Exhaust replacement

Well I'll keep everyone updated with what happens and any tips I obtain from doing it. It's a full exhaust replacement I'm going to do on Monday. I have every clamp, bracket, gasket, all marine grade fixings. In my arsenal of weapons are an induction tool, laser stud extractor, rounded bolt bits and the Stomski drill jig!!

:stay: Looking forward to your updates, I will be tackling my manifolds in the next few weeks. I should be out in the garage working on it now but currently building the Lego RSR instead :floor:

A Lego rsr!??! That sound easier ! Unlike to have too many seized bolts. In all honesty I've been putting it off all year but I'm determined nows the time. My friends an engineer and he'll help. Today he asked 'has anyone managed to remove all twelve without any snapping' I admire his optimism! As misplaced as it obviously is

Ditto, looking forward to seeing how you get on.... looking at you parts box you certainly seem to be going the whole way with new brackets etc. And that's a comprehensive range of tools aimed at the manifold and bracket studs. Is the induction tool included to get some heat into the studs and get some temperature difference between them an the aluminium block? I would be interested to know what year/mileage your 996 is, and what manifold/silencer you have chosen in moving away from OEM. This project is on my longer term 'to do' list. Are you on a ramp or axle stands?.... and when you say Monday, do you have Tuesday and Wednesday in reserve?! Best wishes for a successful (and well documented) day (or so).

My theory with the induction tool is that some heat will help although I think if they snap and leave something for me to grab hold of with the stud extractor then it'll work well. It'll be less effective with the manifold in place I think as some heat will disperse into the flange although without having done it before I'm somewhat speculating! I have a unit for work (I'm a joiner) that I've fitted with a four post ramp so that's a big help, my friend is a good mechanical engineer so it's always good to have a bit of moral support. I'm competent with the spanner's but I work on motorcycles so it's a step into new territory but efffectively I need to undo a lot of bolts, some of which are seized?! It maybe a Porsche but Harry Potter didn't build it with a wand! I'll try a few things, heat, rattle gun, 1/4 drive, 3/8, shocking bolts etc and report back. The cars a 3.4 with 90k on it and already has dansk boxes and top gear cats. I've gone for milltek boxes, top gear x pipe, toyosport chinese manifolds and everything else is brand new Porsche. I've accumulated it over a year so the brackets and frames are new old stock for various places at cheap prices but it's nice to know it's all new and shiny. Finally, yes I'll be there Monday and Tuesday I suspect and if it all goes horrible the car can sit there all month which is a nice luxury to have I guess.

I'm stepping into it eyes open, I know it won't be fun! That said I did install a new system on my 30year old nc30 motorcycle that's done 50,000 kilometres without snapping or stripping anything and those manifold studs are m5 fine thread. It's about being patient and understanding it's should take an hour but will probably take ten! I'd be over the moon if by Monday night it was all dissembled and ready for the new parts, in fact even if one side was ready I'd take that!

[quote="Today he asked 'has anyone managed to remove all twelve without any snapping' I admire his optimism! As misplaced as it obviously is[/quote] Me! Fortunately, all bolts (not studs & nuts) wound straight out. That said, I had been liberally spraying them with penetrating fluid for weeks in readiness for the big day. Not sure if being a Mezger block helped? I replaced all with titanium as this seems to be what is recommended. All other fixings throughout the exhaust system were screwed and it's a very trying job getting things separated but I got there in the end. Best of luck and just be as patient as possible and take as many breaks/days off as you need and you will get there in the end. :thumb:

That's great news! I'll tell him the gauntlet has been laid down and someone has spun them all out! He'll have his engineering brain into gear working out how we can't be beaten. I've been soaking them for a week with the new wd40 fast release stuff, it has great reviews. I also have two tins of pb blaster and some plus gas to use up on the job!! You could do with it on its roof ideally though, the angle of them doesn't help them with soaking.

The massive plus for me that I failed to mention is that the previous owner installed the cats and boxes with marine grade fixings so I'll be bumper off and all that removed fairly quickly. I've checked all those parts and fixings and they will spin straight off.

Should be a doddle then! I became an expert at pecking away at rusty, 'blobby', bolts with a light hammer, punch and small chisel. All carried out on my back in an unheated garage with my feet out in the February cold and wet.......fun times! :grin:

Well............it's been challenging!!!!

We are currently at the stage where one manifold is removed, every bolt snapped but not before we'd spent an age rounding them off!!! I was hammering 3/8 sockets on!! That's 9.5mm onto what would have been a 13mm. Honestly we had no chance and to be honest I was praying they'd just snap easy and then we could get on with the inevitable drilling!! Anyway they're all drilled out and half of them tapped so I'll finish that in the morning and then we'll drill out the other side and then Wednesday I'll have it all back together!! It's been tough, drilling with the jig is easy. Bit of setting up and don't go stupid with drilling but honestly easy. I wouldn't recommend trying this job if you don't have a ramp, aren't mechanically competent and if you don't have a jig.

Also doing it with your mate helps. This kind of work could do you in but we've genuinely pissed ourselves laughing all day about it!!!

To give an indication of how hard this job can be. My friend is a qualified motor mechanic but now works in the engineering industry with contracts on and off shore in energy. I've worked on cars and motorcycles for twenty odd years including Engine rebuilds on v twin Aprilias. It's fair to say we know which end of the ratchet to hold each of us. I soaked the bolts which I've always been dubious of, they're so welded in will it even penetrate past the flange to the thread. Got there early, bumper off, boxes off, cats off. All the time I was removing this lot Bruce was hammering the bolts with a bar to shock them down the thread. So on with the induction tool. Cycled all the bolts with heat. Heated again and then attempted to remove. Basically nothing moving at all, mostly rounding off if anything. There was a time I was concerned maybe I'd missed they were left hand thread!! Anyway Bruce breaks out the welder and welds nuts on, mostly two attempts with nuts, one had four attempts so these bolts have had a lot of direct heat and basically they all snapped. Out with the laser 1/2inch extractor tool and another two cycles of heat and .........snaps what's left flush. At that point I realised the futility of trying more and resigned myself to drilling!

Looks like you are getting the sh1tty end of the stick! Well done for persevering and having a great mate to share the pain. It will all be worth it in the end. What type of replacement fixings will you be using?