Loctite/Threadlocker

[craig333]

Critical things like suspension components get whatever the manual calls for. Non critical items get loctite after they've fallen off. Its not a great plan I'll admit but doing a thorough annual inspection isn't as much fun as it used to be.

 

[scrubber3]

Use lock nuts where you can and locktite where you cannot apply lock nuts. Locking washers work very well and I use them on most of the large stuff. Not to mention that locktite keeps corrosion out of the contact area of the nut and threads. Much easier to break loose if you think corrosion may be an issue. Locktite makes a gasket maker that does basically the same thing as the smaller tubes. That is what I typically use and carry with me. Dual purpose so to speak.

 

[goodtimes]

I did not know they made a gel tube of loctite I have always used the small blue or red tubes :Wow1:. I have always been the guy who before a trip or run to the desert to be under my truck and checking stuff to make sure all is good.

They also make it in a semi-solid, sold in a tube like chap-stick.

 

[RUGLYOT]

I developed a bad "addiction" to Loctite from my years riding a hard-tail Harley Panhead - where I would use it on everything - and it worked! I did find that red was all I needed and carried. I found that the trick was in the amount applied. On a 10-32 rocker cover screw, just a small drop and more coverage for the larger bolts. I never pulled a thread, stripped a fastener and that was the secret behind my Panhead never leaking (I know, hard to believe, but...). The big thing I use now to determine a need for Loctite is the vibration the part is subjected to related to the torque of the fastener. I don't see many areas on my Cherokee where there is alot of need for it, but I still carry a small tube in my kit.
As a side note, there is some info online related to a fastener study done by NASA and there findings on the "helical spring washer" (lockwasher) - bottom line is worthless for locking a fastener since it is a flat washer when torqued and any locking action is nonexistent. Russ

 

[keezer37]

I'm not a big fan of nylocs. I do not like to reuse them more than a couple times. When I can turn one on by hand, it's time to replace it in my book. Further, there are many places where I definitely want to be able to spin the nut on by hand due to limited access.

I started using Loctite on suspension components early on when I added a leaf(s) on my Tacoma. At 37 ft lbs and a corrosion free environment, the U-bolts were frighteningly loose. While I did maintain 37 ft lbs, they got a good bit of High Strength Loctite.

 

[life_w_vagabonds]

I don't like nylocs either, cause you can't reuse them. In my opinion a lock washer is probably the dumbest hardware invention ever. Well that may a be a bit harsh. Anyway, I grew a fondness for blue loc-tite when I had my KLR. Stay away from the red stuff though!