Having just removed my entire 1997 XK8 Convertible exhaust today, I thought that I would post a short thread about what is actually possible as I could not find a definitive answer to my question on the web. The question is "Is it possible to remove the complete exhaust system, leaving the catalytic converters and rear sub-frame in place, without using an angle grinder or hacksaw such that the full system can be sold on eBay as being in good condition"?

The answer is yes.

First of all, you need good clearance under the car. I have a lift in my garage so I have plenty of room but I guess that you would need around three foot of clearance under the exhaust.

The first job is to remove the rear tail pipe section. This is the easy bit.

Next, release all the exhaust clamps and apply penetrating oil to all the junctions. Then start moving and jiggling the over-axle sections until they are moving and you can slide them back and forth within the pipe overlaps. Then do the same with the central exhaust section so that you can slide it backwards and forwards to and away from the cats.

If you now slide the central silencer section fully forwards towards the engine and the over-axle section fully backwards, using a bit of edging the front section left and right, you will be able to separate the rear junctions and will have the over-axle section and small silencer hanging loose. You can then remove the central silencer and dual front pipe section.

At this point we found that we simply could not pull the over-axle section back far enough to release the supporting rod from the rubber bush which is right up inside the rear axle tunnel. However, if you remove the rear wheels (for ease of access) and push the, now loose, over-axle section out of the way, you can get a 10mm ring spanner on the bolts which hold the rubber bush down onto its bracket. You need to do this from the rear of the car. The innermost bolt is a bit of a fiddle but the only real obstruction are the rubber pipes (fuel pipes or breathers?) but these are flexible so not too much of an obstruction once you get started. The good thing is that there is enough clearance to get a ratchet ring spanner onto the bolts so, although you can only get two or three ratchet clicks, the two bolts are soon out. Once the bolts are out, simply slide the rubber bushing off the rod (there is no barb) and you can pull/jiggle/jostle the pipe out down and towards the front of the car.

It's all a bit fiddly and takes a few hours but it can be done without an angle grinder or any pipe bending if you wish to preserve the original system.

Richard

 

Removing an old IEM exhaust system is always a great moment (fighting moment!!!).
Key point for over axle section is getting clearance. It is impossible to work under the car for that.

 

RichardS,

I'm sorry but I don't understand why anyone would want to buy a 1997 XK8 Exhaust System that is 23 or 24 years old...Surely it has to be almost rotten inside and out for that matter.....Seems to me that this was a wasted effort all the way around!

Billy Clyde in Houston

 

That's not the whole story. I've now replaced the complete system with a big-bore system with full bore pipes over the axles and the 5 boxes replaced with one high-throughput box. It now growls and rumbles just like a cross-plane V8 should.

I can now sell the original stainless steel system as a complete system. It's not top-quality stainless steel like the replacement but it's still reasonably shiny and will be good for another 50,000 miles at least. Of course, someone might get it for 99p but rather that than scrapping it.

Richard