Best way to remove exhaust bolts?

[Nelsonmd]

Found out over the weekend that my impact wrench took a dump

I also don't agree that a 6 sided socket will never round off bolt heads. I only used the 12 point on the first nut. I went to Sears down the road and bought a deep-well 6-point 14mm socket and used it on the other two bolts. Rounded off almost immediately. And yes, the socket was on square.

When I get some free time away from work, I'm just taking it down to a local muffler shop to have them torch off these studs.

Yeah, 6-sided sockets will definitely not "never" round off a bolt, but they definitely are "less likely" to round off a bolt. You must have put the 12 sided on the best nut, or just gotten lucky on that one. Every rusted bolt is a little different, some crack and spin off easily, some generate so much heat friction coming off that they make themselves hot, some just break, and on an on... As a general strategy, stick with the 6-sided sockets or box end wrenches (even though these are typically 12-sided, they tend to put less angular stress on the bolt and also work very well).

I support you decision to take it to a shop if you can afford it. Save yourself the stress. I'm too stubborn for that, and it causes me great pain quite often...

 

[Singtoe]

Another method if you haven't cut them off yet is to get the next smallest 6 point socket (inch or metric) and hammer it on to the nut. Beat it hard. The shock should free things up.

 

[thardy]

Okay maybe never is to strong, but much less likely! I only ever use 6 sided if I have the option. Working on large implements and tractors i've found that a lot of times 12 sided cause more harm then good! Just my opinion though!!

 

[awthorn]

6 sided impact sockets, i use them for everything! They fit snugger than a standard socket; because if they didn't impacts would wreck everything!!

 

[40mikemike]

Hope I can help ya, Harbor freight step drill bit (use the smallest size graduating bit) as they usually are sold in packs of three, go right through the center of the bolt this will fatigue the bolt enough to spline drive socket it off, or just keep on drilling the whole darned thing out... I've done it many times way better than easy out for rusted bolts...

 

[KidVermicious]

I fully endorse the muffler shop. DIY is great until you're just beating your head against the wall, then it's time to let the guys with the blue wrench handle it.

I like the idea of heating them up red hot and smashing the next size smaller SAE socket on there. I've done that several times with good luck. One thing I didn't see suggested was a nut breaker - they don't always work, but when they do they're slick as snot.

 

[Robb235]

Local muffler shops won't do it. They don't want to mess with stuck exhaust studs.

So today I heated them up until they were glowing red. Then hammered on a 13mm socket (they're 14mm nuts). Tried breaking them free, but they simply rounded off again.

This is getting more and more infuriating. How the fukc do people get these things out..???

 

[Nelsonmd]

You can do what I did.

One of my nuts came off ok, so I only had to do this to 2 of them. It took a while, but it did the job.

 

[Grenvilleter]

 

[Singtoe]

Local muffler shops won't do it. They don't want to mess with stuck exhaust studs.

So today I heated them up until they were glowing red. Then hammered on a 13mm socket (they're 14mm nuts). Tried breaking them free, but they simply rounded off again.

This is getting more and more infuriating. How the fukc do people get these things out..???

Road trip to my house. I'll get them off.

Did you use the 12 point 13mm socket?


If you have a torch, Get the manifold red hot and try unscrewing the stud. I had to do his on my 2uz manifold.

 

[LittleCaesar]

Singtoe is correct, heat is the quickest and best way. IMHO, with as old as our 3rd gen's exhaust is, it (acetylene) may be the only way.

Heat it till cherry red, pretend you are the Hulk, grab a new pair of Vise Grips, and turn. Grab a piece of cheater pipe to put on the end of the Vise Grips if need be.

Or find an independent shop, pay up to $100 for them to remove the old stud and put a new one in.

 

[Atoyot Rennur4]

I recently had trouble removing the three nuts on one 4Runner. 2 of them twisted/broke off. One of them I heated and heated and nothing. I even tried cutting with a torch to no avail. Fortunately I was able to cut the one that did not break from the wheel well area with a cutoff wheel on an angle grinder. The reason I was not able to cut those with a torch was that those studs were stainless. Once the engine was pulled, I was having trouble removing the studs with vicegrips locked as tight as possible. Two came out one was very difficult. Tried welding a nut and bolt onto cut off stud. It would not stick. Ended up heating up flange and finally got it out. After removed and cooled, tried to pick it up with a magnet. I think the studs in that flange were stainless.

I removed the nuts from the flange of another 4Runner yesterday with no issues. All nuts were attempted to be removed with 6 point sockets.

Soon I will need to put this back together. Where would you recommend I get the studs? Would you use bolts? What size is that threaded hole on the flange?

 

[kolelt]

Make them nuts REALLY REALLY HOT. Another way, which my buddy did. Is to weld another nut over it and slowly break it lose. Somehow, a person figures it out when they are in a pinch

 

[phattyduck]

This seems to happen, even on rust free trucks...

Broken stud:

Three, count them, three nuts welded, each removing more stud:

Finally drilled out, replaced with bolt and nut:

Ugh.

-Charlie

 

[clarkent5477]

Dealing with this same problem

Dealing with this now. Two won't budge and one is rounded. Weird. Used penetrating oil thrice to no avail. Trying bolt/nut extractor socket tomorrow. If it won't work, I'll try the dremel. :redbrick:

 

[spartacus]

Dealing with this now. Two won't budge and one is rounded. Weird. Used penetrating oil thrice to no avail. Trying bolt/nut extractor socket tomorrow. If it won't work, I'll try the dremel. :redbrick:

heat is probably the best bet and even then it might take some effort. make them glowing hot and the metal molecules will become fluid enough to loosen.

 

[19963.4lsr5]

My 96 the nuts either ripped the threads off the studs or the studs broke. Even using heat.

The 97 I bought for a project, all the nuts came off easy.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[robkule424]

Did you ever get those bolts out? How'd you do it?

 

[2ndhandyotaman]

Last winter I had the same fight- 2 of the nuts broke free after douching them with the ATF/acetone mix and a blue tip wrench. One nut wasn't co-operating after threading down 2/3's of the way, it galled onto the stud which snapped off. I couldn't get the remained of the stud to break free from the manifold flange so I just used a grinder, made it smooth to the face of the flange and drilled it out and used a stainless nut and bolt to put it back together.

 

[enapa]

The studs are threaded in I can see that, but from underneath the truck do you turn the stud left or right to try to loosen it?