw these ones up evenly work our way around here, whoa, mother, bro, do so don't know. They're, even because you have about the same amount of threads sticking out of each one, this this impact's not near powerful enough to do any damage. It's just our little d wall i went through and i tightened up the flat flange side and on this side, we're gon na go through and just make sure these are stuck now. These ones go up against that donut.

I don't remember if this top of this pipe has or the top of this flange, i think it has standoffs on it. So you can't over tighten it. You know, i mean within reason, let's be honest: uh you could torque them if you feel necessary, i don't. I use the old german speck of guten tight.

Yes, it does have standoffs on the flange, so you can't get too ridiculous with it. Okay, we should be good. We should be able to start this pick up, and hopefully it doesn't tick or blow up or anything like that. Yeah the ship is under.

Let's see, i can't stop sneezing no engine light good, no other lights great sounds smooth. I don't hear any ticking yeah baby um whoa where'd your hand go fella. I forgot it this morning, uh and i don't know how that's like, leaving the house out your wallet. It's not gon na look like a weirdo all day.

Anyhow, chevrolet is done or jimmy gmc, whatever uh this one was gravy folks. This is how this is how the job should go. Well, actually, the job should go just like remove the bolts put the bolts back in, but if you have broken bolts, this is how they typically go. The these chevys usually are not a big deal to get the bolts out providing you use one of those methods, and i think the key is if they're the factory bolts is that they need heat to break that bond of the loctite.
At least. That's that's been the method i use and that's one. I've had the most success with uh the welding method. I always use on the driver's side rear because of the wear where it is usually when they're broke off on the passenger side or anything, except that one rear bolt i'll, just drill an easy out because they typically come out.

I've never had one not come out. I guess i should say that so i should have a better practice of drilling it perfectly straight. You know we were, we were centered, you know we had dead center of the boat, but you still have to go. You know parallel with the bowl, you have to go nice and straight so in the event that you have to drill it out, you've got a good hole, but i might have become a little complacent to the fact that you know they usually come out, but the Time that it doesn't it's gon na burn me, i've got a plan b anyways, so we can always fix it.

So uh. I guess that's it. Why don't you guys go in that comment section tell me your method for working on these chevys and doing the manifolds. Wear it on there subscribe the institute.

The facebook just remember viewers. I can do it thanks for watching hey.

By EricO

8 thoughts on “GM 4.8, 5.3, 6.0 – Exhaust Manifold W/ Broken Bolts – Drivers Side”
  1. Avataaar/Circle Created with python_avatars Dennis Geroux says:

    A little story about my dad. He was a Mechanic at a Ford dealership before WWII and had a descent set of tools for that time period. My first set of tools after high school were S -K Wayne’s and a Cornwell 1/4 inch socket set with both deep wells and shallow sockets and a universal swivel. One day he came over to my house and asked to borrow my socket set to work on the dash of his 60 Cadillac. Well it made me feel pretty good that he was borrowing my tools instead of me always borrowing his. He went on to be and engineer on the railroad and I became an auto mechanic and having my own repair shop for a while, then I went into industrial maintenance for 35 years.

  2. Avataaar/Circle Created with python_avatars ThePeopleVerse says:

    I have had so…so many of these either brake or were already broken that it seems GM should have to pay us every time we have to deal with them. One might think after the first year feedback on these dang bolts that GM would have switched to a lock system like stage 8 and a wad of anti-sieze.
    I have even had to pull the head and send them out. SOOooo bad.

  3. Avataaar/Circle Created with python_avatars Robert Robbins says:

    I have a 5.3 in an 08 Avalanche been there done that. but since I get "the money light" w/code P0420 and P0430. changed O2 sensors three times, new "Y" pipe from GM w/new cats. O2 sensors are also factory replacements. I've just gotten to the point I keep my Snap-On (not a sponsor) in it and check and shut off the light….. What it says is "catalyst not up to specs". All 4 O2's are always in range when driving… Love the LS motors but When the dealer can't fix it without replacing the ECM, it gets frustrating!!!

  4. Avataaar/Circle Created with python_avatars Andrew ROBINSON says:

    Hi Mr O. Have you tried the copper tube on a broken recessed bolt. Supposeably you find a copper pipe size so it makes contact with bolt. Then go to earth welding the bolt . Then once it holding onto the bolt you try to unscrew bolt. Works good when bolts are broken off way inside so you dont damege thread by welding washer/ nut . Interested in the your thoughts. Cheers Andy Australia

  5. Avataaar/Circle Created with python_avatars Hooterzutoob says:

    Eric I know the Hemi motors are common for breaking the back manifold bolts and then you get the lifter sounding noise until it warms up and then it goes away. Have you found a fix for this other than putting aftermarket headers on. I live in California so that option is out. Any advice on this issue.

  6. Avataaar/Circle Created with python_avatars MetalTeamster says:

    Cool vid… reminds me of when I was a kid… 1981-1982 during Jr college I worked for an old guy who taught me a lot. I miss the old guy to this day…. One job we did a lot of was replacing broken bolts on Ford F-100 / F – 250s with the 360/390 FE engines….. The home mechanic would try to fix the exhaust leak themselves, break bolts , then bring them to us. What we did was pull the intake and both heads…. these were late 1960s – early 1970s….. Ford trucks…. This was just after leaded gas…. which really messed up valves. So , we would pull the valves out of the heads, kiss the seats and put a clean up turn on the valves themselves…. occasionally if there was not enough meat, we would replace a valve or two. We would flat file the broken studs, centerpunch , drill and tap them out…replace all the bolts … sometimes replace manifolds if they were too rotten or nasty, but most of the time we would have them surfaced flat , and then go back together, I got after a couple where I was doing all the work myself…the old timer charged $12.00 / hour for my time and gave me $9.00 / hour…. This was when Washington state min wage was $3.35 / hour….. I believe… I believe I did a very nice job , we never had any comebacks on any of my work. I did clutches, brakes in the shop as well… When I went off in the fall of 1983 to University, the old timer said he would really miss me, but gave me a couple hundred bucks for college money. That was 40 years ago now… Like I said.. I really miss those days…. So simple…so easy

  7. Avataaar/Circle Created with python_avatars MetalTeamster says:

    NAPA – 14 mm….. I have one of those 35-40 year old – old school wrenches…. I like it, I have had it since I bought it in 1983-1984 from the NAPA in Poulsbo, Washington…. I feel the sentiment…. I don't want to lose mine either…. It has a great feel, it is solid, it works well…. 🙂 Wrench on brother !

  8. Avataaar/Circle Created with python_avatars Peter Peterson says:

    Funny I watched this video the day it came out and just the other day I went to change the plugs on my 07 Silverado with the 5.3 and noticed I had the same broken bolts one on each side. Except my mechanic talked me into replacing the stock manifolds with shorty headers and ARP bolts. Said it would be worth at least another 100hp and 8 mpg. Oaky maybe not, but I may look into racing strips for that extra go.
    Thanks for making videos.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.