My old shop foreman told me to stop using anti-seize on exhaust manifold studs

I worked at a fleet shop outside of Nashville for about 8 years. The foreman, Jerry, must have had 30 years in the trade. He told me to never use anti-seize on exhaust manifold studs because it just burns off and leaves a sticky residue that makes removal harder later. I always thought he was just set in his ways. Well, I had a 2015 Freightliner Cascadia come through last month with a cracked manifold. Previous guy must have used anti-seize because those studs were a nightmare to get out. Three of them snapped off flush with the head. After that job, I started doing it his way with just a dry thread and a little penetrating oil on assembly. Has anyone else found that anti-seize causes more problems than it solves on high heat applications?

2 comments

2 Comments

jake_chen14d agoMost Upvoted

Hate that sticky mess. Jerry was right, anti-seize just bakes into glue up there.

grayperez13d ago

Buddy used copper anti-seize on his O2 sensor and welded it in place.