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I need help on removing my stock pipes off of my 1997 Suzuki Marauder. I have taken all the bolts out that need to be removed and removed the clamps off of both mufflers. I cannot get the muffler to slide off so I can put on my new cobra slip on exhaust. The mufflers tube into one another so I think they may have to come off at the same time but they are really stuck. I beat on them with a screwdriver for an hour and didn’t even budge them. Its almost like they are welded on. Please help me I am getting so frustrated; is there any tricks or something I am not doing right? Any helpful advice would be much appreciated Thanks.

Soak the area in penetrating oil, then try again 24 hours later. If that doesn't work, beat on them some more.

Yeah, go nuts with the penetrating oil. If that doesn't work, try an air hammer. If that doesn't work (and you're sure all the bolts are off per mechanic manual), have a welder cut it off.

Bachstrad37 wrote:Yeah, go nuts with the penetrating oil. If that doesn't work, try an air hammer. If that doesn't work (and you're sure all the bolts are off per mechanic manual), have a welder cut it off.

I have been spraying PB Blast on the mufflers like crazy for the past 2 hours and beating on them with a rubber mallot and still nothing. The mufflers are attached to one another which makes it kind of difficult, they have to come off together. They are attached to the head pipe so hard that the clamps were useless. Also I noticed that there is steel wool or something like it wedged between where the muffler slides on the head pipe, is this normal? I am getting so discouraged I just want these damn things off. If I dont get these pipes off by tommorrow I am going on a bike trip, will the penetrating oil be okay or will it start on fire? Thanks for all the help so far, hopefully I will get these things off.

The penetrating oil will just smoke off a bit, it won't start a fire.

What you need is HEAT. Go down to the hardware store and buy a propane torch if you have to (although propane is definitely doing it the hard way, with oxy-acetaline this would take 15 seconds) and heat the pipes up...a lot. Red hot. Then give em a few whacks and they should come right off.

RideYourRide wrote:The penetrating oil will just smoke off a bit, it won't start a fire.

What you need is HEAT. Go down to the hardware store and buy a propane torch if you have to (although propane is definitely doing it the hard way, with oxy-acetaline this would take 15 seconds) and heat the pipes up...a lot. Red hot. Then give em a few whacks and they should come right off.

The mufflers are piped together so they have to be removed at the same time. Could I still heat one and get it loose and then heat the next one and get it loose or will they cool down to fast and get stuck again? How long will a propane torch take to get them hot enough? Do I need anything else other than the torch? If this does not work will it ruin my pipes or will I be ok to ride it the next day if they don’t come off? I really hope this does the trick I would be so happy. If anyone else has any more suggestions keep them coming I will try anything to get these bad boys off. Thanks everyone for all the help so far.

The heat via propane torch will expand the metal. Expanding metal will loosen possible rust from bonding to the metal which is holding your pipes in place. The expansion is not going to cause your pipes to "re-rust" and create a new bond upon cooling - well, not the same day.

How long do you heat them until it's hot enough? It's hard to say. I wouldn't get them red hot, but hot enough where I can't touch the spot without being burned. But before heating it up, be certain that the area you're heating is intended to come apart. Get a manual and verify that. Heating up an area where it wasn't meant to come loose might permanently ruin that part along with surrounding parts you intend to keep.

Oh, and 2 hrs. is typically not long enough for some rusted parts. I can take days to penetrate. Keep coating it every hour or two and try loosening it before a new coat is sprayed on.

zehr27 wrote:

Bachstrad37 wrote:Yeah, go nuts with the penetrating oil. If that doesn't work, try an air hammer. If that doesn't work (and you're sure all the bolts are off per mechanic manual), have a welder cut it off.

Also I noticed that there is steel wool or something like it wedged between where the muffler slides on the head pipe, is this normal?


Is the steel wool looking stuff that is between the head pipe and the muffler a gasket of some type? Maybe a high flow gasket? I was just wandering what that is. Will I ruin the gasket if I heat it up?

Try taking the full exhaust off the bike. Have one peson hold the exhaust from the headers and you can yank on the slip-ons. This should do the trick, and while you're doing the work you geat to have a game of tug-o-war.