Trying to change the Y-pipe in my 06 G sedan base. Anyone else have problems with the lower cat studs?

 

Heat em up! They sit at cat hot temps and you are trying to take them off cold.

 

^^^ +1. My passenger side came off easily with heat. My driver side was so rusted that the nuts were rounded piles of rust before I started. I just cut them and pounded the cut studs out.

 

Couple days worth of PB Blaster sprayed on them and an impact driver.

 

Both sides of mine were so rusted I had to cut them off, however I wasn't able to pound out the remnants. I figured if I ground off the other side then that would take care of the rest, but nope, the remnants are still in the flange hole. Unfortunately I haven't had time lately, so the car has been sitting in the garage on stands for the past few weeks. :-(

What size hammer did you use to pound them out? I'm worried about damaging the cat flange or even the manifold.

The pic below is the mid to Y-pipe connection, but the Y to cats were about the same.

 

^They say a picture is worth a thousand words and this kind of corrosion makes me happy I live in the south. That's some major BS right there.

 

 

gonna sound cheesy but i used whatever 16 or 20oz claw hammer i had sitting around and could swing under the car on stands. i just lightly tweaked one side of the cat flange but just banged it back after the stud was out. i didn't know any better so i wasn't really scared before i started trying to pound them out. i couldn't back up the flange with anything so that's about the only choice i had other than paying somebody to do it.

 

Cold chisels work great if you just want to take the studs off.

 

I should add you need to brace the flange so it doesn't just bounce around. Stacking short cuts of 2x4 behind it till it's wedged tight against the floorpans has always worked for me. Little more precise than a sawzall blade on a rolled flange.

 

I used the a Harbor Freight ball joint separator to get those studs out. Cut the nut off and leave a good amount of the stud still on. Then you put the arm against the stud and the u portion between the head of the stud. They'll pop out and sound like a gun. After trying for awhile with various other methods, I gave this a shot and once I got it the first time; I got the other three out in 5 minutes.

 

Thanks, I'll probably try that next.

 

I ordered one for $20 through Prime on Monday. I used it last night and it worked exactly as you said. I'm glad I was wearing eye protection because they really do come firing out. Thanks for the suggestion!

 

Thanks guys for all the feedback. Sorry for the late reply. So after countless hours I finally got it out. I had to result in getting a cutoff tool from amazon for 20 bucks and a pack of blades for 7 more. Now its on to installing the new one. Got it from FRsport.com for 80 bucks. Hopefully it'll be worth it. Made by Manzo (I never heard of them lol).