Cutting Exhaust bolts...

[Jon11582]

So I'm finally gettin to installing my catback and put my car on ramps. I was under my car for a solid hour and a half trying to get the stock bolts off. Five years of northeastern weather has not been kind to it, and thier sickly rusted. Any attempt to get themoff is just chipping the nut/bolts. I hear this is a pretty comon problem.

Question I have is for you guys who DIYed your own exhausts and had rusted bolts that you couldnt get off, did you bring it to a shop to the bolts cut or cut it yourself? If you cut it yourself, what did you use? Im lacking in cutting tools right now except for household stuff for drywall, so anything I need to cut it myself I'll need to buy but I dont have an issue spending money on tools if itll be useful in future things as well. What do you recommend I buy to cut them? Or should I drill them?

Thanks in advance

[DatSRBoi]

WD40 it. I used allllottttt.. Thast what I did and it eventually came off...And feeling your pain.. I tried 30 minutes on one bolt. Then called my friend and was told to WD40 it...and woollaaa

[RichD978]

^^ looks like you found your solution jon,

[Jon11582]

I used about half a can already.

Its not going anywhere

[StockSolara]

Try Liquid Wrench. . . It's a spray that you can get at a hardware store that will loosen up rusted nuts

[1st Gen Sol]

Portable jigsaw with the WD40 to keep the blade cool so it doesn't snap will help it.....or you can also take a blow torch to it.

......you can also take it to the shop and have them do it for a good price and save the trouble if you choose.

[jazzlara]

let the wd or liquid wrench soak for at least a day on it before you try breaking them loose

[TadS]

I have used cut-off tools to get them . Lots of fun sparks and such.

[bassthrive]

I know Jon's situation from personal experience and its not an easy penetrating lube fix like you guys think. PB blaster is not enough on this caked on rust - those bolts need to be cut off.

I spent a little over an hour working with a dremel cutoff wheel and a small hacksaw. May want some ear protection in addition to the common-sense eyewear since it will get noisy down there. I suggest you invest in a rotary tool of some sort - it will come in handy for other projects too.

[PhreakdOut]

Use a propane torch to heat up the nuts. You can pick this up pretty cheap from a hardware or autoparts store. They will expand and loosen.

(Beware of the excessive WD40 as it will light up.)

You said cat-back. Which flange joint are you referring to. The one in between the center pipe and the muffler or the one in front of the center pipe?

If it's in front of the muffler, and you're changing both parts anyway, just take it off as an assembly or cut the pipe with a pipe cutter. (4 wheel kind is the best.)

If it's in front of the center pipe, then make sure you are loosening the head of the bolt and not the nut. (Sorry if that is obvious) Toyota prefers the nuts to be welded to the flanges so it's easier to install on the assembly line.

[bronzemaxell]

Use a propane torch to heat up the nuts. You can pick this up pretty cheap from a hardware or autoparts store. They will expand and loosen.
(Beware of the excessive WD40 as it will light up.)

i've tried the homedepot propane torch and burn the nut to red for one hour, but wont' loose or melt.
ended up brought a cordless drill, begins with a very small drill bit, and drilled through the nut first, then use the larger bit, then the next size up until the nut break off, about 5 to 10 minutes per bolt for me.

[Jon11582]

I was thinkin of using a dremel (Probably a good investment since its a versatile tool anyways). However, I was thinking the rotary blade was softer than the bolts they put on the exhaust so theyd just eat the blade up. (For exhausts its probably grade 5 bolts - hardened steel)

Im talking about both bolt points by the way - axle back and cat back bolt points. Niether are budging at all.

I was thinking of taking it to a shop just to get the bolts cut and replaced for a small fee, and unbolting and affixing the cat back when i get home. Im tryin to debate how often id actually use a dremel in my lifetime...and if a Dremel and the time id spend chopping it off would be worth it.

[thakidd]

i just put my cat back on my new camry and guess what i cut the bolts you will have no use for them anyways.....so just cut them

[Yanks0114]

Get the dremel, its well worth it. You'll be suprized how many uses you will find for it once you have it.