Stihl Exhaust Studs - Do they break?

I've never cleaned the exhaust screen on my 10-year old Stihl 025. I have always used Amsoil synthetic 2-stroke oil, but that saw has cut a lot of wood without the screen cleaning that is required in the maintenance book. The reason is, every time I think about cleaning it, I am about to go cutting, and if I break one of those studs, then it gets messy with drilling out high-carbon steel studs, easy-outs - you know the story.

Do these things break when you attempt to remove the two nuts on the studs? If they do break, how much trouble replacing them?

I put a new muffler on one of my 026's once, and if I remember correctly it didn't have studs. It had allen head or star head screws. They came out easily.

Also, if the 025 muffler is anything like the 026, you don't have to remove it to clean the screen. Just take the center screw out and the screen slides right out without taking the muffler apart.

The screen should come out without having to remove the muffler. Personally, I'd leave the screen out. I've seen them clog up with carbon and destroy the engine.

The first thing I do to any new saw I get is remove the muffler screen.