I am having major problems trying to get off the EGR pipe. There is a golden pipe in the way of bolts so I don't really understand how I could get the EGR pipe off and back on. I checked online and there are instructions for a 4th gen but nothing too clear for a 2000 Maxima.

The main problem I am having now is trying to get the bolts off the top of the EGR tube especially the one on the left side of this picture. How did you reach that one, what size bolt is it, and how did you get this EGR pipe on and off?

Any other tips?

 

You see that bolt on the upper left part of the picture? That's what you remove. You loosen from the top, not the bottom. The other one is pretty much directly opposite from it on the other side of the throttle body "flange".

 

Okay, I took off the bolts and the EGR tube is loose but I could not shave where the bolt goes. I can't fit a blade in there or even get a good starting cut.

Did any of you get it off without shaving?