I cant get it off!! (collector box) anybody got any bright ideas?
joba
joba
Joba
Assuming you’ve removed the silencers and all the nuts & bolts:
4 x M6 Nuts on front header clamps
2 x M8 Bolts holding collector to Sump Pan
2 x M8 Bolts holding rear header clamps
The only other things holding the collector on will be friction & rust…!
Make sure that the front header clamps are slid down the pipes, away from the head (these can twist on the headers and hold the pipes into the head through friction…)
Next, spray a little WD 40 (or similar) onto the rear headers (so it runs down the pipes and onto the seals/clamps)
Next, working at the rear first, using a large tyre lever (or similar flat bar) lever the collector box down, away from the rear headers… It’ll be stiff at first, but should move away if enough force is applied… If you’re starting to bend metal, STOP! Something is still bolted up tight…
Once the rear pipes have started to move, wrap a rag around the lever and insert it between the lower frame rails and the front header pipes. Lever these pipes down… They’ll come away quite quickly, probably tearing the exhaust gaskets to pieces…
Once this is done, the collector will probably fall off the bike…
Getting it back on is normally the tricky part… The secret is to open up the rear header clamps nice and wide , use copper grease on the seals and fit the rear pipes first.
If you use a small trolley jack to hold the collector in place, you can lift and force it into place very easily (be careful not to lift the bike off the stand…!)… The rear pipes will then hold themselves in place while you slide the front clamps into place and fit/tighten the clamp nuts…
I hope this helps…!
MITI-BABE
Sunny Scotland - North(ish)
VF1000FE - (MB6 - '84)
XS1100S - (5K7 - '85)
What did i say— all the best Engineers are from Scotland!!
I’ve really done as you discribed but the front Ex rings wont budge and i’m a little scared of destroying them (part of collector box) part NLA
Thanks
joba
joba
Joba
You’ve probably got corrosion between the exhaust studs and the alloy ex ring… I would try some penetrating oil and maybe heat (hot-air gun or blowlamp - nothing hotter!)you should also be able to get a flat-blade screwdriver between the ring and the cyl head and lever the ring down the exhaust… Remember to lever it from as many angles as you can reach… The ring may “pitch” and jam between studs and exhaust pipe… when this happens, it often helps to knock the ring back on (up the pipe) and start again…
Jeff
MITI-BABE
Sunny Scotland - North(ish)
VF1000FE - (MB6 - '84)
XS1100S - (5K7 - '85)
I had to get the collector box off my FE last year - nightmare job - luckily I was doing it to replace it, otherwise I would have given up. I think I tried most things over a period of about a month - ultimately the key tool was a junior hacksaw. The front downpipe collars were a particular pain - overall the job must have taken more than two days in man hours, though the nuts came off the studs easily enough, the collars themselves were fused in place. I applied Plus Gas endlessly, I heated them up as much as I could (I do not have an acetylene torch), I tried to prise them off with a lump hammer and cold chisel - they were not going to move.
This doesn’t help you much - but I guess the lesson is that unless you know that the box has been off recently, if you don’t absolutely need too, I wouldn’t bother.
Actually…
I disagree…[:D]
I think this proves that the darn things should be removed regularly… I’ll be taking mine off at least every 2nd year… Liberally applying my trusty rotary wire brush and a liberal coating of VHT matt black exhaust paint…
You can bet that it’ll be going back on smothered in Copaslip too…!!
I LIKE Copaslip… it’s greasy…
MITI-BABE
Sunny Scotland - North(ish)
VF1000FE - (MB6 - '84)
XS1100S - (5K7 - '85)
quote:
Originally posted by Miti-BabeActually…
I disagree…[:D]
I think this proves that the darn things should be removed regularly… I’ll be taking mine off at least every 2nd year… Liberally applying my trusty rotary wire brush and a liberal coating of VHT matt black exhaust paint…
You can bet that it’ll be going back on smothered in Copaslip too…!!
I LIKE Copaslip… it’s greasy…
MITI-BABE
Sunny Scotland - North(ish)
VF1000FE - (MB6 - '84)
XS1100S - (5K7 - '85)
Well I have to admit I agree with you…I had to take mine off due to the box being totally knackered…from rot, and from my off, up on the Cat and Fiddle…I resorted to the hacksaw way…
However…regarding Copperslip…I have always sworn by it…it’s lovely stuff…so I thought…but did you now that it will chemically react with aluminium? I didn’t but I have it on good authority from a Blackbird Parts Supplier and Servicer that using copperslip is taboo ( he used to use it until told otherwise)…it’ll weld everything togetjer. Just use a good grease.
Tim
This time tomorrow it’ll be yesterday
Interestingly…
I had to take mine off yesterday, after throwing my FE down the street on diesel on Monday…!!
The fall pushed the L/H/S silencer inwards and actually snapped the outlet spigot off the collector… Closer inspection showed that it had been 3/4 snapped anyway… I’ve had both spigots welded back on… the VHT black is just waiting to be applied…
No disrespect to you or your Blackbird parts man Tim, but my 26 years of experience with copaslip is evidence enough for me… It took me less than 45 mins to remove the entire exhaust system (and belly-pan) yesterday, so it can’t be all bad - not a single seized nut/bolt…
Anyone have a source for the fairing stripes on the FE…?
MITI-BABE
Sunny Scotland - North(ish)
VF1000FE - (MB6 - '84)
XS1100S - (5K7 - '85)
must be common problem here, i too could not remove the collars from the studs front end,
tried all sorts of lubricants, heat treatment & leverage all to no avail. but i know ive got to tackle this job again this coming winter
Hi. I know this is an old thread, but I’ll try anyway…
I’m trying to remove my exhaust system on a VF 1000F -86, but I’m having problems with the two inner bolts on the rear outlets rings. I’m having real problems reaching them. Any ideas regarding tools or what to remove for reaching the nuts?
First I had big difficulty removing the heat shield with rusty bolts but I got that off, and now I have problems with the rear exhaust rings…
Help please! 
I think the rear pipes are fitted to the engine before fitted into the frame got mine undone then could not pull them out of the head frame in the way
Hi. That’s bad news for me, because I’m trying to remove the exhaust on my bike. I can’t get to the inner nuts thug…
Have been at it for days… Do you have any ideas on how to reach them?
Some thing like this i only had to tighten mine to stop them blowing you have to get in from the back at the side of the shock