Date:         Fri, 15 Oct 2004 11:50:35 -0700
Reply-To:     Steve <laurasdog@WEIRDSTUFFWEMAKE.COM>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         Steve <laurasdog@WEIRDSTUFFWEMAKE.COM>
Subject:      Re: Breaking exhaust port bolt loose, 1.9L
Comments: To: Rocket J Squirrel <j.michael.elliott@ADELPHIA.NET>
In-Reply-To:  <4170125D.10000@adelphia.net>
Content-Type: multipart/mixed; x-avg-checked=avg-ok-59965B74;

At 11:09 AM 10/15/2004, Rocket J Squirrel wrote:

>Your advice is good, except my box wrench won't fit 'round the head of
>the bolt. I can get an open-end wrench on it, or a socket (at a slight
>angle), but the exhaust pipe is too close to get the box end on.

Sure a box wrench will fit it. You just need to take a grinder and
make a special VW exhaust nut wrench. I have 2 sizes, 13mm
and 1/2", which is slightly smaller than 13mm and fits tighter
on rusty old 13mm nuts.
Just thin the outside of the box until it fits where it needs to go.
I use a good quality wrench for this, not a cheap taiwanese one.
Don't thin it any more than necessary or it will be weak.
Looks like this one:
<http://www.weirdstuffwemake.com/automotive/vanagon/vw_exhaust_wrench.jpg>

>About heating a nut with a torch -- this would be a new technique to me.

Heat is your best friend for rusty exhaust hardware. Crank your propane
torch way up and heat the nut as quickly as you can. You want to get
the nut as hot as possible, but NOT the stud. The nut will expand and
break the rust bond. If you heat the nut and stud together, they expand
at about the same rate and it does little good.
An oxy-acetylene torch is much hotter and does a better job, but not
everyone has one.
A MIG welder is also a great nut removal tool if used carefully.
Use a hot setting and weld a big bead on one or 2 faces of the nut.
You can get the nut glowing hot in just a couple seconds this way
and often the nut will spin right off with gloved fingers or a vise grip.
Careful not to weld the nut to the stud. That's bad. ...
It takes practice. :-)

Steve
'86 Westy "Escape Pod"
'73 Beetle "ain't got a name yet"