Removing exceptionally difficult to remove exhaust gasket material?

[ukiltmybrutha]

My Subaru Tribeca has some gasket material where the doughnut gasket goes and connects the cat converter to the catback.

I clean things up like I normally do but where the leftover gasket material begins and ends is impossible for me to tell until I put the gasket in and it leaks.

Any pointers on the best method to remove gasket material that is pretty much embedded into the metal and impossible to see?

Thanks!

 

[Rusted Nut]

Die grinder with a small crimped wire brush. Needle scaler may work as well.

 

[budget76]

that's not a high temp/pressure area. you may be able to just put a little of the high temp copper RTV on there and call it a day

 

[ukiltmybrutha]

Thanks. I am having a terrible time removing the old rigged on gaskets that never belonged there. I used my dremel with aluminum oxide bit and all it does is turn cone shaped really fast while emitting nasty red smoke.

I used a gasket scraper to attempt removal and the **** is so hard it sparks and the point of impact cherrys red for a second.

Will a die grinder be better than the above mentioned setup?

I did try copper spray and it leaks. I never tried the ultra copper.

Trying to snap a pic but of course my phone is always discharged when stuff like this is going down.

Thoughts?

 

[whateg01]

My thoughts are you're not sure what it is you're removing. Sparks? Sparks indicate that you are grinding steel or iron. To me that says that if there was any gasket there you've already gone past it

 

[jumbojak]

Tap the surface with a small ball peen hammer. The gasket will start to lift off. This also works when you have to remove stuck on gaskets in difficult areas.

 

[Rusted Nut]

A Dremel is @ die grinder, just a little one. Are sure you’re not hitting the flange? Did someo weld some on there?

 

[whateg01]

I'm not familiar with that vehicle, but I wonder if the cat has a flat flange on the back of it and somebody put an aftermarket exhaust on it that used a donut. So Opie thinks maybe there should be a beveled surface on the cat side when in fact it's just a flat flange

 

[strutaeng]

Angle grinder with flap disc?

 

[ukiltmybrutha]

Hello all. Please see attached.

 

[Rusted Nut]

Looks like rusty metal to me.

 

[ukiltmybrutha]

I cleaned up the best I could and used jb weld high paste after copper spraying and installing the gasket. I had to crank the **** out of the spring bolts and one of the bolts is actually bending.

I fired it up and it's 90% better now.

I used some jb weld high temp paste as the flange on the cat back side as it was starting to crack.

Tomorrow I will ultra copper paste the outside.

I guess it is a rig and I don't expect it to last too long but I have to get the vehicle back on the road.

Thanks for the support.

 

[Rockable]

That's rust pitting. Not old gasket.

 

[ukiltmybrutha]

Kind of humbled but thanks for educating me.