Well this really ruins my evening. So the story goes I got my Greddy Catback from RRM yesterday and today I started to try to get it installed after work. The only problem is all the bolts on the stock exhust are the hardest damn things in the world to remove. I don't have an impact gun, but i was using a 1000pound/inch torque wrench and was still having trouble. After about 4 hours, one stripped bolt and a trip to the hardware store for a new socket (not to mention all the time spent with the vice grip on the striped bolt) the three bolts at the axel finally came off. Then it was up to the 2 bolts and the cat and let me tell you if those get stripped there is on way they are coming off. Played with it a while but finally said F it for the evening. Thinking about going to a shop tomorrow and asking if they can just loosen the bolts for me that way i can finish the job myself.. I hate rust!!!!

 

did u try WD-40ing it? that stuff really helps sometimes

 

I have told people before, Valvoline synpower, 6 sided half inch drive socket and brace your legs so you can uses them to push/pull on it. Those SOB's are tight, just need right tools and Vice Grips are not the right tool.

 

I am so glad that I live in California, where there is very little rust. And I am glad that I am modding my car when it is fairly new, because getting bolts off of a 10 year old car is even harder!

 

dont mean to jack the thread but how do you suggest getting the o2 sensor off just before the cat. i could not get it off the other day and ended up stripping it a bit using an o2 sensor socket. ended up having to put the cat back on instead of my test pipe cause i couldnt get it off

 

Just a word of advice don't use a torque wrench to break torque on a bolt, you'll screw the calibrations on the wrench. They are used for tightening the nut. Instead use a wrench/ ratchet with a cheater bar (piece of pipe ) and wd-40 if all else fails get a torch and cut them off.

 

Air,

Just to clarify so you guys don't think i am a complete moron... just a partial one, the vice grips were only used on a bolt that had already become stripper. They were the only way that I could get a grip on the bugger. I even tried one of those GatorGrip sockets the is suppose to work on stripped bolts and that just spun around not getting any grip at all, in fact maybe it was stripping it just a little more. Also I used like a can of WD on those *****es, covering the bolts and myself. Oh well, just dropped it off at pep boys to have them loosen it up and or cut them off. I can't deal with that any more, I have jacked up my hand enough for this week. I guess this is what i get having a car were you drive in the snow and salt all winter.

 

the snow and salt would explain it. That **** will rust anything.

 

I had a similar problem with the 3 bolts. It took a can of WD-40, one hour, a lot of swearing, and a wrench hooked on to the end of the rachet for leverage and I finally got them off. I couldn't believe the screaching sound coming from those rusty *****es. I think the swearing help.

 

My favorite trick, like another elbow, it compounds the force you apply to the bolt, Ive tried to explain that before and no-one seems to get it.

 

I hear that man those three bolts were a ***** too.... That sounds was awful. Anyway just got the call from PepBoys that the car is ready and the bolts are loose.

 

HA thought you had troubles...try removing an old exhaust manifold. Here is a trick for you....Spray the bolts with PB blaster and let sit over night, I mean soak them, then try the next day. If this does not work, do it again. After sitting for a day or two like this use a small torch and heat the bolts/oil up and they WILL come off. Believe me, it took me 3 days of soaking and on the third day after heating the bolts they came off with a socket. I did this on my turbo manifold that is a 97 and had never been removed. If I could do it I know you can too.

 

Oh didnt read They already got them off for you...well you can use my helpful hint next time.

 

More tricks...
Always try to tighten the nut just a bit before trying to loosen, that some times works well.
Heat, even a propane hand torch works too.
If you strip it, which is common on exhaust bolts, take the next size down socket and line it up and hammer it on. This works best with softer impact sockets (black finish)

 

Try PB blaster too, works like WD 40 but its magnitized so it craws into the seams...