Broken bolts vs. the blue goo?

[twistedwankel]

Only having regained my MC endorsement several years ago guess I forgot the aluminum/steel rules??

On my old 26 year old bikes I have broken off a couple original steel bolts so I religiously use Neversieze on reassemblies. So far none have wiggled loose at all. I also have a fondness for SS hex allen heads.

My aquaintances religiously use the "blue goo" holding compound on every piece of their newer bikes?? Less than 5 years old. Especially Harleys.

I don't get it. Do newer bikes have special bolts that don't fuse with the aluminum under heat and stress?? Are they specially undersized to reach escape velocity? Is everything made in China?? And a piece of crap!!

They swear by it I swear at it.

What's the story here?? Someday I might WIN a new bike and have to blue goo it to pieces? I certainly don't plan on ever buying a new one. That would be silly. I can't wear out the old ones no matter how hard I try.

[txironhead]

No, it's just that Harleys break down so often that the bolts don't have time to seize up before they're tearing the engine down again.\\/

I have the right to say that, I used to own a Harley.

[bwringer]

Loctite also coats the threads and prevents the metal-to-metal fusion of stainless to aluminum.

The inch sized threads found on Hardley-Ableson fasteners are quite a bit more course than the threads on similar metric fasteners. For example, the standard thread pitch on a 1/4 inch bolt is 20/inch, and the standard thread pitch on a 6mm bolt is 1mm, which would be about 25.4/inch. Courser threads would be more resistant to thread damage from locking compounds and whatnot. However, courser thread pitches can also be more susceptible to loosening under vibration and make it more difficult to set torque precisely. Head bolts use finer threads for this reason.

On 6mm or 1/4 inch (thread size) fasteners and smaller going into aluminum, you can use the green (low strength) Loctite. For example, I use this on the 5mm screws retaining the cam end caps.

You can use blue (medium strength) Loctite on 6mm fasteners, but it will damage the threads after a few uses, so you'd never want to use blue Loctite on valve cover bolts, oil filter covers, or other regular maintenance items. On 8mm and larger fasteners, you can use blue Loctite. On most fasteners, such as case bolts and valve cover bolts, I use only a bit of antiseize and the proper torque.

Red high strength Loctite is only for steel/steel threads. In aluminum, it will definitely damage the threads badly if you ever need to disassemble again.

[Calvin Blackmore]

hmm blue goo............
what are your feeling about the red goo............

Suzuki calls for the use of some bonding agents on critical parts.