Rocker box gasket question

[08mastiff]

Last year like many others here I started getting some seepage from my rear jug rocker box gasket. I went ahead and removed the old one and replaced it with a new one. Made sure to torque everything to spec. Since the repair I rode about 300 and I put it away for the winter. Looks good no leaks. Here is my concern. When I placed the bolts back, there were trace amounts of engine oil in the bolt holes. I should have brake cleaned the holes out with a q-tip but I didn't. Instead I used the blue loctite on the bolts prior to install and torqued them. After tightening small amounts of loctite (no oil) oozed out but I cleaned it before putting it back together.

Will these trace amounts of oil compromise the integrity of the loctite? My plan was to break it down over the winter and clean it out better but I don't feel like it. Let me know your thoughts. Will these bolts back out over time or am I being paranoid. Btw the bike sat for about ten days after the gasket change before I started it so the loctite had plenty of time to cure.

 

[kickstart]

I would say Yes you screwed up,


Loctite® Threadlocker Blue 242®

Nut and Bolt Locker


Safety Precautions

Keep out of reach of children.

Preparation

Protect work area. Parts to be sealed must be clean and dry. Shake the product thoroughly before use.
Note: To prevent the product from clogging in the nozzle, avoid touching the bottle tip to the metal surface.

Application

For Thru Holes:
Apply several drops of the product onto the bolt at the nut engagement area.

For Blind Holes:
Apply several drops of the product down the internal threads to the bottom of the hole.

For Sealing Applications:
Apply a 360° bead of product to the leading threads of the male fitting, leaving the first thread free. Force the material into the threads to thoroughly fill the voids. For bigger threads and voids, adjust product amount accordingly and apply a 360° bead of product on the female threads also.

Assemble parts and tighten as required. Sets in approximately 10 minutes and fully cures in 24 hours.

Cleanup

Clean adhesive residue immediately with a damp cloth. Cured product can be removed with a combination of soaking in methylene chloride and mechanical abrasion such as a wire brush.

For disassembly, shear with standard hand tools and remove with methylene chloride. In rare instances where hand tools do not work because of excessive engagement length, apply localized heat to nut or bolt to approximately 482°F (250°C). Disassemble while hot.

 

[KaptinAmerika]

If the threads, both make and female, are not clean and dry the loc title will never cure.

 

[08mastiff]

I agree with you both. I was trying to avoid taking the tank off and tearing it down again. Whether the job is big or small do it right or not at all. Thank for the feedback.

 

[wrench]

with the way the screws and bolts weld their self in ( electrolysis I think its called. 2 like metals or 2 unlike metals bonding) on these bikes I wont use Loctite. I use anti seize on everything.
I would leave it be if it don't leak , hopefully if your lucky you will still be able to take it apart the next time without breaking the screws off.

 

[pknowles]

I ain't a mechanic,but the way these things vibrate,I'm sticking with Locktite.also, I thought electrolysis was caused by lose wires and improper grounding?

 

[08mastiff]

with the way the screws and bolts weld their self in ( electrolysis I think its called. 2 like metals or 2 unlike metals bonding) on these bikes I wont use Loctite. I use anti seize on everything.
I would leave it be if it don't leak , hopefully if your lucky you will still be able to take it apart the next time without breaking the screws off.

Not worrying about any leaks. Don't want those bolts to back out and cause any damage to my motor. It definitely needs the medium grade loctite. Just don't use the red stuff and you'll be able to back them off. I use anti-seize on my axle and things like car lugs and bolts that hold my lawnmower blades on. That stuff is great to prevent rust from penetrating onto screw threads. In this application I would say no. I appreciate the responses though.

 

[kickstart]

Galvanic Corrosion is the term, and it's caused by dissimilar metals in contact, look it up for a long explanation.

with the way the screws and bolts weld their self in ( electrolysis I think its called. 2 like metals or 2 unlike metals bonding) on these bikes I wont use Loctite. I use anti seize on everything.
I would leave it be if it don't leak , hopefully if your lucky you will still be able to take it apart the next time without breaking the screws off.

