I have had my new exhaust sitting around for a long time now. I am just getting around to installing it. I have found that the doughnuts on the stock exhaust now are a bitch to remove. I can't get them stretched far enough to remove them off the hangars. I did buy new doughnuts but I am afraid they will be equally as difficult to put on as they are to remove. Should I just cut the old ones and use the new or keep trying to stretch the old off the hangers? Any thoughts?



Greg

 

tip: dont try streching the donuts, try pushing the mufflers towards the donut you want to remove and then remove the donut

 

I tried that. There are two doughnuts per muffler. They work against each other to keep the muffler stable. I can't push one way far enough to unhook one doughnut because the other is working against me. I will try again.



Thanks, though, for the advice.

 

When I removed the old exhaust from the T2, I was able to remove most of the old donuts using two long screwdrivers. Stretched them using the screw driver as a lever then using the second screw driver to slide it over the hanger. Some I just cut off. Since you have new ones anyway, just cut them off.



I used some white lube to slide the new ones on using the screw drivers.

 

White lube and screwdrivers it is!!!! (Sounds kinky)



Thanks.

 

Have fun, it's a bitch!

 

Is the exhaust FIRMLY bolted to the car (exhuast manifold or cat)? If so, loosen it so that you can get some free play.

 

The exhaust on an RX-7 is not firmly bolted to the car at all. The catback is a series of sections bolted together but hanging from the car by rubber hangars and doughnuts.



The ehaust manifild is bolted to the block, the cats are bolted to the exhaust manifold, the Y-pipe is bolted to the cats, the mufflers are bolted to the Y-pipe and it all hangs by rubber hangars. This is the stock setup of course.



The Haynes manual says to work from the back to the front which may make it a little easier but I have to wait until this weekend to try.



Even unbolting everything did not leave enough free play to stretch the dougnuts over the metal hangars.

 

i'm installing my RB exhaust tomorrow, and i got in new hangers. i'll see how everything goes...