tips or tricks for removing REALLY rusted on exhaust nuts/bolts?

fiatmonkey

fiatmonkey

Tim Hoover
:help:

Hi,

I need to remove the exhaust on my 86 to finish up some rust patching. Every junction is just covered with rust on the fasteners (worse as you get closer to the muffler).

Any tips or tricks anyone can share?

Thanks,
Tim
 
Wax

If the car will start....warm the engine and exhaust. Once its warm take an old candle and push it against every nut/bolt. The wax will melt and seep into the threads. Once the exhaust has cooled down try wrenching them loose.

My experiance with these rusted exhaust nuts is not good. They are likely to break.

Good luck.
 
this also is a really common problem with the mk2 golf/jetta crowd when removing exhaust manifolds . Using PB blaster is the most successful method combined with alot of patience and luck and elbow grease. You might try using a torch to heat the nut and try loosening it then, or if its a nut on a U clamp, just cut it off and replace the entire clamp
 
I have had excellent results

with heat. Lots of heat. I use an Oxy-acetylene torch. Pinpoint flame. Very handy when
disassembling an X1/9 in general. Clean the threads best you can first. Then get the
bolts RED hot and work them with a deep socket firmly, but in small increments. Must
still be red hot so you have only a small amount of time to break free. Heat the sucker,
get it to "snap" loose, then let it cool a bit.
During the cooling process, work it back and forth a bit more.
When it's cool enough, spray it with penetrating oil and it will eventually turn out. If it get's
tight, turn it back in a ways, and re-apply penetrating oil.
The secret is patience and working it out carefully.

In some cases, the entire stud comes out. No big deal here either, as you can replace it
or work it free in a convenient spot.

Good luck with it.
 
I got an Email a while back

that showed breakaway torque test data of a 50/50 mix of ATF and Acetone that did a much better job of loosening rusted bolts than any other available product (WD40, PB, etc.)

Sounds like this would be a good test.

Jim
 
Thanks for the Acetone tip, I'll have to try that.

I like to use differential temperatures. Its not just heat, its the difference in heat between the parts that drives the expansion and loosening.

If you can heat the stud then cool the nut with an ice cube on a set of needle-nose pliers or even just spray it with some pb or a wet rag it may loosen up.

Also, heating the stud and spraying it with pb blaster creates a kind of "solder" effect that helps draw the penetrating oil into the
 
Thanks for all the great suggestions...

I half expected "Uncle Tony" to respond with some crazy conconction to try as well.

I wish my camera in my cell phone was working so I could take a pic but the bolts at the cat are REALLY bad - almost to the point you can't tell where the bolt starts and the nut ends ;)

I will try each option (if I have to) and let you know how it goes!

-Tim
 
if your talking about the bolts on the flange, cut them things off !! you can use any bolt and nut for those and save yourself the head ache, extra effort, and possible busted knuckles
 
Cut 'em off

is exactly what I did when I pulled my motor. After seeing the rust on the flange bolts, I made one quick attempt with a socket, then went straight to the angle grinder. I'll pay a buck for a new bolt any day instead of spending an hour fighting with a bolt that I'd never be willing to put back on anyway. I've also got a nut splitter tool for those times that the nut is all rounded off or the bolt isn't accessible to cut.
 
Don't waste your time

If they look THAT bad, you will cut them off in the end anyway.
If you are talking about a stud, try to get the stud to come out, otherwise go to destructive methods right away.
 
Acetone... PAINT???

Isn't Acetone pretty aggressive on painted surfaces? Would not some real CAUTION be needed when used around paint?

I don't know... just asking...
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top