Anyone have any clever method of undoing the 15mm exhaust manifold nut, the one nicely placed between turbo and the bottom of the manifold?

Can't get a socket on it and it's taken me 2 hours to get a few turns on it with a 15 mm spanner...

Ahhhhhhhhhhh!

I got mine with an mayhoosive extender bar lying on the floor under the engine

What e said. Massive bar socket and plenty or penetratin fluid

Yes, you may be right..

Funny thing is, on all the treads relating to changing the head gasket, on any forum on the web...

NOT ONCE has any bugger mentioned what a complete '****pig' of bastard that particular bolt is.

Just sayin'

I take that back...

Found a thread on here with a reply from James Martin :

3/8 long 15mm socket and short extension

Just happens to be the only long socket I don't have to hand, but I'll be whizzing out later to buy one.

I use a 15mm and a long extension bar.ive got 24 inch 1 and sometimes a shorter 6 or 10 on that aswell

Having faffed around with this damn thing I've finally got it off...

My experience suggests the best way to get this b'stard bolt out is to use a 3/8 drive with a universal joint and a short extension, using a 15mm long socket, not a conventional socket.Reason being (as in my case), if some plonker has put a stud in and not bothered to screw it in well you end up with more thread extending out from the nut end which makes it impossible to get a short socket to grip sufficiently. Access is between the turbo and the bottom of the manifold at a point where you can't actually see the nut but you can feel it from the right-hand-side underneath. You do need to remove the turbo oil pipe to allow enough room to 'wiggle' the socket on.

'Bon courage' to anyone else having a go at this 'simple' job !