Rant about Italian diesel engines
 

So my motor is an italian VM Motori, huh?

After 10 years you can't get the T45 torx 8mm bolts to mount the exhaust dump pipe. Not being able to deliver- out of stock. Yah righty- Being a smart ass no problem to me- changing bolts into studs- better anyway.
Hah, you can't turn the nuts. Even the extra small 12mm nuts don't fit on the stud. Too tight for a ratchet and a socket.

Did you ever throw your tools on the ground- I did today- the very first time. I guess I will need now some anger management treatment.:bat:

So my fellow friends. Be careful with italian engines. Buy american made!

to be continued...

How about 8mm button heads bolts . If I recall that is what we use to replace them with

Can't remember where i read it, but detroit diesel bought VM out a few years back.

it is american.

Some of the American stuff isn't the greatest either. Ever try to change a turbo on an early T444E 7.3? If there's any little bit of rust on the bolts then break out the cutting devices.:scare2: Then you have the fords. Decent engines but a pain to work on.

socket head cap screws....AKA Allen head bolts.

great in tight places where traditional hex head bolts/nuts won't work.

I deal with many Euro made valves and use the metric cap screws all the time.

best of luck!

It would be to easy to use an allen head.
Major disadvantage you will round them off if you try to get the turbocharger out again. And this WILL be a major pain. Because easy access is not granted down there.
So I need something reliable like the torx or XZN (double 6point heads).
:pca1:

Seems like the 97+ downpipe is a different design than the 96 and earlier.

On the pre-96 models the bolts 'sit' way higher than on the 97+, so there is roon for a hex head. ZJ downpipes are also similar to pre-96 XJ.

ZJ downpipe:
Attachment 41103

95 XJ downpipe:
Attachment 41104

One of the reasons I'm rebuilding mine is to make it a two-piece. V-band clamp just after pointing it down so if I need to work on something, it's easier to get it out of the car. I only want to mess with the flange bolts once.
This might not help much but if you want to replace it with another standard item...find an older downpipe. They also don't have the ugly edge inside.