I need some help here. Kooks catted LTs, installed two weeks ago. Started hearing an exhaust leak at the center of the car this morning. Got worse on the way home from work...pulled over and the sleeve clamp on the drivers side axle back pipe slid off the X Pipe. I know I had it tight, but fine.

Car is on jack stands and tightened everything down. Problem is that no matter how tight I torque the two bolts on that one sleeve clamp, the axle back pipe just rotates. I can grab the muffler and rotate it from side to side and the pipe rotates in the sleeve.

Any ideas on how I can get this clamped down? Short of busting the bolts it's torqued down real hard already.

 

Had the same trouble with mine, I think I over tightened them which damaged them. I then continued to tighten the nuts until the bolts snapped. I replaced the nuts and bolts in the sleeves and got them to tighten easily. So I ordered new sleeve clamps today just to be sure even though the new hardware seems to have fixed the problem.

 

Only one side is loose? If so try swapping the clamps from side to side; maybe you've developed a bad clamp or the rounded piece that goes in between the clamps is damaged.

 

Almost midnight here, so of course there aren't any stores open. I'll try swapping them and see if that helps. Thanks for the inputs.

Any more advice is welcomed in case this doesn't work. Going back out to the garage. Thx...

 

Never mind, I got it. The whole sleeve was rotating, maybe the metal started shaping wrong or something. Hate to admit it, but the wife told me to just turn the sleeve around. I'll be *****d if it didn't work. Hell of a Mustang wife, helping hubby out at midnight. LOL Gotta Love Her...

 

Wish my wife knew more about handlin' pipes.........

 

Tom..... You need to buy some more car parts!

 

As I said...Gotta Love Her!!!

 

Awesome story. I put some "Hondabond" :shhh: on all the connections for my OR-H pipe. It's a high temp liquid gasket / gasket sealer. Any problems with this? It's worked great so far after having a leak w/ my X-pipe.

 

How does it come off when you want/need to remove the pipes?

 

It's like high temp silicone caulk. I haven't taken it off yet, but the part should come loose with little tug, and the leftovers should come off with a small putty knife.
So far so good - no leaks so no need to remove it. :knocksonwood:

 

I would be willing to bet you did not put the gap in the clamp inline with the slot cut in the pipe. Mine are and I have no problems.

 

Ya know...these two lines shouldn't be in the same thread....

 

Do you mean the little metal piece that lifts up on the sleeve which lines up with the stub on the OEM H pipe? If so, the X pipe doesn't have that stub. Are you running Kooks and if so, does your X pipe have it?