I'm trying to seperate the rear resonator from the pipe running thru the cage. Tried frying, soaking, twisting, swearing and god knows what more. All that's left now, is to cut the joint open, something I'm loath to do. Any suggestions. Manual just says "remove clamp and seperate resonator - yea right! Ian

 

Large screwdriver used as a chisel and a bfh, carefully as possible open areas around the connection and it will finally succumb. Straighten out ends as needed afterwards. Oh, and the bfh and a block of wood against the front edge of the resonator.
And to straighten the ends back out, use one of those cheap HF exhaust pipe expanders tightened in the pipe as a dolly and bump the metal back round.

 

Thanks. Got my BFH and wood block Ready! Off I go - wish me luck. Any guess how far into the resonator goes the thru pipe?

 

another way:
try to separate the over-the-axle pipe from the middle muffler instead of from the resonator,

then release the pipe from the hanger,

then pull it out complete with resonator.

 

Thanks Jose.
I have seperated the thru pipe from the main sestem. Piece of cake unlike the pipe to resonator. God, it would have cost them pennies more for one of those joint. I suppose it had to do with using exisisting mufflers, that would have had to be modified to accept the triangular joint.
I have two issues, I cannot seperate the chrome tips from the resonator yet, but even so, I cannot haul the resonator forward to relaese the back hanger mount, as the thru-pipe also has to disengage and even so, how could I weave it out. I'll try Jose's recommendation but I'm still stuck with the Chrome tip that wont relaese. As an aside, there is no rust at all on the exhaust.

 

Ian,
i think you can release the entire hanger through the trunk, not sure but it wasn't born there. The nut is hidden under the foam padding.

There is a rubber strap tool that will work to loosen the chrome tip without damaging it, I have used one in the past, I also use one to tighten or loosen the scalloped nut of the telescopic steering wheel column.

Lots of penetrating oil through the rear of the tip and the strap back and forth will loosen it.

on reinstall, clean both surfaces smooth and use anti- seize on the inside of the tip, outside of the pipe, and the hex screw.

 

On one side of my coupe the chrome tip was stuck pretty solid, and the setscrew had hardened so much from the heat that I couldn't drill it out so I had to separate the resonator/over axle pipe. Actually peeling back only a little of the outer pipe at the resonator was successful and things started moving. Dropped the resonator some and wiggled the chrome tip through to deal with the whole thing on the bench.