I was checking out my stock exhaust tonite just for shitts and I saw that the drivers side farthers back (by the firewall) bolt was missing from the exhaust flanges. I took and shined some light with a mirror and it looks like theres some bolt left in the block about 1/16" below the surface. I bought this truck with 80k miles on it and have put 12k on it. The truck came with duel exhaust so the previous owner might have been doin other work before he sold it. Any way i can get this out, I had planned on doing some long tubes in the future, but i would feel a lot better with all the bolts in there.
Also, is this going to happen to the other ones when i try to take them off, this truck has been here in WI (snow, salt on the roads in the winter) its whole life, so things are not so pretty.

 

The only thing I can think of is to take off the manifold and either use vise grips and try to turn it out and replace it, or, if you have the right bit, attempt to drill a hole in the bolt, pound an allen wrench in it and turn it out that way.

edit: also, use some WD40 to help loosen it up sinde it is plobably a little rusty.

 

It's Common on 6.0's. Never heard it happing on a 5.3. Mine broke and the mechanic shop wanted to charge $1600 to change it. I did it myself and took a day to do it. I broke the easy-out in the bolt and it took 2 hours to get it out. FYI if you do break the easy out off and can't get it out. Use a concrete or masonry bit to drill out the easy out. My brother told me that one after i spent 2 hours trying to drill the old one out. It'll drill right through it. You can save yourself alot of trouble and just put a regular thick exhaust manifold gasket instead of the thin metal one and it will seal it right up. A mechanic friend told me thats what he has done and it never leaked. Another thing that was told to me a day late. If there is enough stud sticking out you can tack a nut on with a welder and remove it.

 

I got a bolt broken on the driver side exhaust also and i am going to do nothing untill I replace the engine or put some headers on it. Another way to get it out is to use a left handed drill bit, they are a lot more expensive than an easy-out but a little easier to work with.

 

Im not going to touch it until I need to either, since its not leaking and I wouldnt have even noticed if I wasnt bored checkin things out. Theres none sticking above the block, its broke below the surface. Anyone install headers on a higher milage truck, like 100k, and have trouble getting the bolts out????

 

all mine came out really easy but like you i have a broken bolt in the head in the same spot as your which i am still dealing with

 

btw my truck has 108000 miles on it

 

Mine was broke too in that same location. I was able to remove the manifold, tapped the remaining stud, and double nutted it with no trouble. Maybe took me 50 minutes start to finish. Thank god it was not broken below the top of the head surface. Is yours below the head surface? Drilling here did not look so easy, on my truck anyway. I could not even get my air ratchet on the bolt because of firewall being so close. Good luck.

 

I had one broken off to in the same place. I put my headers on @ ~90K miles and the all came out with minimal problems...

 

Should have tole the wife the cost, then bought a new set of heads, cause all the broken bolts are already removed from the new heads.