Removing intake manifold boots

Hi I have a 1982 kz550 C and the intake manifold boots have a bit of a leak. I put silicone around them but I don't think it's working that well. Here's my question:

The screws securing the boots to the manifold are really stuck in there and the silicone doesn't help my case either. How can I get these screws out in such a tight space in there? If I buy a JIS screw driver will it be strong enough to break the screw free of all the age and silicone? I do own the grab it screw extractor bits but again I don't know if there's enough space in there to fit a drill.

Can these be a solution?

nn.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Røyrtong

Start with cylinder 1 or 4 and work in?

Start by soaking the screws with good penetrating oil for 2 or 3 days, applying more a couple of times each day. Kroil or Liquid Wrench would be my choices.

How would that grab the machine screws on the boot?

As TexasKZ said - soak the screws for 2 or 3 days with Kroil. I did this on my 1977 KZ650 and the carb holder screws came out with no problem. Also, use a JIS screwdriver bit or you WILL be sorry. If you do not own JIS screwdriver bits that's no problem becasue you can easily modify Phillips bits to fit the screws perfectly. If you need more info on modifying the Phillips bits just ask and I can provide some pictures. Ed

It will not grab them, but it can penetrate the corrosion, thus making the screws much easier to remove.

I have no idea how you could get a pipe wrench in such a tight space.

A hand impact driver with a tight fitting bit should work (after soaking with penetrant), but would require removal of the air filter box to provide enough room to whack it.

I use Liquid Wrench penetrating spray lubricant. It's readily available & cheap, plus it works. Apply the penetrant & give it time. I would spray it at the screw heads & also around the intake boots. remove the silicone rtv goop beforehand. you might be able to use a putty knife to separate the carb holders from the cylinder head then spray the penetrant into the gap. Vibration may help as well. use a wood block & tap tap tap it with a mallet or small hammer, but you have to be careful not to damage the screw heads.

Not knowing exactly what your boots look like, a picture is worth a thousand words, it's hard to give you advise. As has been said, you need a good fitting JIS bit or modified regular bit to fit. I can only suggest you find a ratchet, probably 3/8" drive with a socket with the JIS bit in it. Now the hard part, place the bit in the screw and by whatever means possible via extensions, keep the bit forcefully in the screw head. You can do this using sheer muscle power or back up the ratchet by some means such as a piece of wood, but keep the bit in the screw head. You want all the power generated to go to the bottom of the screw head. If the bit starts to come up and out of the head it can shear off the head or the slots for the bit. Don't let the bit come up out of the screw head! If your bike is anything like my KZ-1000 you are not going to get a normal screw driver to seat in the screws. The tip will no doubt be at an angle and damage will be done. Liberally soak the screws for several days in your favorite penetrating fluid before attempting this process. I prefer Kroil, but there are others. Once you start the soaking process get a drift or punch and gently tap on each screw head to shock the penetrant into the screw hole. Remember you aren't trying to intentionally damage the head of the screw, just tap them a bit. Do this several times a day along with re-soaking the screws. I would start with the outside screws so once they break free I know what to expect with the others. If you do this properly but the screw just seems to be too tight to come out and you fear it might break, continue the soaking, tapping process. Just remember the bit must remain seated in the screw head. Good luck!
Rick H.

Be warned, those screws will be among the most frozen on the entire outside case. Those or the exhaust studs. Usually the ones on the far right (cylinder 4) are the worst of all because they get rained on when parked on the side stand.

If they come out , then usually all the rest of the bolts on the motor will come out fine. The thing that makes them difficult is that they sometimes break off deep inside the hole, so you only get part of the screw out.

So yes, use a lot of penetrant and even more patience. An impact driver helps but you have to remove the airbox etc in order to have room to work. I prefer a chisel and light hammer in a circular pattern. Then I replace with stainless allens with a lot of anti-seize.

Let them soak then use an electric ratchet with the correct JIS bit, which I think is a #3. Electric ratchet is pretty low profile and will fit where an impact driver won't, and you can apply inward pressure to keep from stripping out the philips head. Otherwise you might use an impact driver with a universal joint setup to enable hitting the screws with the bit at a good straight shot. For sure don't use a screw extractor if the screws break. Take off the head and drill and retap if the screws break. If you break the extractor in those screws, and you will if you use one, you are in deep trouble.

You can spray them with penetrating oil but it may not reach the threads. I'd use an impact driver on the outside screw or see if you can get a pair of vice grips on the head to turn it. Once the outside screw is out you can try spinning the entire boot CCW to try to get the inner screw to break loose.