Install 4" mbrp today and the nut on the downpipe clamp turned a handful of turns and is now freewheeling with the stud. The downpipe clamp however does not seem to be loose. Is the stud supposed to open the clamp (positive force) beyond the loose position or should the clamp come off with more PB blaster and some light tapping with hammer?

Wish I could see the back of connection on clamp better but cannot get a good enough angle. Anybody have a picture of clamp base?

 

Welcome to FTE.

Try not to strip the nut/threads, a new clamp at the dealer is 40.00. I got one for 30.00 by talking to the parts guy into giving me the fleet price. Spray PB blaster on the clamp, use a large screwdriver to hit on the clamp to break it loose from the flanges. Take your time and keep spraying it and tapping the clamp to get it to break loose.
Good luck.

EDIT: Reading your post again. Are you trying to tighten the clamp? If the nut is turning easy, I think you striped it. You can crank the truck to see if you have a leak, if you do, you need another clamp.

 

The nut should turn out a ways, then you have to pry the clamp off as Rick said. When I did mine, my truck had 163k on the ticker and still the stock exhaust (I had just bought the truck and don't know if the turbo had ever been out or not). I just loosened the nut quite a ways, then used a large screwdriver to pop the clamp off. No PB Blaster or anything.
If the stud is turning with the nut, then something is wrong with the clamp.

 

It's a T bolt. If it is spinning freely then something is broken.

 

What I think is the T on the other end of the bolt that the nut is on popped off on that side, its free wheeling. You need to pop the other end of the nut into the clamp grove to get the resistance to get the nut off. Fast fingers Jim...you beat me...

 

I had to find out the hard way on mine. . But I took my clamp off more then most. lol

 

Mike, I think he stripped the nut on the threads. He said he has it tight but not sure if tight enough. Same thing mine did, strip the nut, but I bought a new clamp and changed it out the next time I pulled the down-pipe.

 

If it's just the nut that is stripped out, if you could get the old one off somehow couldn't you just get a new nylock nut?

 

Thanks for the replies. Mine does not appear to be a T-bolt any longer but an L bolt which is what is now spinning after having losened the top nut about 10 turns. Looks like a broken clamp. After 275k guess that's to be expected. Looks like I'll do my part to support the economy via Ford parts today. Thanks again.

 

You might be able to find a similar clamp at Napa etc. cheaper and just rob the T-bolt portion of it out... just a thought.

 

Gottya Rick, stripped your right, just seen njellison's response, the T is now an L bolt, he needs a new one. Might want to PM the parts guy Ed, he could do better than the stealership unless you can find one locally like Chase suggested. Welcome to FTE, best place around..

 

I tried to get only the T-bolt part, but no dice. If the nut is spinning, the threads on the bolt is stripped. If you have the time, I would get with ED.

 

I broke mine when first installing the 4" exhaust I used to have. Stupid me, was using my Dewalt 18v codless impact wrench to snug it down, but that little bugger put out way more torque than i thought and snapped the t-bolt in half. I had no idea it would spin the nut down that fast. Learned good on that one. Anyway, I made a trip to the dealership, and they don't even carry the darned things. so I talk to a mechanic, and he takes me back into the shop, I guess the manager was out to lunch or something, and tells me "look over on that table. see if you can find something that will work" It is an exhaust clamp, but not the t-bolt kind. just a worm gear v-clamp. it worked and was free so i consider myself lucky. It it still there, and i've been meaning to get a new t-bolt kind. it doesn't leak, but i don't trust the worm gear kind as i do the T-bolt.