exhaust removal

[Alexander94]

Good evening to you all.

I need to replace the swing arm on my naked 2001 SV650 but I've hit a snag. I can't get the exhaust off... I've got a Haynes manual and it states that you need to remove the front down pipe, slight problem there, someone (possibly of low intelligence) seemingly decided it would be a good idea to weld the nuts onto the studs of the front cylinder... So removing that down pipe is out of the question.

Does anyone know how to get around this problem? I have a donor bike so if I damage the middle section of the exhaust it won't be the end of the world but I'd rather keep it intact!

[Bibio]

thats not a problem as now the studs act like a bolt. unless that is they have welded the nuts to the flange then you have a problem.

[Alexander94]

I'm pretty sure they're welded to the flange...

[Alexander94]

I'll take some pictures when I get home

[Alexander94]

This is what the left nut (looking at the bike from the front) looks like. Hopefully someone will be able to shed some light on this...

[Bibio]

dont look welded to me they just look rusted to fek. have fun getting them off :-)

[Alexander94]

i thought it looked welded, that's a relief, kind of... I really don't want to take the risk but I have to.

[Jayneflakes]

They look rusted, not welded.

A mini grinder will cut through that nut and leave you a nice stud that you can put a stud extractor on and then replace with a nice shiny new one.

When I took my exhaust off, I found that it was the bolt under the engine that was the real problem. Luckily Aunty Grinder came out to play and I cut off the offending nut and replaced it with a shiny stainless one.

[Alexander94]

I feel silly now, I really thought that it looked welded... Oops! I suppose that's my only option really, I hate having to remove exhaust nuts and bolts cos I always seem to snap them then I end up in even more trouble

I had the same problem with an old bike too, I don't see why manufacturers don't see sense and use stainless as standard... Yeah it's more expensive but it's worth it.

is a stud extractor the same as a damaged bold extractor? (possibly a silly question but I want to get the right thing)

[Alexander94]

I think I'll probably try and bring the nuts down enough to get a spanner on then see if I can extract the studs that way and replace them with shiny ones ;)

[Alexander94]

Grind* not bring, damn autocorrect

[Alexander94]

I'll order some. New studs, nuts and washers so I'm prepared.
I've heard of people using 45mm studs with brass nuts. I like the idea of brass to help with corrosion. Is 45mm the recommended stud size?

[Bibio]

brass is brittle and it also corrodes. use stainless studs, nuts and you'll be fine.

you might want to replace the gasket while your there as the last thing you want is to do the job only to have to take it off again due to a failed gasket. dont use those stupid copper ring ones, get the crushable fibre ones. another thing you might have to replace is the connecting sleeves on the joints but it depends on the condition of them.

[Alexander94]

Thank you for that, the gaskets didn't even cross my mind. You may have saved me a fair amount of time and frustration there! This is making the cost grow and grow, hopefully the spending will end soon
All stainless it is then, makes it a bit easier than ordering different things from different places

[CodeJACK]

brass is brittle and it also corrodes. use stainless studs, nuts and you'll be fine.

you might want to replace the gasket while your there as the last thing you want is to do the job only to have to take it off again due to a failed gasket. dont use those stupid copper ring ones, get the crushable fibre ones. another thing you might have to replace is the connecting sleeves on the joints but it depends on the condition of them.


Out of interest, whats the problem with the copper ones? I got some off geebay and was going to fit them.

[Alexander94]

I would presume that the fibre ones conform to any imperfections in the metal better than copper so you get a better seal. That's just a guess though

[ClunkintheUK]

Sorry to resurrect, but I am in exactly the same position. My header nuts are rust welded to the stud and basically a giant lump of rust. Ive gotten some of the rust off, but I doubt I'll be able to get a good purchase on the bolt. Did you manage to get them out? If so, how?

[Alexander94]

Hi mate.
I ended up cutting the studs off to get the exhaust off then I bought an impact stud extractor (made by Laser and cost £22 but you can get them cheaper) to get the studs out, then cleaned up the area and replaced the studs with some nice stainless that have an Allen head on the end to screw them in easier (they were about £4 for a pack of 5 I think) and I finished it off with some stainless flanged nuts (about £3 for a pack of 10)

Sometimes you can grind down the original nut to get a spanner on it then unscrew the stud that way so it might be worth doing that then cut it off if it won't budge.

