Miatapower List Archive

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Mail From: "Burgess, Michael L." <(email redacted)>

Sounds like a great reason to go buy an air compressor at Sears....0%
financing right now....heh.

I think I may have already destroyed one of the studs....foolishly I bought
mazda OEM exhaust nuts...only to realize they are some type of self locking
nut.

Where can I buy 14mm ss nuts w/ lock washers? Home depot?

Thanks,
Mike

-----Original Message-----
From: (email redacted)
To: (email redacted); (email redacted)
Sent: 3/10/2004 4:29 PM
Subject: Re: Help plz, i've tried heat, impact, vice grips, hacksaw...what
am I donig...

Cut the nuts off with a chisel gun, try not to hit the stud, just split
the nut off. Re-tap the studs, use new non locking nuts with lock
washers.

Hello.

I'm trying to remove my (stock) CAT. Apparently the 2 bolts towards the
rear of my exhaust appear to permanantly be seized (welded?).

I have tried heating the 14mm nuts until cherry red, and they still
won't come loose off of the CAT's studs.

I stripped them using an impact. And have destroyed what lest with vice
grips...

Anyone not ever able to remove their CATS?

I guess my stock exhaust will be going back on this weekend, if i can't
get my CAT free. (I have a turbo exhaust waiting to go on...)

The extra money for a hi-flow cat is not in my budget right now.

Any tips appreciated.

And yes, both nuts are stripped :-(


Les.
apexautoeng.com


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This read-only message was archived from a public mail list.
Mail From: "Burgess, Michael L." <(email redacted)>

I think sawzall is what i'm gonna have to do...and then drill

Even though i'd like to buy one, i'm going to have to borrow my friends...

I will report back with my findings.

Thanks for the help!

Mike

-----Original Message-----
From: Regie L Bryant
To: Burgess, Michael L.
Cc: '(email redacted) '
Sent: 3/10/2004 4:37 PM
Subject: Re: Help plz, i've tried heat, impact, vice grips, hacksaw...what
am I donig wrong?






Forget turning the nuts back off if the impact rounded them.

Get a sawzall (reciprocating saw) and just cut the studs (between the
cat
flange and the catback flange). Continue using the hacksaw if you feel
the
Miata gods need to punish you even more than they have. Besides, they
aren't over punishing you yet...see below...I'd get the sawzall, I use
mine
all the time now, and you need an excuse for a new tool--having it will
make you feel better about the whole thing.

When you get the studs cut and cat out, then cut the studs off flush and
drill them out. Plan on dulling your drill bits and getting p!SSed off
before you finally get them drilled out. Then use stainless steel bolts
and nuts to re-attach the cat. They won't rust and will turn back off.

Now that I have an O/A torch, I'd be very tempted to try to burn the
studs
out rather than trying to drill them out. They (the studs) become temper
hardened and are very good at resisting the cobalt drill bits I've
sacrificed to them. Maybe a titanium bit would have more luck...

And as far as actually turning the studs out to replace them. Ha. I
have
a set of new studs, I've never got any old ones out. I've soaked them in
various forms of penetrating oil, then put the vice grips on them. The
only thing I've ever accomplished doing this is to slowly erode the
diameter of the stud with each turn of the vice grips, which simply spin
around and shaved metal off the stud...

Regie




"Burgess, Michael L."

<mburgess@tkt-jakusa.thysse To:
"'(email redacted) '" <(email redacted)>

nkrupp.com> cc:

Subject: Help
plz, i've tried heat, impact, vice grips, hacksaw...what am I

03/10/2004 04:20 PM donig wrong?









Hello.


I'm trying to remove my (stock) CAT. Apparently the 2 bolts towards the
rear of my exhaust appear to permanantly be seized (welded?).


I have tried heating the 14mm nuts until cherry red, and they still
won't
come loose off of the CAT's studs.


I stripped them using an impact. And have destroyed what lest with vice
grips...


Anyone not ever able to remove their CATS?


I guess my stock exhaust will be going back on this weekend, if i can't
get
my CAT free. (I have a turbo exhaust waiting to go on...)


The extra money for a hi-flow cat is not in my budget right now.


Any tips appreciated.


And yes, both nuts are stripped :-(


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please notify (email redacted).
***********************************************************************










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This read-only message was archived from a public mail list.
Mail From: (email redacted)

Don't bother with stainless metric, they're too expensive.

I used 3/8 X 1 3/4" stainless, and the bolt, nut and lock washer (the kind
Ian says don't really work) were $1.50 instead of almost $5 for metric.

I got them at a decent hardware store that had a full line of Hillman
hardware (the stuff in the bins and drawers).

-----Original Message-----
From: Ian McCloghrie [mailto:(email redacted)]
Sent: Wednesday, March 10, 2004 3:53 PM
To: Burgess, Michael L.
Cc: '(email redacted) '; '(email redacted) '
Subject: Re: Help plz, i've tried heat, impact, vice grips,
hacksaw...what am I donig...


On Mar 10, 2004 "Burgess, Michael L." wrote:
> I think I may have already destroyed one of the studs....foolishly I
bought
> mazda OEM exhaust nuts...only to realize they are some type of self
locking
> nut.
>
> Where can I buy 14mm ss nuts w/ lock washers? Home depot?

Spring "lock" washers are nothing of the sort, they do
essentially nothing. The only kind of locking fastener that's going
to work with that much heat are the "squished" jetnuts that Mazda
supplies (well, you could use safety wire if you really wanted).

Home Depot and your local hardware store aren't going to stock
stainless metric fasteners. Look for a specialty metric supply house.
If you want online, mcmaster.com might stock them.

--Ian

This read-only message was archived from a public mail list.
Mail From: "Burgess, Michael L." <(email redacted)>

I'm gonna try a nutcracker

sears.com/sr/javasr/product.do?BV_UseBVCookie=Yes&vertical=TOOL&p
id=00904772000

If that doesn't work....i'll break out the 11amp sawzall (just got home from
home depot..heh)

Mike

-----Original Message-----
From: Ian McCloghrie
To: Jim Wilson
Cc: '(email redacted) '
Sent: 3/10/2004 5:23 PM
Subject: Re: Help plz, i've tried heat, impact, vice grips, hacksaw...what
am I donig...

On Mar 10, 2004 Jim Wilson wrote:
> Ian,
> What is a "squished" jetnut?

"squished" is what I call it, it's not a technical term. :)

Essentially if you look through the nut, the hole in the center is
oval. The major axis is slightly larger than a normal nut for that
size, the minor axis is slightly smaller. When you thread it onto a
bolt, the nut deforms elastically into a circle. This deformation
provides a force that clamps the nut onto the bolt and prevents it
from walking off.

--Ian


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