A DIRT WHEELS FAN WRITES: I have an older Yamaha Rhino with a Two Brothers exhaust and, while I love the exhaust, I can’t seem to keep the muffler bolted to the headpipe! The bolts keep backing out. I have tried Red Loctite, and High Temp Loctite, but the bolts still back off and rattle. Do you have a solution? – Levi Burrows, Harlan, KY.

OUR PRO ANSWER: The older versions of your exhaust had the very problem you are referencing. The newer versions I believe use springs to solve the bolt loosening problem. The reason why Loctite didn’t solve your problem is, to remove Loctite, you apply heat to the fastener so it burns the Loctite and then you can remove the fastener. So the operating temperature of the exhaust exceeded the parameters of even the high temperature Loctite. Short of upgrading your exhaust system to the newer style, I would recommend an interference fit for the bolts. Here is an old school trick for you to try. Purchase a new set of bolts and “peen” the threads slightly flat with a hammer on top of a vice or other flat solid steel object. Now when you screw the bolts in, there will be an interference fit as the bolt’s threads are deformed to fit the nuts, resulting in a fastener that will not come loose or back out.

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