Middle exhaust pipe bolts

2013 trd Sport

I'm replacing the muffler and middle exhaust pipe. The spring bolts nuts holding the middle pipe to the front pipe were so caroded I cut the bolts in between the two pipes. The spring end popped out but the other end does not want to budge. Are they threaded into the end of the pipe or just caroded? I don't look forward to drilling them out.

 

I believe those are nuts are welded on.
You’re talking about right after the y pipe, where the doughnut/flange is, right?

 

That's the one.

 

Suggestions?

 

Drill out, install new ones?

 

Gas ax a hole, use a normal bolt and size a spring that compresses between the two sides.

Would have been better off using a torch or an induction heater to get the nut red hot and break the threads free before it was cut.

 

Wire brush the threads. Pb blaster. Heat and vice grips. Mapp gas burns hotter thank propane. Tighten to crack the rust loose on the back side. Loosen, tighten... Back and forth. Lots of penetrating fluid
Don't heat with the vice grips attached. Lol

 

Gas ax?

 

I can get a hold of Mapp.

 

At this point I would consider removing the whole pipe and take it to a muffler shop to have them remove that end and weld a new one on.

You could try removing the bolts from the backside if there is enough to grab with vice grips but the nut threads may be too far gone with corrosion anyway.

 

What about drilling them out? My drill bits aren't doing much but I thought I might be able to buy some kind of high quality bit that would work.

 

Torch. [oxy/acetylene]

 

Yes they are threaded into that end. Unfortunately you’ve made this a bigger job by cutting them in half. An impact would have probably taken them out easily.

Guess best bet now is to drill and tap

 

Usually for this you heat it. Spray penetrating oil. Wait to soak in.
Hit it with an impact. Or if it's pressed in, you use a special tool. I forget what it's called. Something like OTC exhaust stud remover/press.

It basically looks like a smaller ball joint press tool, and is used if a car has exhaust studs pressed into the flange, to press them out. To avoid hitting them out with a hammer to prevent impact from hammering blows from causing damage to other parts of the exhaust.



At the end of the day, whether from cutting with a drill bit or not, you're probably gonna need a hole put in there where the broken stud is/used to be, and then find a new stainless steel nut/bolt combo to replace it.

I wonder if any cutting torches can cut a hole. Such as plasma cutter or oxyacetylene.
But those are expensive and hard to get access to.

I don't know if I'd just lose my patience, give up, and take it to an exhaust shop for them to cut the whole flange off and weld a new one onto the pipe, that is not all rusted and fucked up.
Because to cut a section of pipe out and weld in a

$119 Vibrant 1141 2.5' Ultra Quiet Resonator, Silver

Vibrant 1141 resonator, they only charged me like $40-60 in labor.

 

I got a Mapp. I dont have access to aceteline. I'll try heating with the Mapp and vise grips and if that doesn't work I'll have to get it to a shop. Thanks.

 

If this is the Y-pipe section I wonder if it's cheaper to buy a better condition used one from a junkyard. Locally can be fast, far away shipping can take too long.
Hopefully they don't ask too much on price.

I had to do that once when I accidentally messed up an exhaust manifold on another car. I think they charged me $20 or 40 for another one.

 

Got the Mapp. Heated it to glowing red several times. The vise grips do not want to budge this bolt. Am I just not trying hard enough or should i take it to some professionals?

 

What are you trying to turn? From the pic, it looks like the bolt is cut off extremely close to the flange and there's no room to put vice grips on that side. The other side is a nut welded to the flange. The problem, as I see it, is that there is nothing to put a wrench or vice grips on to turn it out.

 

The picture doesn't show the long end if the bolt that sticks through the welded nut. That's what I'm trying to turn.

 

Not sure if it's welded or not. Mine was rusted and fell out when I replaced the donut gasket. The flange was in okay shape.