Headers

youngy · Post by **youngy** » Tue Jun 26, 2007 2:00 pm

any tips on getting the stock headers off?

the nuts cames off no problem. can't get the collars off - well one side of one is free. fast running out of WD40 and patience.

trixynut · Post by **trixynut** » Tue Jun 26, 2007 4:08 pm

Martin,

Do a site search on this one: been covered before.

Collars can 'weld' to studs due to heat. Rubber hammer, heat, wd40 and using the downpipes themselves as a lever to put pressure behind collars works eventually, but no magic trick to it.

Dave.

youngy · Post by **youngy** » Tue Jun 26, 2007 4:50 pm

Cheers Dave. Had a look....lots of hard work methinks. Spent a few hours today trying but no progress. Always wanted a Dremel - have to get one now!

Greg · Post by **Greg** » Tue Jun 26, 2007 5:26 pm

Martin - just take care not to over-do it, it's very easy to fcuk the collars and studs ...

There have been plenty of postings in the past about this problem so you're not alone trust me!

The problem comes from electrolytic corrosion between the aluminium of the collar and the steel stud. The corrosion builds up and eventually compacts itself so much until there's a 'kind of' interference fit and it's a real fekker to release.

Before you douse it in WD40, try tapping the collar with a small pin hammer. You'll need to be woodpecker repetetive to do what it needs, but you should see a trickle of powder or reddy/grey dust come from around the stud. If you're lucky this will eventually allow enough of the oxide to fall out and hopefully let you wiggle the collar to finish the job. WD40 isn't too helpful at this stage as it simply wets the oxide and keeps it where you don't want it to be!

If on the other hand you have my kind of luck, then you'll free one stud like that and be bolloxed with the other one! When the ball-joint breaker didn't work, I resorted to cutting a wedge out of the collar (bloody difficult on account of the angle you have to saw at to get round the pipes) to get it off.

When I refitted the replacement pipes, I drilled larger holes in the collar and used liberal amounts of copper grease on the studs on re-assembly. I know there's an argument that the copper element in the grease promotes electrolytic activity, but after 2 years it was a piece of p!ss (relatively) to disassemble again..

HTH

Greg

youngy · Post by **youngy** » Tue Jun 26, 2007 5:36 pm

Cheers Greg. I'll be back on it tomorrow morning with the hitting stick. I'll give it a few more hours before I resort to cutting the collars up. Would be nice to have the stock system for MOT.

madivi · Post by **madivi** » Tue Jun 26, 2007 11:10 pm

This might come to late:
a) Have you tried heating the collars and adjacent barrel?
b) You can get rid of the oxyde using vinegar.
Cause you coated the lot with WD40 you have to remove it beforehand (e.g. with fuel or 'strong soap'). Otherwise the acid can't dissolve the oxyde. Let it react a day or so. Repeat maybe.

Good luck anyway

youngy · Post by **youngy** » Tue Jun 26, 2007 11:13 pm

Thanks madivi. Might try that......might just buy the Dremel..........

Now I'm in trouble........the only vinegar I could find was in the jar of pickled eggs. Would probably have been ok if Mrs Young hadn't caught me eating all the eggs. Oooops!

trixynut · Post by **trixynut** » Wed Jun 27, 2007 10:54 am

...if you've eat all the eggs, you can probably free it up by just breathing on it

youngy · Post by **youngy** » Wed Jun 27, 2007 12:42 pm

....she said it was an improvement........

youngy · Post by **youngy** » Wed Jun 27, 2007 8:29 pm

Dremel purchased. Collars cut to pieces. Headers off. Akra on!

Loud? Oh yes!

trixynut · Post by **trixynut** » Wed Jun 27, 2007 10:58 pm

Congrats!! But:

..if you've now not got a standard system in one piece but a 2-1 akra LOUD system, what you gonna do come MOT time?

Dave

youngy · Post by **youngy** » Wed Jun 27, 2007 11:16 pm

shut up!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

buy a legal can I expect......

jpe · Post by **jpe** » Thu Jun 28, 2007 8:26 am

martin young wrote:buy a legal can I expect......

Psst, try get your hands on an early R1 can (they're cheap). Then use the new Dremel on it to modify the inlet pipe to fit your Akra... or you could just borrow mine for the event

(yes, got Akra too but I sold my std headers...)

youngy · Post by **youngy** » Thu Jun 28, 2007 9:38 am

hmmmmmm now that sounds like a plan...............

Post by **phuk72** » Thu Jun 28, 2007 10:12 am

I wouldn't worry about buying a replacement can (or better yet a removable baffle) until it fails.

The standard Akra can is positively quiet next to my Devil (I'm not joking) and I've never had any 'real' problems