I'm trying to install my new exhaust and I get under the car and relize the bottom bolt is COMPLETELY STRIPPED! The top bolt is rusted and the bottom two are new, so I'm guessing the guy before me tried to do something and screwed up. The furthest bottom one on the cat is stripped so bad that a vice can't even get it off. I don't know what to do or how to take it off now? Is there anything I can do?


Thank you so much!
Nick

 

You can pound out the existing bolts and get new ones from your local Honda dealer.

 

when i took my exhaust off the cat bolts were still stuck to the rest of the exhaust... i used a plasma cutter and then knocked them out, i dont know if you have access to one or can get your car lifted that high, but thats what i did.

 

See that's my problem... I only have the back jacked up with enough room for me to fit under there. I don't have a plasma cutter either. I'm guessing I just have to go to the muffler shop tomorrow and have them do it.

 

Spray the heck out of it with penetrating oil/ WD-40 etc. then at your local harware store you will need to buy bolt extractors. They look just like a socket, but have blades inside of them. It bites into the end of the bolt and then you ratchet it out.

 

Use a dremel to cut the bolt off... It will take a few cutting wheels, but it will work in a pinch.

Maybe $50 at a local hardware store. You'll find you use it for all kinds of things.

 

drilling the bolt out would be my next option if my previous one stated does not work

 

Yep cut it off, you can also rent one of them cutting tools if you don't want to own/buy one. Jack up one side first then work your way back, it helps to have a good space to work with.

 

We tried that... No luck. As for the dremel. I wish you would have told me that 5 minutes ago. I LITERALLY just took the car off the jack and took a shower. Tomorrow I'm just going to bring it to a muffler shop and have them do it, or if they're busy just see if I can do it myself with their lift and pay them for it. That is my main weakness... NO ROOM. Thanks for all the help and if I can't find a shop that will take my tomorrow I'll just come home and try to cut it off cause I'm not gunna wait 2 whole days. Any more suggestions though, keep them coming and TIA

 

The bolts are broken? Or are they stripped? If stripped, you can run a thread chaser to clean up the threads. If they are the stock bolts, they don't come off. They are pressed into the rear of the cat and stay there. You just take off the nuts. I've done about 1/2 a dozen exhausts on different S2000s. I always giver those nuts and bolts a good spray of Liquid Wrench and let it soak in for a few minutes before taking a wrench to them. I've never broken any of them.