Aus911 Posted 25December, 2017 Report Share Posted 25December, 2017 Hi All, I have been replacing the gaskets and spacers on my 3.2 engine. I Torqued them to the recommended 18flb, let it settle then re-torqued. All was going well till I re-torqued the last nut, the front most right hand nut.....snap...the lug broke off!!! see pics. Yes I swore....but now I am in the process of organizing a fix. Has anyone seen this before?? Any suggestions for a fix, or maybe some good soul may have a spare laying around that I could have ;-) All comments are appreciated. BTW I live in Brisbane! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Troubleshooter Posted 25December, 2017 Report Share Posted 25December, 2017 Aw shit!! I'm swearing for you Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neill Posted 25December, 2017 Report Share Posted 25December, 2017 That's not going to be a fun fix. I think I know someone who might be able to help you though. I'll show him the pictures and pm you his number if he thinks he can Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aus911 Posted 25December, 2017 Author Report Share Posted 25December, 2017 Hi Neill, The worst part of the fix is the time....and it is always hit and miss with an unknown repairer, I appreciate you taking the time to check if your contact can repair it, IMO much better that walking into an unknown shop. Also it looks like Pelican have the manifold for $360 +$76 freight USD so that may be a viable option.... Cheers Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
micknine01 Posted 25December, 2017 Report Share Posted 25December, 2017 Hi @Aus911. I own an engineering workshop in north QLD and would be confident we can repair this for you if you get stuck. Pm me if you want. Mick Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rob Posted 25December, 2017 Report Share Posted 25December, 2017 Hey Neill Have to wonder how it happened though. That sort of break usually happens when there is a misalignment between the two surfaces being joined. Would it be possible that the manifold wasn't fully seated in the head recesses? Cheers Rob Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aus911 Posted 26December, 2017 Author Report Share Posted 26December, 2017 I know what your saying, but the paper gasket seemed to show it sitting correct, when I replace it I will double...no triple check. I will also inspect the spacer, make sure it is not damaged... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OBRUT Posted 26December, 2017 Report Share Posted 26December, 2017 Finally!!! “Danger to manifold” Sorry, that sucks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skidmarks Posted 26December, 2017 Report Share Posted 26December, 2017 7 hours ago, Aus911 said: Hi Neill, The worst part of the fix is the time....and it is always hit and miss with an unknown repairer, I appreciate you taking the time to check if your contact can repair it, IMO much better that walking into an unknown shop. Also it looks like Pelican have the manifold for $360 +$76 freight USD so that may be a viable option.... Cheers My 2c ... this I’ll be a tricky fix. It also cops a fair bit of vibration. I’d go the new replacement. Also check some of the local dismantlers Also, check your torque wrench. May be incorrectly calibrated. Has happened to me. A shit of a thing to happen ... Now, you could also join the rest of us on the dark side and go carbs or ITB’s with a trick ECU. Just a thought ... ?? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caledonian Posted 26December, 2017 Report Share Posted 26December, 2017 Bugger! I do feel for you and I'm sure most have us have been in a similar situation, trying to get the job done and get back on the road then BAM! The thread strips, lose the springy thingy, can't find the tool you need, something breaks etc. In most cases things can be repaired and from what I see from your pics, the manifold would be too. I've had alloy castings repaired before, and while more of a complex repair than yours would be it was done through necessity as a replacement was not available. I would take into consideration that the time and cost may not be viable or practical over a replacement? Also, before you refit either the repaired or replacement one, you need to find out what went wrong so you don't get the same again. I would tend to agree with the other comments regarding the possible mis-alignment/fit of the manifold as it was being tightened? Have you tried contacting Russ (Moderator on here) he may have some leads to a used one, even try giving Craig (parts dept) at Brisbane Porsche, if there is one in the country they can get most stuff in overnight. Also try Hamiltons and BWA Auto, I do tend to get most of my stuff from O/S but I always try local first, it might just be worth the call? Good luck and hope you get back on the road before 2018. Cheers Mike Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aus911 Posted 27December, 2017 Author Report Share Posted 27December, 2017 A quick update....I have not been able to find a replacement manifold except from the USA, and I am keen to get it fixed ASAP so I took it to a welder to assess. He seems confident that he can fix it, it is a very professional workshop so I am as happy as I can be. He thinks it should be done for tomorrow... I will post an update when it is done. Note to self don't over torque...do it by feel. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike D'Silva Posted 27December, 2017 Report Share Posted 27December, 2017 If it is a quality repair, pls share the shop.. would be good for the rest of us brisbanites. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StevepGT3 Posted 27December, 2017 Report Share Posted 27December, 2017 For what it’s worth,that appears to have not been seated before tightening rather than over torqued. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peter M Posted 27December, 2017 Report Share Posted 27December, 2017 Aus, Don't be too hard on yourself, shit happens. Do you know how the welder is going to keep the flange faces true? Are they going to bolt all the flanges to a piece of heavy but flat steel before they notch the joint and weld? Or are they going to face all the flanges after welding? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stew F Posted 28December, 2017 Report Share Posted 28December, 2017 6 hours ago, Peter M said: Are they going to bolt all the flanges to a piece of heavy but flat steel before they notch the joint and weld? Or are they going to face all the flanges after welding? If they are worth their salt they'll do both of those things. When I was managing an engineering shop we did a lot of repair work. What I've done in the past to repair busted aluminum manifold flanges is to shim the main bit up by half a millimetre then do the repair. Sometimes it's also better to just forget about welding the ear back on and put new weld metal on, then rehash it all. Then when you true up the gasket face you (generally) take the absolute minimum material off. Sometimes you can get away with not touching the whole face, and just blend in the repair. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caledonian Posted 5January, 2018 Report Share Posted 5January, 2018 Did you get the job done ok? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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