0-200 exhaust removal help

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Gone Flyin

Pre-takeoff checklist
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Gone Flyin
My A&P and AI are telling me the 0-200's exhaust on my C150 "is not air worthy because the inner baffle is worn through" and needs to be replaced, on both sides. They will not sign off the annual until this is corrected.

There are four bolts or nuts holding each of the two of them on. Frankly, I'm losing sleep on what can possibly happen when we try to remove these after all these years.

These guys tell me they have no insurance "cause it's too expensive" so should any of these get broken off I'm left with a grounded plane and a massive bill.

I'm looking for some advice on several fronts. Tips for removing the exhaust and who will be responsible for a bad outcome?
 
Personally I would try gently just to take them off it may surprise you. Use a small enough wrench that you can't put too much torque on them to start. Penetrating oil and if that doesn't work heat. If they break they break . It is your airplane I would say you are responsible regardless. I don't see how you can blame a mechanic for the condition of bolts and nuts on your aircraft. I can't imagine any kind of insurance that would cover something like that.
 
Gone Flyin said:
I'm losing sleep on what can possibly happen when we try to remove these after all these years.
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If you're not confident in your current shop, tell them to sign off the annual and give you a list of discrepancies per 43.11(a)(5). Then find you a mechanic you feel better with and fix those disc.
Gone Flyin said:
These guys tell me they have no insurance "cause it's too expensive" so should any of these get broken off I'm left with a grounded plane and a massive bill.
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Don't quite follow. Why did you select a shop with no insurance? And why would you think if something gets broken it could be claimed on the insurance?
 
In the automotive world, torch, get the nuts cherry red, then an impact or a wrench with a hammer. But this is an airplane, so....
 
PB Blaster...soak nuts and studs...wait...repeat...be patient...if it takes a couple days for nuts to loosen is better than breaking the studs.
 
Gone Flyin said:
My A&P and AI are telling me the 0-200's exhaust on my C150 "is not air worthy because the inner baffle is worn through" and needs to be replaced, on both sides. They will not sign off the annual until this is corrected.

There are four bolts or nuts holding each of the two of them on. Frankly, I'm losing sleep on what can possibly happen when we try to remove these after all these years.

These guys tell me they have no insurance "cause it's too expensive" so should any of these get broken off I'm left with a grounded plane and a massive bill.

I'm looking for some advice on several fronts. Tips for removing the exhaust and who will be responsible for a bad outcome?
Click to expand...

I have twisted exhaust studs off continentals before and gotten the remainder of said broken studs out with reasonable effort without further time consuming disassembly, and I only have one hand...

Anyone that works on engines should have a pretty good grasp on how tackle exhaust studs, because practically all exhaust studs in exitance are corroded up, its just the nature of their duty.

That being said I want to try an inductive heater on them someday.

 
You don’t have to replace the whole exhaust, just the mufflers. There are two band clamps that hold the muffler onto the risers. Soak those bolts in PB Blaster over night then remove them.
 
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Grum.Man said:
You don’t have to replace the whole exhaust, just the mufflers. There are two band clamps that hold the muffler onto the risers. Soak those bolts in PB Blaster over night then remove them.
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That won't work. It needs to be fixed right. Each muffler has a welded-in riser.

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If the right nuts were used on those studs, they will come off easily enough. The old nuts were brass and wouldn't rust to the stud. Newer nuts are silver-plated and similarly seize-resistant. If someone has used AN nuts or something from Home Depot, you might end up paying a lot of dollars for the few dollars they saved.

Leaving the risers attached just lets everything get seized even worse, maybe doing a lot more damage a couple years later. I am always amazed at the cheap shortcuts owners want, leaving them angry at the shop later on when the cheap solution has caused further damage and far more expense.
 
Dan Thomas said:
That won't work. It needs to be fixed right. Each muffler has a welded-in riser.

If the right nuts were used on those studs, they will come off easily enough. The old nuts were brass and wouldn't rust to the stud. Newer nuts are silver-plated and similarly seize-resistant. If someone has used AN nuts or something from Home Depot, you might end up paying a lot of dollars for the few dollars they saved....
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Thanks, Dan for clarifying the type of hardware that should be there. When I get back to my hangar, I will take a closer look to see what I have in my plane. Then, maybe I can sleep better : )

... and thanks for the reply sans the put down others seem the need to add.
 
Be sure you have a universal joint for your socket extension. it is a little difficult to get to some of the nuts. Installing new mufflers before the end blows out is a good idea. Ask me how I know! :)
 
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