Cat to Muffler Removal for Rear Main Seal and Oil Pan Filter Change on 97 TJ

[LarryTJ]

Help, I've removed/unbolted all the hardware on the exhaust (btwn the Cat & Muffler) and applied PB Blaster, Liquid Wrench (x-4-6 times over a span of a day), and i tried heat. But this Cat to Muffler is stubborn and wont budge.

Any ideas, tricks, short cuts OR I'm i missing something to disconnect these two?? Thanks in Advance!!

I hate to cut the darn thing off and If if tried to weld them back together it would look like Bird Crap @ 10,000 fee.

 

[Rubicon John]

Is the clamp loose?

Take the back section off the hangers, have someone hold it and bang the muffler with a mallet while they wiggle/pull back

Hell, you might be able to take it off the hangers and have that be enough to drop the oil pan.

 

[LarryTJ]

Yes that clamp is loose. I can take my 12" channel locks and squeeze and spin it. Do you know if that clamp (which is under pressure on the pipe even with the nut removed) is holding the Cat pipe on?

I tried removing the two hangers behind the muffler (thinking the same thing) but since the Cat or front part can't be twisted its still in the way of dropping the Pan. I even attached my come-a-long and put the front part of the exhaust under a load thinking it would pull them apart but that didn't work neither.

I'll a rubber mallet and more PB plaster and wack it hard.