Exhaust bolts

[Anonymous]

I had about 4 exhaust header bolts break when i overhauled my 83 gsx. They looked like they'd been left int he sea for a year or two!.
anyways, a guy i knew at work got them out for me using a tig welder to weld a bit of bar to the broken studs, needed a few goes each but worked a treat - kinda strange to see the remains of a stud glowing red hot down in the head!.
Oh yeah, my mate did se to work on formula 1 race engines and gearboxes, so was pretty skilled at extracting seized studs!

[Jethro]

I have a strange problem in the other direction- I replaced all my exhaust bolts with nice socket cap bolts and used anti-seize. Now the friggin' bolts loosen up every 50 miles! I am beginning to like the idea of exhaust studs.

[Anonymous]

Getting bolts to stick

When I used to have bolts on my bicycle that wouldn't stick I would put a dab of nail polish on them. Not on the threads but where the bolt head hits metal. It would keep the bolt from twisting in place but didn't stick enough that it took any more effort to remove. Luckily all my friends in high school also had nail polish in their tool kits so nobody questioned my having a bottle.




I am new to motorcycles so there is a great deal of not knowing what I am talking about with this suggestion.

[retrex]

Loose bolts

I have a strange problem in the other direction- I replaced all my exhaust bolts with nice socket cap bolts and used anti-seize. Now the friggin' bolts loosen up every 50 miles! I am beginning to like the idea of exhaust studs.

Did you intall new lock washers? The reason I ask is that I did the same as you, except I installed lock washers and I haven't noticed a problem. Did you use the black socket caps or stainless?

[terry]

Re: Loose bolts

I have a strange problem in the other direction- I replaced all my exhaust bolts with nice socket cap bolts and used anti-seize. Now the friggin' bolts loosen up every 50 miles! I am beginning to like the idea of exhaust studs.

Did you intall new lock washers? The reason I ask is that I did the same as you, except I installed lock washers and I haven't noticed a problem. Did you use the black socket caps or stainless?

That's it mate, I used stainless everything (those black buggers'll rust if you hold 'em in your sweaty palm too long) including new spring washers and of course, anti-sieze compound, and last night I dropped the exhaust (race pipe) to do it's annual oil and filter change in preparation for Summer (Spring here in Oz now) and they all came out beautifully! Cheers, Terry. :twisted:

[Robert Corrie]

To keep the socket cap or "Allen" type bolt from backing out drill a small hole through the side into the socket area, then saftey wire them. Go from side to side along the top and bottom.That way the wire doesnt rub on the exhaust.

[retrex]

Re: Loose bolts

That's it mate, I used stainless everything (those black buggers'll rust if you hold 'em in your sweaty palm too long) including new spring washers and of course, anti-sieze compound, and last night I dropped the exhaust (race pipe) to do it's annual oil and filter change in preparation for Summer (Spring here in Oz now) and they all came out beautifully! Cheers, Terry. :twisted:

I have been thinking about rebolting/nutting my entire bike with stainless. I have already gotten rid of the stupid factory OEM phillips head screw type fasteners for the case covers and replaced them with polished stainless socket head fasteners, looks great and no more rust. I have concerns about the different physical properties between stainless and what's there already for the high stress nuts and bolts, say on the frame/engine interfaces. Is stainless to brittle to use here? Any insights from you or anyone else on the subject would be much appreciated.

[terry]

G'Day Mate, I use stainless bolts and nuts wherever I can, and have had no problems. Stainless is more brittle than mild steel, but to be honest, I've never seen one snap either.

I've read that you shouldn't use stainless fasteners on safety items like shocker mounts or brake calipers/discs, but I'm trying to think of a situation extreme enough to warrant this caution?

Up to you mate, a lot of manufactuerers are using stainless fasteners nowadays, so unless some engineer can convince me otherwise, I'll continue to use them. Cheers, Terry. :twisted:

[retrex]

Stainless steel replacements.

G'Day Mate, I use stainless bolts and nuts wherever I can, and have had no problems. Stainless is more brittle than mild steel, but to be honest, I've never seen one snap either.

I've read that you shouldn't use stainless fasteners on safety items like shocker mounts or brake calipers/discs, but I'm trying to think of a situation extreme enough to warrant this caution?

Up to you mate, a lot of manufactuerers are using stainless fasteners nowadays, so unless some engineer can convince me otherwise, I'll continue to use them. Cheers, Terry. :twisted:

Thanks Terry, I guess unless an engineer wants to put in .02 I will have to play it by ear.

[hp1000s]

You can always tell a seasoned outboard motor mechanic, because he won't start tearing apart a saltwater use powerhead(large chunk of aluminum w/ all S.S. fasteners) without the Bernz-o-matic propane torch and impact driver for the initial attack. I personally subscribe to the anti-sieze/safety-wire method of exhaust bolt retention...never broke a bolt.
Hugh

[duaneage]

I helped change exhaust on a 650L earlier this year. I used my impact screw driver with a 1/2 inch drive 10 mm socket. This worked really well, the bolts all came out without a fuss. I had the owner soak them good with wd-40 the night before. I was not about to remove a head and have a machine shop bore them out at my expense. If it works for the phillips head screws why not the exhaust bolts?

Easy outs are an oxymoron. If a bolt is tight enough to snap off the head why on earth would a SMALLER bit of metal have enough strength to loosen it in the second place. Complete waste of money.

When the day comes for pipes on my 650 I am studding the head and saying goodbye to those bolts. Honda used studs on their engines and had far fewer problems.

[danbouck]

I'm a big fan of drill and tap

[Jethro]

I have found that PB Blaster is the best pentrating oil. Light years beyond Liquid Wrench.

[Eliseo Monteverde]

Re: Loose bolts

I have a strange problem in the other direction- I replaced all my exhaust bolts with nice socket cap bolts and used anti-seize. Now the friggin' bolts loosen up every 50 miles! I am beginning to like the idea of exhaust studs.

Did you intall new lock washers? The reason I ask is that I did the same as you, except I installed lock washers and I haven't noticed a problem. Did you use the black socket caps or stainless?

That's it mate, I used stainless everything (those black buggers'll rust if you hold 'em in your sweaty palm too long) including new spring washers and of course, anti-sieze compound, and last night I dropped the exhaust (race pipe) to do it's annual oil and filter change in preparation for Summer (Spring here in Oz now) and they all came out beautifully! Cheers, Terry. :twisted:

Same here

[DaveDanger]

Gonna toss in my two cents here as an aircraft mechanic. There are a variety (over 250 types) of stainless steels available. With a variety of corrosion resistant or heat resistant properties. Take a look at the following link and read a tiny bit of what is taken into consideration. This link in particular deals with racing header pipes and their fabrication, but it applies to hardware as well.

http://www.burnsstainless.com/TechArticles/Stainless_article/stainless_article.html

My advice is to look for a "321" grade of (austenitic) stainless hardware when shopping for it. It may take more than a stop at Home depot or the local hardware store.

I always use anti-seize with any exhaust system hardware, regardless of the material. safety-wire is a good step as well.