What's best to loosen exhaust bolts/nuts?

[dd74]

At a lack of a better word (and maybe the wrong word entirely), what "lubricant" do you guys suggest for loosening up exhaust bolts?

Jim (Superman) reccomends Maltby's, but I've never seen or heard of it?

Anyone?

[andyu911]

I simply used DW40 on mine when I did the SSI upgrade. Spray it and wait half an hour. They all came off without any problem.

[efhughes3]

Everyone is going to have different results here. With mine, I tried WD, and a product called PB Blaster. None worked. I resorted to oxy-acetylene and got the nuts red hot. Then they come off easily. It is not uncommon to go this route, a search of past threads will comfirm this. A regular propane torch won't get them hot enough.

[304065]

The Blue Wrench

[Jadams1]

Oxy-acetylene, get the nuts red hot. Ask yourself what you will do if you snap a stud. After you ponder that and do a seach on the topic, you will know what method to use.

[IROC]

I used SiliKroil on heat exchanger nuts that had not been disturbed in 16 years and they came right off.

Mike

[island911]

"soaking them" doesn't do squat ( to help break them loose. ) If anything it can cause the wrench to slip on a weathered nut.

Oxy-acetylene, or cut them off (split them) with a carbide tip in a Dremel.

EDIT: you can see just how far the penetrating oils go, when you split a nut that has "soaked" . . .the stuff doesn't travel far, and doesn't get under the highly loaded contact surfaces.
The oils can help once the nut is turning.

[kstylianos]

Check this thread:

My nuts and a Dremel

[Superman]

DAvid, I wonder if you are aware that your exhaust system is arguably the finest ever put on a Porsche. You have equal length primary pipes (liek SSI) made from full stainless steel. That is why they have survived all these years.

For the rest of you, I don't think David is going to remove the heat exchangers. He's only needing to deal with the four bolts holding the HEs to the muffler. David, use a long wrench for leverage and if any of those fasteners behave stubbornly, get a Dremel tool and cut their heads off. Done in minutes.

In fact, cut one of their heads off first, and make sure the other three see you do it. That way, they'll be more inclined to cooperate, knowing the decapitation is what happens to stubborn fasteners.

[TerryBPP]

PB Blaster, without a doubt. WD-40 is a lubricant. PB is a Lube plus has penetrating qualiies.

[dd74]

Originally posted by Superman
In fact, cut one of their heads off first, and make sure the other three see you do it. That way, they'll be more inclined to cooperate, knowing the decapitation is what happens to stubborn fasteners.

Hilarious, Jim!

Thanks

[arrivederci]

I tried PB on my 930 heat exhangers and had two studs break. PIA. Afterwards, my mechanic suggested that I should've used Oxy-acetylene.

[jabb]

Red Hot Heat

[CJ]

Oxy/acet torch otherwise known as a heat wrench or a blue tip wrench. Works everytime!

Will Mapp gas get hot enough to do the deed?

[Superman]

My guess is yes, it would. If these were exhaust stud nuts, I would be recommending ONLY the cherry-red heat method. But since these are regular nuts and bolts, that should be replaced anyway, well I think this is a perfect opportunity to have cutting-wheel fun.

[ckelly]

AeroKroil works very well, the best penetrant/lubricant I've ever used by far. Hasn't failed me yet.......ever.

[Doug Zielke]

Red hot and nothing else.
When you show those nuts the torch, they give up without a fight. (One of the *many* things I learned from John Walker.)

[Sonic dB]

Heat... the only thing thats ever worked for me is heat and torque.

[stealthn]

I heard of a trick but never tried it; heat the nut with a regular torch then put a wax stick (or candle) on the threads. The wax will wick up the threads into the bolt, then act as a lube when unscrewing the bolt.

Just a thought.....