wot a plonker!

[auntiephil]

Afternoon all,in the process of trying to put on an exhaust manifold and take the old one off i managed to drop a socket attached to a universal joint down the front(downpipe) exhaust section.Dont all laugh at once.
Now i am also having great difficulty getting the front pipe to separate from the next section.So, two questions.; can i leave the offending items in the downpipe? Does anyone have any tips for separating exhaust sections.?
I've been hitting it with rubber hammer and chisel but dont want to go too hard as i think i'm next to the catalyst.The car is a 220te,1993,w124, 2.2litre engine.Any advice is greatly appreciated,cheers,phil.

 

[auntiephil]

yes i know!

i dont know how to delete the other three, you can tell i'm having a good day!

 

[S80]

That's the sort of thing that happens to me!!

Separating exhaust sections that have 'grown' together over time can be real struggle if you want to re-use them.

Maybe you could attach a strongish magnet to a thin flexible rod and hunt for the socket that way. Make sure it's attached well, otherwise......

Good luck!

 

[busby20]

That's the sort of thing that happens to me!!

Separating exhaust sections that have 'grown' together over time can be real struggle if you want to re-use them.

Maybe you could attach a strongish magnet to a thin flexible rod and hunt for the socket that way. Make sure it's attached well, otherwise......

Good luck!

If you have a fairly strong magnet - old speaker ? - hold it against the outside of the pipe as far down as you can get - you might get lucky and it will attach itself to the inside of the pipe, then try and "drag" it up the pipe until it's clear - got to be worth a try

 

[Ultymate]

IF you leave your socket and extension in there you'll have the rattle from hell

 

[auntiephil]

i'm working on the magnets, would heat work on the exhaust joint, many thanks for all the replies,cut my finger also,its all happening today!

 

[television]

Sorry to hear about your troubles, the freezer sprays work as well as heat in loosening up these things in the reverse way but has the same effect.

Re magnets, it very hard to get them down there, you could put a magnet inside a peice of hose pipe to stop it from sticking to the sides as much

 

[hmang]

love the hose pipe suggestion malcolm...brilliant.

alternatively some tool suppliers ( mac ) sell a very strong magnet on a handle which is shrouded at the side therefore only the end is the mag bit. mine was about £12.

securely tape one of these to an old hand brake cable or something long and flexi.

bobs your unclehttps:

//www.mactools.com/portal/site/mactools/menuitem.6c9db894a3743751f735c110f070c3a0/?vgnextoid=a7cf52231e5dc010VgnVCM100000104d840aRCRD

 

[auntiephil]

Thanks for the suggestions, i'm getting one of those telescopic pick up tools from screwfix, hopefully that will work.
while i was under the car i discovered i've got a broken front spring,life just gets better!

 

[Parrot of Doom]

When we changed my front exhaust, the only way to separate the old one was with a big hammer.

 

[Legoman]

best magnets out there are inside old hard drives , i use them on my oil filter to catch microfragments of metal , needless to say there seriously powerful , so much so it hurts if you put two of em either side of your fingers

 

[Pontoneer]

You might end up with a load of cr*p being sucked up so wait until your wife is out before trying this one : get a length of garden hose and join it to the end of your vaccum cleaner hose using insulating tape or whatever to ensure there are no leaks . Stick the length of garden hose down the exhaust pipe and see if the suction will pick up the offending object . You may get a load of soot too !

 

[auntiephil]

The other half actually agreed with the vacuum method!!!
I think she must have been drunk and i hope shes not looking over my shoulder.
Anyway, latest is that ive cut off the rear section of exhaust(yes it did need replacing) with the help of a mate,dropped what remained of the exhaust and inverted it to get the offending item out of the downpipe,hurrah!
Now got to tackle the exhaust manifold proper.Noticed so far two bolts sheared off already(not by me),so need some advice on how to get them out of the cylinder head, one has come out relatively easily,not sure about the others,any help much appreciated,phil.

 

[television]

Has the stud or bolt sheared off flush, or is there something to get hold of

 

[auntiephil]

Thanks for the prompt reply malcolm, yes there is something to get hold of about half inch judging by the new bolts i've got,phil.

 

[television]

One way is to run the engine up to operating temp then use a freezer spray on the stud, the shock could loosen it often something will come out easier if tightened a touch for as it stands the stud is tight in the opposite direction

 

[hmang]

heat is good.

lots of heat is better

 

[MotardMan]

Is it possible to move this last portion of the thread to a new one? The subject of exhaust stud removal is a really good one, but the search engine will miss it if it is buried in this "plonker" thread.

BTW, I like the idea of the freezer spray, I've used it to fit wheel bearings into alloy bike wheels before.

 

[Suki]

Crieky hil, It seems you have had lots of problems...
If you have a piece of stud protruding?
have you tried a stud extractor?
Failing that can you weld to it (be very careful if you do this!!!)?

 

[auntiephil]

Crieky hil, It seems you have had lots of problems...
If you have a piece of stud protruding?
have you tried a stud extractor?
Failing that can you weld to it (be very careful if you do this!!!)?

yes,overall i've had lots of probs with this one,but it was not looked after very well before my ownership, previously had a 230te and had no probs whatsoever,that one had a service history, QED.
anyway, the studs came out easily with a little penetrant spray and mole grips, going very carefully.some of the studs remained rusted to the nuts,not a problem as i bought enough new studs.lining up the downpipes took a while,rear box went on easily, but i've still got a blow somewhere.....
got a bolt grip set from Screwfix for the rusted nuts, this was invaluable.
Springs and shocks next:?