exhaust header stuck in head - R1100GS

Either spark erode the stud or I weld on a nut to the stud, after it has all cooled down, sprayed liquid nitrogen on the stud half turn out quarter turn in it does come out.
 
Be at Peace Brother because you are doing it right!

I never made any money because I always tried to do the job right! In teh hope that If I got the bike in for a different job the fact I had greased and lightly loctited anything apart before would leave me in good stead that it would come apart as it should!

Keep at it You won;t regret it!


you're not wrong jay, i'm bloody skint so it's going back together regardless for now. seems every job i go to do on this bike i end up creating more jobs. i'm starting to wish i'd just stuck with the airhead
 
studs all out and replaced with stainless. there's a pronounced 'ticking' from the right head which i think is a blow from where the downpipe meets the head. will take them back off and see if a smear of firegum will sort it but wondered if anyone has had any success with soft copper washers or another type of 'gasket' here? pretty sure the ticking is exhaust not the TB as it wasn't there before, or at very least not as loud.
 
just realised theres supposed to be a gasket in each exhaust port - oops. assumed that because there wasnt one when i removed it that it didnt take one. ordered 4 from MW and will update when fitted.
 
Gog, I think the original gaskets are still in there. I think Ican see them in the original photograph, just seriously deteriorated and nearly invisible to the eye. I just took my headers off, and it took me a day to realize the gaskets had become a crusty corroded mass, that looked like part of the manifold. Worth another look. Good luck


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Thanks GF, you know you could be right. I had considered this but seeing that theres a small ring of metal on the mating face, and the 'new' gaskets are all fibre, I decided whats there couldnt be gasket - if the factory original gaskets had a ring of metal embedded in them though it could be. Did your old gaskets have any metal ring when you finally got them out?
 
My original gaskets are the best I can tell, the same as replacements from BMW. I had to take a very small screwdriver to pry the outer circumference from the wall of the port, with lots of penetrating oil, and finally once I had something to grab onto, a stout needle nose pliers, and yanked them free. Done once, you will know what I am talking about. But the originals are camouflaged well with corrosion and age. If I had to bet, I say the originals are still in there.


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i think you're right. there's definitely wire strands there that are not part of the original head casting. i wonder if the fibre gaskets have wire strands woven in to them.
 
Here are my ports cleaned. The mating surface should be same color as side walls. This without gaskets installed.
Second photo of fresh gaskets
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that's a great help GF thanks - i think mine are still in there. looks like wire mesh running through those gaskets too which would explain what i'm seeing
 
well they were still in there and took a bit of time to get out, they had almost fused with the surrounding metal.

long story short they are out, cleaned up, new ones in and all buttoned up.

all but one of the studs broke upon removal. it cost me £60 at a local engineer to have them drilled out and now i have 6 shiny stainless studs holding my exhaust in. The ticking 'blow' has gone completely and the bike sounds better than it ever has in my ownership. It was definitely blowing long before i even thought to remove the headers so i'm glad this happened.

now on to the next job on this poor neglected beast.
 
Im grateful to you for pointing me down that path GF - I would not have realised and if the leak had remained as it likely would, I would have been buying used heads. Youve saved me a packet, so thanks.
 


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