Repair And Fix it

Catalytic Converter Removal

In order to remove titanium material from inside a vehicles catalytic converter, the converter must first be removed completely from the vehicles exhaust system. Normally, catalytic converter removal is accomplished by unscrewing the bolts that bolt a converter to the exhaust system or by cutting off the converter with a saw or welding torch. Complete removal of a catalytic converter from a vehicle allows easy access to its inner catalyst material--the part that contains the titanium pieces. After removing the titanium pieces (along with the catalyst material), the catalytic converter is no longer legal for vehicle use and must be discarded.

Removal of Catalyst Material

After removing a catalytic converter from a vehicle, the next step toward removing the inner titanium pieces is to remove the catalytic converters catalyst material thats located deep inside the converter. These catalyst pieces, which look very similar to small pieces of charcoal, are the parts of a catalytic converter that burn the unburned exhaust gases as exhaust flows through a catalytic converter. These pieces can be removed simply by standing the catalytic converter lengthwise up--one open end facing up, the other end facing the ground--and tapping and pounding on the raised end until the catalyst pieces start to fall out of the bottom end. This process normally takes only a few minutes to retrieve all the pieces.

Manual Removal of Titanium Pieces

After the catalytic converter catalyst material has been removed from inside, the titanium--which is used as a coating on the catalyst material--can easily be removed. The titanium normally appears as a silvery bronze coating atop the catalyst pieces. It can be scraped and/or gouged off each individual titanium piece by using a small knife, spoon or small instrument. A small rag or cup can be used to gather the removed titanium pieces. This can take quite awhile on some of the larger, more expensive catalytic converter models with large amounts of both catalyst material and titanium coating.

A titanium header is part of a motorcycle located on the exhaust. Some headers are made of steel, while others are made of titanium. Titanium is the most expensive type of exhaust, but it is also the lightest. Since a titanium header is the lightest of any type of header, it can be bent back to its original shape even if you have seemingly ruined it.

Instructions

1

Remove the titanium header from the motorcycle. This will make the process of bending it much easier and you will be able to get a better grip on it. Locate the bolts holding it in place and loosen them with an adjustable wrench. Turn the bolts counter-clockwise with the wrench to remove them from the motorcycle.

2

Pull off the titanium header by hand and set it aside. Wipe it down with a clean rag. Remove all visible dirt and debris from the surface of the titanium header. This will make it much easier to bend and grip.

3

Locate the bend or dent in the titanium header. Turn the header over and hit the titanium on the bend or dent with a rubber mallet. Have a helper hold down the titanium header while you strike it as hard as you can where the dent or bend is located.

4

Strike it repeatedly until the dent pops back in. If there is still a bend in the titanium header, bend it back by heat. Plug in a heat gun and position it 4 inches from the surface where the bend is located. Move it back and forth near the bend until the titanium heats up.

5

Put on gloves and form the titanium back to its original shape. Grip it on both ends and carefully pull it back to exactly how it used to be. Reattach the titanium header with the same bolts.