All of this is just what I've done and it's worked for me, I'm not a professional by any stretch of the imagination so there are probably better ways of doing it.

Hope this helps

[yamrdtez]

This is what the left nut (looking at the bike from the front) looks like. Hopefully someone will be able to shed some light on this...

your not on your own, they are a carbon copy of my flange nuts. why can't the japs just use stainless in the first place and save us this agro.
take your time when cutting/removing these it could easily end in disaster.
good luck and let me know how you get on

[ClunkintheUK]

Do you need an impact driver, or will the impact stud extractor work with a normal ratchet? Sorry if it's a silly question, but I haven't come across them before.

[Alexander94]

Because stainless fasteners cost a tiny bit more than mild steel fasteners...
Yeah, taking your time is key. I went a bit too fast and caught the flange with the grinder, luckily I had a spare down pipe and flange though haha

It's not a silly question. You can use a normal 1/2" ratchet. I prefer the idea of using a ratchet anyway because you're fully in control of how much force you put on it. I've used mine a few times now and it's quite a handy tool to have

[ClunkintheUK]

How is best to cut them off, I can see getting an angle grinder in there for the right hand nut, but the left hand seems a bit tight, or are you better off taking your time and using a hacksaw?

[Alexander94]

I used an angle grinder and had a problem with the left one. I also used a dremel with a cutting disc and a grinding stone, a file and tried grabbing it with mole grips too
Just take it slowly and be careful, if you've got the patience you'll be able to do it without damaging the flange

[wideguy]

I'd use a straight die grinder and a course stone small enough to fit in, but big enough to grind off the weld.

I'm not sure that's even the way I'd approach it. Do you have some pictures from the side? Of both ends?

[fchat63]

Hi,
Reckon I've got the same problem, where can I get the stainless studs and nuts from and what size are they? Found the stud extractor on the interweb.
Cheers,

[Alexander94]

Hi, I got the studs and nuts off eBay. The studs that I got are M8 x 45mm and the nuts are M8 flange nuts, all stainless and cost about £6 in total if I remember rightly.
I'll try and find them in my purchases and post the item numbers

[Alexander94]

These are the studs, I thought they were 45mm but they might have been 40mm, i've got one left in my garage so I'll measure it to confirm. Pack of 5 for £4 delivered
EBay item number: 301358346021

M8 Stainless flange nuts, pack of 10 for £1.65 (this supplier is really good, I've used them a lot)
EBay item number: 150792649468

Hope this helps guys :)

[fchat63]

Nice one, I'll be ordering them this weekend.
Thanks

[Sam Vimes]

Does anyone have any tips on removing the pipe from the head. I have gotten the bolts/nuts off my front header pipe on a Gladys but the pipe doesn't want to budge. Nowt wrong with it I was just going to give it a damned good clean up but it might be an idea to get it moving before I have to in anger !

[Alexander94]

Hi Sam. I don't really know for a Gladius, all I can say is make sure that all the nuts and bolts are off. I had to tap the pipe with a mallet as close as possible to the head.
Have you undone the part where the front header joins the centre part of the exhaust? (if that's how it is on a Gladys)

[Alexander94]

Basically, hitting it side to side should help to wiggle it out

[ClunkintheUK]

I was just coming back with the same problem. I managed to grind/cut off enough of the offending nuts and studs to tap the rest of the nut off. Front pipe won't shift in the head. I'll take a rubber mallet to it.

[ClunkintheUK]

I was wandering how hard you can hit it though?

[Sam Vimes]

Hi Sam. I don't really know for a Gladius, all I can say is make sure that all the nuts and bolts are off. I had to tap the pipe with a mallet as close as possible to the head.
Have you undone the part where the front header joins the centre part of the exhaust? (if that's how it is on a Gladys)


Yeah, should be similar to the SV as it uses the same engine. Just a thought. I may have a go this weekend while SWiMBO is off annoying the Berkshire County Set !