Remove broken exhaust studs on Ford 4.6, 5.4 & 6.8 engines

How to remove broken exhaust studs on Ford 4.6, 5.4 & 6.8 engine

You can try to remove a broken exhaust stud with a stud extractor if enough of the broken stud remains. But if the stud breaks off flush with the cylinder head or inside it, you’ll have to drill it out. Here’s how to remove a broken exhaust stud on a Ford 4.6, 5.4 & 6.8 engine without damaging the cylinder head.

Purchase an exhaust stud drilling template

For the Ford 4.6, 5.4 & 6.8 engines I recommend the Lisle #71600 Manifold Drill Template.

The kit includes these parts:

71600 Manifold Drill Template for Ford 4.6L, 5.4L & 6.8L.
Molded Case
68690 Stud Extractor
71590 Ford Gas Drill Plate
71610 Ford 4.6 Drill Depth Gauge
71410 Alignment Bolt
71420 8mm Tap Aligner
71450 Lock Screw
71460 1/8″ Slip/Fix Bushing
71470 3/16″ Slip/Fix Bushing
71480 17/64″ Slip/Fix Bushing
71520 1/8″ Cobalt Drill
71530 3/16″ Cobalt Drill
71540 17/64″ Cobalt Drill
71630 Case for the 71600
71620 Alignment Nut, 1pc

Mount the base plate to the cylinder head using the tapered alignment bolts. Place the slip/fix bushing into a hole. Attach the drill depth gauge to the cobalt drill bit and drill out the broken stud. Use the screw extractor to remove the remains of the stud. Then install a new stud into the old threads. Move the bushing to the next location and repeat.

If you can’t extract the remains of the stud after drilling, insert the tap bushing to drill the proper sized tapping hole. Then tap new threads.

Click on the image to download a PDF manual