I know it's been posted a hundred times, but I can't find it with the search engine. I'm looking for options (cheap??) for an exhaust wrench. Who wants to get rid of a used one or knows what the new options are? thanks
IMO, you simply cannot do better than JT's tools at Northwoods: http://www.northwoodsairheads.com/Tools.html No, we are not related, nor do I get commision.
That looks great. Thanks for the heads up. On another note, the reason the exhaust is coming off is because I need to replace the pushrod seals. That means all the other gaskets will be replaced. Question is, how do I know before taking the cylinder off if I need the little o-rings that go around the top studs? I'm guessing my local BMW shop won't have them in stock and I'll need to order them.
Be forewarned, in all likelihood, the special wrench is not going to get them off, if they haven't been loosened in however many years (20? 30?) There's a good chance they are stuck and will need to be destroyed in removal. But there's always a chance you get them free, and from here on out you can crack them loose yearly and apply antisieze.
I believe my tube seals came with some, so cheap anyway. Check Hucky out and he will set you up with all the things you need. And if youre lucky (for the entertainment value) you will hear his wife yelling at him about the cat in the background. I love those guys.
man just get the o-ring seals and the cylinder base o-ring or gasket, don't be cheap and it's not worth taking the chance that your old ones will work ok. they won't, they've been compressed for how long. For the exhaust nuts, try heating them with a heat gun before removal. If you cannt get them loose then you'll have to split them, w/ a hack saw and ordremal w/ a cutoff wheel. Cut most of the way through then split w/ a chisel. the reason you'll stop just shy of cutting all the way through w/ a hack saw is to stay away from the exhast threads on the head. A chisel will bust the nut and allow it to be removed.. Hopefully you won't have to do this. Check the threads on the head as you don't want to cross thread, if threads are a little buggered up then you'll need to chase w/ a thread file. When putting exhaust nuts back on, coat the threads w/ anti seize.
I'm crossing my fingers I don't run into this problem. Seems to me they were removed at some point not long after getting the bike (can't remember why, I didn't do it) so I'm hoping it's only 8 years of neglect. Don't know how this one got away from me. Thanks for all the sourcing tips. I cleaned all the old oil away from the PR seals when I changed the oil pan gasket and now they leak like sieves. I've made a minor problem critical
JT's tool is made of steel, a genuine good-for-a-(couple of )-lifetime(s)..... I have also seen the original version of the tool in cast iron, cast bronze and cast aluminum, as well as a slick head-only that you could carry on the bike, and use with a lugnut or socket wrench handle... I thought I had a picture of that one, but cannot find it anywhere.... edit: found it! made by another ADV'r "HPMGuy"
I have JT's wrench, and it's a stout piece of tooling. And BTW, I batted .500 in luck department on my ST. One nut came off the first time, and the other had to be cut free as described above. Even heat wouldn't persuade it. And always keep in mind that yes you can always put enough torque to the wrench to get the nut off, but at some point it may bring the threads from the head along with it. If in doubt, sacrifice the nut.
This was the one I was thinking of! Guy rebuilt my drive shaft 10,000 miles ago and when I inspected it it was still looking brand new. I guess it'll come down to cost... So if I do have to cut the nut, what's the procedure for getting the rest out? dremel hack-and-chop bit by bit??
Once you cut the nut most of the way you use a hammer and chisel, hit it a few times till the see the remaining metal split. Once that happens you should be able to use the wrench to remove it. When it splits it will loosen the grip on the threads. If it still doesn't move (which I doubt you'll have this problem) you'll need to cut another split in the nut preferably 180 degrees from the 1st, then it has to come off.
In my case, the stuck nut came loose after the first cut. Cutoff wheel in a die grinder as close as I dared get to the threads, then popped it open with a cold chisel. After that it unscrewed just fine. I think I did have to deburr a thread or two with a triangular rat tail file just to cleanit up for he new nut to turn freely. With luck, though, you won't have to learn this kind of surgery yet.
I wouldn't risk it. If you've never had them off, then cut them loose and buy two new ones at $30 each. In a pinch, you can use the old ones you cut loose to install the new ones with either chain grip or channel grip pliers. If you don't take this advise when removing the left one, then DO consider it on the right. They always seem to seize on the right side for some reason. If you are exerting what seems like a lot of force to remove the collar, it is probably b/c you are ripping the threads off the cylinder head.
I bought this one, and it fits my '88 and '95 exhaust nuts fine. It WILL NOT fit the older exhaust nuts with bigger fins. I don't know what the changeover year was, but I know the /5 fins are too big. Jim
I'll give it a try, keeping in mind DON'T FORCE IT. Either way, I'll need this tool for next year, so I might as well start there. I should have noted, it's for my '93 GS.
Went through the same set of worries on my G/s with pushrod seals, went with the above wrench. I read all about the heat gun. Someone, Bless their soul, piped in to put the wrench in place with the lug in place and just start up the engine. I did, and the wrench nearly fell of it's own weight to loosen the nut. Before I could not budge the thing... Your results may vary of course, but you've got the bike right there and it knows how to get hot on it's own.
