Cannondaleriders

I am reassembling a dale engine. and I know most here like to use red loctite and believe I have seen it implied to use it liberally. Well, I believe I have the one someone used too much on and not only that I don't believe it would have helped. I would say that maybe two or three bolts were difficult to break loose and none required any heat at all. this engine had the stage 8 bolts 8MM 12 point head and I broke every one of them loose with a 1/4 ratchet and a craftsman socket. I'm not sure if cannondale or the stage 8 had too tight of spec on the threads but it seemed there was no loctite on the threads that were holding it together. it was like the loctite was wiped clean off the threads that were making contact and kind of hydrolocked between the bolt head and case, there is even traces of it between the crank&trans plates and the case. This is truely the worst use or should I say incorrectly applied of loctite I have ever seen

I opened one similar to that once. To some people, use liberally means an entire tube on one build.

They may not have cleaned the bolts well before putting them in... they need to be perfectly clean and free of any trace oils and especially new bolts tend to have a film on them to keep from rusting. Used bolts need taken to a wire wheel and most people do not use the primer it is a good idea and one drop only towards the tip of the bolt like three threads back is all that is needed.

I am guilty of overuse. However, I do clean my bolts and have disassembled several of my motors and the loctite has always held up well. A member on here found out the hard way (more than once until he found the problem) that some brake cleaning products have an oil or chemical in them that will cause loctite not to bond. He had bolts coming loose over time and it drove him nuts until he did a test experiment with several brands of brake clean and red loctite. Like said above clean your bolts and threads well.

Any chance you have the details on which brake cleaners were a problem or which worked? I've always used brake cleaner and compressed air to dry the bolts and holes. And I'd agree that I've never had to put heat on red loctited bolts to get them apart, do get some tie rod nuts that are pretty darn stuck, though with the primary difference being they aren't bathed in oil. I've used a few different types of brake cleaners. Maybe carb cleaner or contact cleaner would be better.

Locktite primer is really just acetone that makes sure that any oil is washed off... So a little can of that from the hardware store would last a long time and be way cheaper than the primer or brake clean.
Just use a small metal tin with about an inch of acetone in there and swish the threads around and maybe another one for a final rinse... the acetone will also evaporate much quicker than brake clean so you dont even have to dry it off with compressed air. Depending on how you are cleaning your case it would also be a good idea to clean the threads with q-tips and acetone.

Nonclorinated brake clean is pretty much acetone.

Good tips- thanks!

And to clarify, I didn't mean the bolts aren't tight or that the Loctite seemed ineffective, just that I've never found red to be as hard to get apart as what I've heard.


And, my tip of the week:
My favorite new use for brake cleaner- to clean the nozzle of spray paint cans! It'll even take off a little dried paint and no more clogged nozzles next time you use the 1/2 full can!

Neil,

I have used and highly recommend the red CRC brand of brake clean. ZERO issues and it did hold up well in his testing. PM me if you need the user's name and he can give you all of the details.

Ken

Red loctite comes in different grades. I use 271 from Permatex and you can get it apart with regular tools. There is a "permanent" version out there that does take extra effort or heat to release..... I know because Tim uses it.......