 

[BadBrad]

These motors vibrate so hard, you need to just about Loctite everything on them. I had a bolt back out of the rocker box base, bounce up and jam inside the valve spring causing that valve to stay open. I would definitely take the time to re-install those bolts using blue Loctite, cleaning out the threads prior to assembly

 

[bigdogtech01]

There are only a few items on these bikes (and any other bike like them, H-D, American Ironhorse...so on..) that will get Antiseize. Like already mentioned, axles, axle adjuster bolts, pivot shafts, pivot shaft bolts...that's pretty much all I can think off right now. EVERYTHING else will get Blue or Red loctite. Bearings will get 603 Green. Do not listen to this Wrench guy. If you do, your bike will be loosing parts off it every time you ride. Unless you ride one of them rat metric bikes like Sven :roll:

 

[JeffM]

100% agree with Andrew.
Even regarding Sven

 

[francoblay1]

There are only a few items on these bikes (and any other bike like them, H-D, American Ironhorse...so on..) that will get Antiseize. Like already mentioned, axles, axle adjuster bolts, pivot shafts, pivot shaft bolts...that's pretty much all I can think off right now. EVERYTHING else will get Blue or Red loctite. Bearings will get 603 Green. Do not listen to this Wrench guy. If you do, your bike will be loosing parts off it every time you ride. Unless you ride one of them rat metric bikes like Sven :roll:

" Love Is In The Air..."

:roll::roll::roll:

 

[MyDogPete]

What about plugs? I use Antiseize on them

 

[bigdogtech01]

What about plugs? I use Antiseize on them

Yes, spark plugs as well. You would not want to use loctite on them

 

[Srodden]

with the way the screws and bolts weld their self in ( electrolysis I think its called. 2 like metals or 2 unlike metals bonding) on these bikes I wont use Loctite. I use anti seize on everything.
I would leave it be if it don't leak , hopefully if your lucky you will still be able to take it apart the next time without breaking the screws off.

I wouldn't ride behind you ! You must have nuts bolts flying on the road behind you the way these bikes vibrate :bang:

 

[JeffM]

I wouldn't ride behind you ! You must have nuts bolts flying on the road behind you the way these bikes vibrate :bang:

In over 2 years of owning my K9 and with the rough roads here in Australia, i can honestly say the only thing to come loose was the rear fender strut bolts.
That was scarey as i was in pack of 250 other bikes.:loony:
Yes they vibrate, BUT isn't that part of it,also getting around with a wrench in one hand and a beer in thother is therapy. I could never own a rubber glide or a metric thingy. Always had Evo's and Shovels before.:up:

 

[08mastiff]

One last question. Can I take out one bolt at a time clean it, re-loctite, and torque it before I move to the next one. There are about ten bolts per jug. This way I wouldn't compromise the gasket.

 

[kickstart]

One last question. Can I take out one bolt at a time clean it, re-loctite, and torque it before I move to the next one. There are about ten bolts per jug. This way I wouldn't compromise the gasket.

It's worth a try and you have nothing to lose but a little time.

 

[Sven]

Some of you crack me up

Lets walk this thru. This is going back to the first time of the leak. Lets assume the bike's top end was never touched. If the factory used lock-tite, would not that bolt you pulled be covered with some sort of locking agent? Do you recall the bolt being extra clean and all there was on the threads was this oil film?

And, does the manual say anything about using oil on the head bolts so the torque does not resist the thread's friction, but is used as a friction helper to a tighter torque? How about those primary cover bolts, are they lock-tited?

If I have the correct torque on my bolts, how come all those asian bikes/car engines and chassis hardware do not loosen up? Did henie ford use lock-tite on his cars? I'd leave it alone and know I have the correct torque on it. If I pull it off, I better change the gasket again. I'll never line up the same crush and oops, another leak.

Signed,

NOLTT (no one listens to turtle)

 

[bigdogtech01]

No one listens to you for good reason :loony:
There are only a few places that you use loctite on your metric bikes because the thread pitch and the fact most are balanced so well, you do not get the harmonics through the bike like you would with these "American" style V-twins. The same goes for automotive.
I would say 90% of the hardware on these bikes has ether blue or red loctite. The rest have antiseize.
This is an example of why you don't work on these bikes and hopefully never will. :bang:
Your Momma is calling you, you're late for lunch!! :roll: