Boll*x, f*****g boll*x...

We were coming back from a nice barbecue the other evening with my wife's family when I kept hearing a slightly different tone from the rear/exhaust of my smart roadster. It sounded a bit more "barky" than usual, and so, armed with a 13mm spanner and a cup of tea I decided to take a look the next morning.

How hard can it be to take off half a dozen nuts and bolts?

To cut two hours into a couple of sentences goes like this:
  1. Undo all nuts. Pull.
  2. Find O2 sensor still connected by cunningly hidden cable.
  3. Manage to disconnect sensor plug - 20kgs exhaust drops onto chest.
  4. Swear a lot, finish cold tea. Go get another cup.
  5. Tighten a few things but can't find obvious problem.
  6. Check exhaust nuts are free running on studs.
  7. They're not.
  8. Screw nut onto stud to free it up a bit.
  9. Nut get stuck and strips thread.
  10. Undo nut, nut removes most of the thread on the stud, iron filings drop into eye.
  11. (see 4)
  12. Use proper Britool stud extractor to remove stud.
  13. Stud snaps inside the friggin' turbo housing:

Oh, and you can't get a drill in there without removing the Watts Linkage suspension arms which are micro-adjustable and control the rear track of the car.

I know when I'm beat.

Comments

Pip said…
I can just hear what HLW said too....
1:38 pm
Pete the Van said…
You are sooooo right....
6:45 pm
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