Exactly... i.e. Work smart, not hard.

 

Another thing that may help is to have 2 guys on the end of the ratchet to apply more force if you have a second person available to help.

As was mentioned, heating it may cause you to break it off. Which can be a PITA if you snap it off in a place you don't want it to break and make the job even harder.

 

no man

-spray pb blaster...or wd40...or liquid wrench...whatever you choose. douse the bolts in the sprays. Let them "soak in" for as long as whatever the directions on the can say.

-work on the bolts when everything is stone cold...i.e. not after a drive

-use a "cheater bar" on your wrench. ( this is a cheater bar Cheater bar - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia )


there is no bolt that wont come off with the combination above ^^^ the "cheater bar" I use is 6 foot long steel pipe that fits over my wrench handle.


the whole "heating" thing...you usually do this on axle nuts or crank pulley nuts. you heat what goes through . i.e. you heat the nut while you leave the stud/bolt cold. you cant do this on the exhaust pipes nuts because the nuts are just too small for convenience if you heat the nut and bolt together, you can snap the stud .

i dont know what you are talking about by "brace". just twist that wrench mang

 

Thanks for the summary, im a noob. Ive never done anything to a car before this so its all new! Im aware of a cheater bar, my friend who was doing it with me kept refering to it as a snipe. When i try to twist the bolt with the long extension, the extension tends to bend and push on the engine block, which they just pushed the engine block to the side. So im losing alot of force. by brace i mean putting something on two solid spots in the engine bay (which im not sure where they are) so when i turn the ratchet, it stays straight and leans against the brace instead of the engine block.

 

Did anyone get thier test pipes/ HFC's installed at the dealers? if so what did they quote you?

 

Pb blaster, a bunch of 1/2" extensions and some universal joints, and a 24" breaker bar, along with my big guns = an easy task for me lol

 

Many dealers won't touch this job. Mine charged $250.

 

its a legality part that is non compliant that is why they wont touch it

 

This install is a PITA for sure. The upper studs on the OEM cats will likely break especially if you use an impact wrench to remove them. There is just not a lot of space to turn wrenches. It is doable. You just need the right tools.