Rusty nuts

[Bee]

11PCS Nut Bolt Extractor Sleeve Set Damaged Rusty Bolt Removal Tool Screw Tool | eBay Removed Mrs. Bee's exhaust manifold (That's her car's manifold of course) and predictably the last nut which was next to impossible to get at or see was rusted and immovable. The one and only chance to shift the bast**d failed and the socket rounded the corners off. Bought the above thinking that it's yet another E Bay snake oil thing that will join all the other miracle tools that never worked but this one did. Second attempt gripped the nut and out it came. Saved a lot of tears and a tantrum. No connection with the sellers but can recommend.

[blackrose]

Replace with stainless to prevent them going rusty again.

Edited Sunday at 16:32 by blackrose

[Kingdom Isambard Brunel]

Seem to be flank drive sockets, fairly standard idea.

[Tony Brooks]

2 hours ago, Kingdom Isambard Brunel said:

Seem to be flank drive sockets, fairly standard idea.

Exactly what I thought as well, but I suppose many people have not heard of flank drive sockets, let alone seen one.

[springy]

2 hours ago, Kingdom Isambard Brunel said:

Seem to be flank drive sockets, fairly standard idea.

 

Reading the description in the link - they are not "flank drive" but a female equivalent of an "easy out" stud extractor, the inside of the socket has a tapering spiral which bites into the rounded nut, in larger sizes also useful for removing "security" wheel nuts without the "key" adaptor. (I recognise it because I have a single one in my toolbox, don't remember where it came from, never actually used it.)

 

springy

[Adam]

3 hours ago, blackrose said:

Replace with stainless to prevent them going rusty again.

Copper nuts for manifolds usually 

[MtB]

6 minutes ago, Adam said:

Copper nuts for manifolds usually 

 

I've never seen copper nuts on an exhaust manifold. They are usually brass. Copper is far too soft and ductile. 

 

 

3 hours ago, Bee said:

11PCS Nut Bolt Extractor Sleeve Set Damaged Rusty Bolt Removal Tool Screw Tool | eBay Removed Mrs. Bee's exhaust manifold (That's her car's manifold of course) and predictably the last nut which was next to impossible to get at or see was rusted and immovable. The one and only chance to shift the bast**d failed and the socket rounded the corners off. Bought the above thinking that it's yet another E Bay snake oil thing that will join all the other miracle tools that never worked but this one did. Second attempt gripped the nut and out it came. Saved a lot of tears and a tantrum. No connection with the sellers but can recommend.

 

A very interesting post, thank you. Unlike others on here, I'd not heard of these until you said so! 

 

 

[Adam]

8 minutes ago, MtB said:

 

I've never seen copper nuts on an exhaust manifold. They are usually brass. Copper is far too soft and ductile. 

 

 

 

 

 

Very common in the car world, I can't imagine boat / plant engines are much different.

[jonathanA]

I always used brass manifold nuts on my old V8 land rover exhausts. Never saw/heard of copper in that sort of application. They had a copper washer between the manifold and exhaust downpipe, they could be problematic, think I still have a bag of them in the toolbox..

[Tony Brooks]

19 minutes ago, jonathanA said:

I always used brass manifold nuts on my old V8 land rover exhausts. Never saw/heard of copper in that sort of application. They had a copper washer between the manifold and exhaust downpipe, they could be problematic, think I still have a bag of them in the toolbox..

 

I think that I have seen copper coated flange nuts on a car exhaust, but other than that always brass until steel became relevant.

[Stilllearning]

I seem to remember working on some engine or other that had brass slope-shouldered manifold nuts, but I've no idea what engine, perhaps some old A series lump?

[Bee]

i think my old Morris minor had brass nuts, most modern cars seem to use 'Kwik rust instant seize' nuts

[billh]

On 13/04/2025 at 17:31, blackrose said:

Replace with stainless to prevent them going rusty again.

Stainless has a horrible habit of binding up the thread  on an ordinary steel stud, i'm not sure why. Brass  is way to go on exhaust stuff, the nut may destroy its own thread  on removal but won't damage the  steel stud.

I bought a  set of "Irwin" rusty nut extractors and can confirm they work well. They can be used with a 3/8"drive or  ordinary spanner   on the external hex.

[Tacet]

20 minutes ago, billh said:

Stainless has a horrible habit of binding up the thread  on an ordinary steel stud, 

Very galling

[billh]

2 minutes ago, Tacet said:

Very galling

That's the term  I was looking for on this thread, thank you.

[blackrose]

1 hour ago, billh said:

Stainless has a horrible habit of binding up the thread  on an ordinary steel stud, g not sure why. 

 

 

So replace the bolt or stud with stainless too.

[billh]

4 hours ago, blackrose said:

 

So replace the bolt or stud with stainless too.

In my experience, that sometimes makes it worse. A2 stainless seems most vulnerable.

[Batavia]

14 minutes ago, billh said:

In my experience, that sometimes makes it worse. A2 stainless seems most vulnerable.

Always makes it worse would be my experience!

It is the sheer unpredictability of galling which I find so frustrating - you can assemble dozens of SS nuts and bolts without any problem and then suddenly one will start galling and lock up solid.  Its isn't as if it is related surface roughness - I have had a ground stainless tube which was supposed to slide in a ground stainless housing (a bad design) suddenly lock up, with eventual separation only achieved using a sledgehammer!