Onan muffler stuck on exhaust pipe

[Ron]

Sent: 02/09/2006

I have found a new muffler for the Onan.   The old muffler seems to be cemented or rusted on to the exhaust pipe.   I've used heat, rapping the joint with a drift punch and a ball pean, rapping the tail of muffler back and forth (but not too hard), and  more than a liberal amount  of tiny-but-loud four-letter words of Anglo-Saxon heritage.   Any more (or better) hints?    Thanks, Ron.

[Henry]

Sent: 02/09/2006 

Use some kind of penetrating oil to see if that helps. I just had to use a chisel to split the muffler pipe, and that works. I assume you do not want to save the old muffler.

Henry

[Cooneytoones]

Sent: 02/09/2006

PB Blaster is the best to break through old rusted parts...it is more expensive than WD 40, but works better than WD 40 on badly rusted things......soak it, try to move it, repete, also using in conjunction with PB BLASTER, the right combination of cuss words. Good luck.....took me three days on and off, of soaking w/ PB Blaster, sweating and cussing to get the three blades off my lawn mower.....finally found the right combination of words....

Good Luck,
Timmy

[Slantsixness]

Sent: 02/09/2006

If the original muffler was installed with a regular muffle clamp, the pipe may never come apart. the clamp may have dimpled a ring around the headpipe and the muffler pipe...
What I do is use an air die grinder (commonly known as a "whizzer", but the safety's ans the disc guard are NOT installed... sometimes referred to as a "death wheel" ), and cut the muffler off, then still using the whizzer,  make a cut in  the outside pipe but not through the headpipe, and peel the muffler pipe end off the headpipe.

once this is done, remove whatever cement or sealer there is , and use a pipe straightener to get the crimp out.... If you're careful, a piecee of steel pipe and a ball peen hammer will work well enough... shove the similarly sized pipe into the headpipe and work the crimp out. (knowing how to straighten metal with a dolly helps here... it would take too long to describe the process here)

Of course, you can cut the muffler and take the headpipe off completely, take it to a decent muffler shop and they can fix it for you pretty quick, too. (but I prefer doing it myself)

one last thing...

Since this is an Onan Genny pipe, it's too small for the common pipe straighteners you can buy at tool and parts stores, that's why I didn't mention using one....

Tom

[DaveVA78Chieftain]

Sent: 02/09/2006

Cut it off with a hacksaw of course.

[Slantsixness]

Sent: 02/09/2006

Usually there's not enough room to work with a hacksaw, and working with just a blade will just make you yell expicatives. I like the dangerous little death wheel.... but always with eye protection and gloves...

[tatkin]

Sent: 04/09/2006

I know those little dremel tools can do a heck of a lot.  You may want to take a look at the different ? bits that can be put on those ...

[Slantsixness]

Sent: 05/09/2006

Actually the "Death wheel" is a straight air grinder/cut off tool.

I have the air die grinder too.... it's far too weak to cut 20 gauge steel, and the cutting discs for it only last for about a minute!

I have several of the little Hacksaw blade handy tools. When cutting curved metal with them though, the balde either breaks or comes loose from the front keeper, and then your knuckes get it... but they're great for little things like Aluminum trim, cutting off medium and light gauge Screws etc...
I still like the regular old hacksaw and little coping saws for hand working either metal or even wood.

Tom