Exhaust Flange Nuts/Bolts

[RAT900]

OK one of the greatest mysteries on my 2002 Monster w/5K miles on it is the condition of the exhaust flange nuts

Both sets on the Vert and Horizontal cylinders are rusted to the point where they look like they belong on a car sitting in a junkyard since the 1950's

the nuts on the horizontal no longer have any definition to address with a wrench and the exposed threaded sections are crust  I am pretty confident that if I attack with vice-grips they will twist off leaving the threaded section in the head

the vertical cylinder nuts might be strong enough to come out insert and all as I don't think the nuts will spin off the rusted threaded sections

Is this unusual for them to get this bad? (I live on the water and the prior owner lived in the area as well)

Do I leave them alone until they snap and fail on their own

or do I attempt to pre-emptively get them out and replace them now??

Is there some way to get them out intact ??

or should I be prepared to drill them out and attempt reverse tap

or if they shear do I just drill out and go with threaded inserts?

[Speeddog]

I've never seen any that bad.
Undoubtedly, living near the water has accelerated the decrepitude.

Horizontal you can use a small cut-off saw to cut the nuts off.
Then penetrating oil, a little hammer therapy, and try to spin what's left of the studs out.
Remove shock to do the rear ones.

YMMV, it would be my approach, not a proven recipe. 

[bigiain]

the nuts on the horizontal no longer have any definition to address with a wrench and the exposed threaded sections are crust  I am pretty confident that if I attack with vice-grips they will twist off leaving the threaded section in the head

FWIW, I once hammered an appropriate sized socket onto my horizontal exhaust nut (I _knew_ I got the metric _and_ imperial socket set for a good reason! I'm _perfectly_ happy to butcher that 11/16" socket!) and it nicely took the stud out of the head for me.

big

[RAT900]

FWIW, I once hammered an appropriate sized socket onto my horizontal exhaust nut (I _knew_ I got the metric _and_ imperial socket set for a good reason! I'm _perfectly_ happy to butcher that 11/16" socket!) and it nicely took the stud out of the head for me.

big

That may be the best bet because I know the nut will not turn on the stud, it will either act as a bolt-head and take the stud out...

or if the stud is rusted as bad above the nut (in the flange plate) as it is below the nut,,,,it will just twist the stud until it snaps/shears

either way this is going to be a crap-shoot....could be a non-issue or I can be descending into drilling and tapping hell...that seems to be the way with anything on this bike

[ungeheuer]

Is there a reason you need to get em off right now?

[RAT900]

Is there a reason you need to get em off right now?

Not really other than concern that they will fail at some point

big believer in the event chain of:  neglect leading to disrepair leading to malfunction leading to collapse

[ungeheuer]

Not really other than concern that they will fail at some point

big believer in the event chain of:  neglect leading to disrepair leading to malfunction leading to collapse

hmmm.... well there's sense in em there words. 

But if its already gonna be a PITA to intervene...why not wait until it becomes an absolutely necessary PITA?  Just in case it never does? 

[Buckethead]

big believer in the event chain of:  neglect leading to disrepair leading to malfunction leading to collapse

Pfft... You and your "logic." 

[RAT900]

hmmm.... well there's sense in em there words. 

But if its already gonna be a PITA to intervene...why not wait until it becomes an absolutely necessary PITA?  Just in case it never does? 

True  the bolt that offers the greatest access suckage is the inside one on the vertical cylinder

and since I have the shock out I could get at it....but if I screw it up or it shears I will be in a really really lousy place anyway because there is no room to maneuver repair tools effectively with the motor in the frame

I think your thinking makes more sense...expedience

[RAT900]

Pfft... You and your "logic." 

...if there is a logical path to hell I will find it

[RAT900]

well anyway does anyone have the Ducati Part Number for the studs?

My local dealer has the nuts covered but cannot find a part # for the studs

I figure I will throw them in the spares box for the future...

[Buckethead]

I've heard tell of using a stainless bolt instead of a stud/nut. Less likely to rust. Just a matter of finding the right size.

[Drunken Monkey]

Huh, huh. You guys said "nuts"

Spray it down with a good penetrating oil, let it soak in, then attack it.

[Ddan]

^ +1, and some heat.  I got standard metric exhaust studs at the hardware store.

[He Man]

are you ever going to remove them for any reason other then aesthics? I would leave them alone, 18k in NYC and i live a block from the hudson, bike lives outside too and though the copper nuts dont have much left in them from just removing them twice, they still come off with easy if i use a vice grip. just replace the nuts the next time you have to remove them.