Exhaust Pipe Clamp Removal?

sf340dvr · Joined: 05 Jul 2005 Posts: 57 Location: Appleton, WI

My muffler on my Volvo 940 came off the other day. The forward pipe piece on the muffler had rusted through at the weld. The good news was the muffler had a lifetime warranty, and was replaced for free! The bad news is, I have to install this myself, and I'm having trouble getting that little piece of muffler pipe and clamp that's still attached to my exhaust. I just need to remove that to install the new muffler. I've tried hammering it to death, but the clap won't budge. I thought this was something I could easily do myself, because that clamp only has to move 1" to slide off the end of the pipe. There is no way I can unbolt it, because the clap is too rusty!

Thanks in advance fr any advice!

handnhammer · Joined: 13 May 2006 Posts: 60 Location: Ann Arbor, MI

You need to cut off the pipe clamp! When exhaust pipe clamps are installed, they are tightened so much that a dimple is put in the pipes from the clamp. Because the clamp is "embedded" in this dimple, it will be impossible to just hammer it off the end. Even after you remove the pipe clamp the little peice of pipe won't just slide off because of that dimple. You need to cut this too! You can accomplish this a couple of ways:

Use a angle grinder with a metal cutoff wheel. Though your exhaust is usually in a confined place and it's hard to get in with a big angle grinder!
Instead of a big angle grinder you can use a rotory tool with a cutoff wheel, such as a Dremel. Their much smaller to get into tight places, and you can have more control over its use so you don't cut into the underlying pipe.
Use an old, but still sharp, wood chisel to cut through the pipe. Exhaust pipe is made with a relatively soft, thin steel, and you can cut through it by chiseling from one end of the pipe piece to the other.

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