rtarb41323

Hello all,

2004 chevy malibu, with an exhaust flange gasket that is in need of replacement (half of it is missing, and it now sounds very loud).

The two exhaust flange bolts themselves are rusted in place, probably never to be removed again (see attached pic).

My thinking is this: I do have access to an angle grinder/cutting wheel, so I can cut the flange bolts, and separate the flanges.

--> Once I do this, how do I get the bolt halves out of their respective flange pieces?

Jake van Meter

If you never plan on removing it again, and have access to a fairly decent welder, and can weld decent, personally,,, i would cut that rusted crap outta there, buy a sleeve to go over the two ends, weld it and forget it...gasket be damned! Also, if you want to muffle the noise cheaply, you can buy an exhaust wrap made of fiberglass that will all but eliminate the noise, i found it at o-reily's for about $20 for like 10 ft. i think, but then again i am a redneck, if you want to do it the right way, plan on either replacing the studs, or purchasing a new piece...you could also just buy two bolts and nuts with lock washers, grind the old ones out, remove with a hammer and punch. be careful not to grind through the plate, and replace with new ones, use washers.

Jake van Meter

hey be careful too, if you plan on working with power tools underneath a vehicle. i was using a wire bristle head on a grinder one time, slipped and caught the inside of my wrist -lets just say, it bled like crazy, and felt fresh three days later.