Header rusted tight... expensive repair?

[crawler]

I have an '06 SM, 16K miles on the clock. You may have read on other threads that I was going to upgrade my stock exhaust to a Scorpion exhaust system, owing to a rusty header. Anyhow, the stud/nut came off after a fashion, the bolt on the awkward side has flaked mostly away has a rounded off hex and is fixed solid.

I spoke to a mechanic who happily discussed the matter with me, saying the worse case scenario is that if he can't get it out and has to send the motor off to some engineers to drill out and re-thread the hole for me... which will take a long time to do... plus expense of all the labour involved.

Anyone here had this problem?

Is the world coming to an end for my bank account?

[iowaBClivewire]

I for one have the tools and know-how to fix this

[William1]

PB Blaster (or another high quality pentrant), soak it in. Use a torch to heat the nut and it will come off. Thing is because of the location, the radiator will need to be removed and it is possible the old header will need to be cut to provide enough room. When you put it back together, replace the one stub, use a new Allen nut and bolt. Be sure to coat the threads with anti-seize. This is important on any fastener on the exhaust.

[fastgun]

PB Blaster was my first thought also. But, do not expect to spray it on and begin removing the stuck rusted pieces. Some times you must spray it on and let it soak in and repeat this process several times...many times over several hours or maybe even a day or two.

[crawler]

Cheers, I don't have a torch or as much skill/tools as you mentioned so I'll leave it in the hands of the mechanic. I'll be sure to replace those nuts every 6 months if it needs be. I have bought the OEM stud+nut & bolt.

Is there any way of preventing them rusting like this again? Are there aftermarket rust resilient alternatives?

[iowaBClivewire]

rite ... if you do not have the tools than paying some one is cheeper than buying all the tools if you realy have no idea how to use the tools

but you can always lurn how

[JEB1962]

Don't give up on it. After the one side is loosened, the other side pretty much just sits there without clamping force. PB blaster or some other penetrant lubricant along with time will help you get that sucker outta there. After it soaks a while, tap on it with some kind of extension to help free it up. Cleaning out the allen hole thoroughly will help, sometimes the difference from a metric size to a standard size allen will let you get another size in there tight enough to turn it.

Unless you have money to spare or don't have the time, patience, or tools, some determination should get it out of there. I just went through the exact thing last summer. It was a pain but I managed to do it without expense.

Good luck to you!

[crawler]

I don't have a garage or anywhere indoors/sheltered to work (still wintery here in England), and I don't have many tools.. and the drz is my only vehicle. I'm kind of busy and the problem running in the back of my mind is killing me. Of course I'd love to be able to solve it alone but I rather the job be done with so I can move on to the next problem than sitting on it.

I'm prepping the bike for a long trip this summer and want it to be tip-top shape for when I set off.

[ptgarcia]

Is there any way of preventing them rusting like this again? Are there aftermarket rust resilient alternatives?

When you put it back together, replace the one stub, use a new Allen nut and bolt. Be sure to coat the threads with anti-seize. This is important on any fastener on the exhaust.

?

I use these:

[MattB1969]

Use this: Kroil/AeroKroil Loosens Frozen Metal Parts! Spray the crap out of it with this stuff and you will get it loose; soak overnight or just a few hours...I swear by this stuff: http://www.kanolabs.com/ ? Good luck!

[ROUNDEYEHELMETHEAD]

Cheers, I don't have a torch or as much skill/tools as you mentioned so I'll leave it in the hands of the mechanic. I'll be sure to replace those nuts every 6 months if it needs be. I have bought the OEM stud+nut & bolt.

Is there any way of preventing them rusting like this again? Are there aftermarket rust resilient alternatives?

even one of the small propane torches sold @ hardware stores, etc. for plumbing use will provide enough heat for what you're doing here.

about $15.

not trying to persuade you. if you feel it's better off in someones elses hands, that's your decision.

[fttam]

Use this: Kroil/AeroKroil Loosens Frozen Metal Parts! Spray the crap out of it with this stuff and you will get it loose; soak overnight or just a few hours...I swear by this stuff: http://www.kanolabs.com/ Good luck!

I've always had great luck with Kroil ?

[crawler]

Hey guys thanks for your support, I will be taking the bike in to the mechanic in about an hour and see how she & he get on.

Funny, we do get Loctite out here, but Kroil, AeroKroil and PB Blaster... I've never heard of them here. I'm sure we have something similar. I'll ask the guy.

If the weather was better, and I had more than 4 hours to spare to work on the bike any given week I'd be more inclined to try the torch technique. I'll keep you posted on the expense soon.

[crawler]

To sum up: I took the bike in yesterday morning, they left it in soak in that heavy penetrant stuff until today... used some fancy tool which they didn't bother mentioning to me some sort of nut gripping tool... either that or a bolt extractor. They had mentioned if the bolt sheered off they'd have to send it off the engine to be drilled and helicoiled at some engineering firm. Thankfully, that didn't happen.

Total damage: £92 (not the end of the world at all)

[Goebz]

Hmm what's that in $US like 10 bucks?

LOL

[Inch_Speller]

Ouch! Makes me wanna go check mine in the morning and £92 is about $140

[crawler]

The good news btw, the old pipe was totally salvaged. I spent 30-40 minutes on the sandblaster removing the rust off the header... ready for eBay. hehe.. should offset the labour expenses.