Remove thread sealant from a bolt

[dirtydogintex]

Some of you aren't confusing water pump bolts w/head bolts or other 'critical' fasteners?

Didn't think so since we all know all bolts aren't handled the same....

 

[sberry]

You got to wonder who thought of this scheme, sitting around the engineering office with nothing better to do than re-invent how a wheel nut is installed and write it in some books. You will remove it dry over dry fine threads and reinstall dry fine threads and drive it in to a cone dry and estimate the tension installed to this bolt by torque? We can get fancy and add a torque stick which I presumably gives one a licence to go like a bat out of hell.

One of my guys uses torque wrench on lubed bolts, I never do, I use impact for wheel work. Over the years have near perfected it, should paint white stripe on wheen sockets to see turn easier, but using same tools day in and out over long time with a standard procedure to oil I am really close, I use 2 passes. Have checked it more than once, still do on occsion if only walk around with a 1/2 ratchet to make sure they can be removed. As imnportant as not wanting a loose wheel is I dont want a stuck nut either.

 

[sberry]

I love my CP gun, got a 4 speed and with lubed bolts with 130# on the manifold if a guy lets it hit just a little on the second pass is about perfect for car wheels, for light trucks a size up we go to 2. Go slow, its not nascar, dont burn them on wide open.

 

[Seanbev24]

Holy ****, a light cleaning on a wire wheel isn't going to hurt anything. For stuff like head bolts, this argument is pointless since I replace them every time.

 

[sberry]

.Good source of info many archives of great info that many back yarder's aren't aware of.The wire brush posted question is put to rest,as it should be.

This may be fine for critical engine builders but this is a fix a water pump question.

 

[Tig Master]

This may be fine for critical engine builders but this is a fix a water pump question.

A bolt is a bolt wire brush it if you want there will be an acceptable outcome.If one feels there is a better way fill your boots.

T

 

[sberry]

There might be a best way but doesnt mean its the most or even practical to all aplications, it can become an excercize in mental ************ vs getting some real work done.

I can say this with almost statistical fact. 99% of all bolt proiblems occure from dry thread during assembly, it either seized or didnt torque properly,,, will give you the 1% of failures, if it is that because someone wire brushed some threads.

 

[Matt018]

Yepp fastest way is to use vice grips and a wire wheel.

 

[2oolhound]

Here is an engine re builder association that knows the do's and dont's of engine rebuilding.Good information not some random thoughts or this the way we always do it syndrome,which in many cases 50 years of bad habits.Good source of info many archives of great info that many back yarder's aren't aware of.The wire brush posted question is put to rest,as it should be.

http://www.enginebuildermag.com/Article/105791/ten_head_bolt_installation_tips.aspx

T

Thanks tig!

 

[sberry]

tig, good common sense link. I should have read it before I open mouth. It generally applies to any bolt.

 

[NissanTechWill]

I have built engines for the NASCAR K&N Pro series, Formula 1600 among other racing series and I can tell you that we ALWAYS wire wheel bolts that we are reusing.

-Will

 

[AZ_Catskinner]

Anyone saying anything other than wire wheel for cleaning threads is making me giggle.

You have to remember that everyone has different backgrounds. On the machinery I work on, you don't clean a bolt - ever. Throw the damned thing away and get a new one. Those who work in plant maintenance, machine shops and the like tend to work under a different set of rules than those in the automotive world. Then there's a whole new set of rules for aerospace and the list goes on.

A wire wheel WILL put small valleys and asperities on the threads of virtually any fastener pretty easily. Fretting is fretting - it doesn't stop because anyone says otherwise. Metal on metal contact creates wear, especially at high speeds. If there weren't frictional contact, then why would bolts get hot while you wire wheel them? As I said before, I don't think it will hurt anything in 99.9% of automotive applications, but I'm **** enough not to take the risk. On my rides, I'll either replace the bolt or use the solvent cleaning method.

 

[darkk]

Wire wheel on a grinder.

X2.......

 

[darkk]

Run a chaseing die over it. NEVER wire wheel a threaded fastener. It burnishes the sharp edge off the threads and seriously reduces holding power.Not to mention that the burnished threads will deform the female threads that its tightened into and thats the last thing you want on an engine block.

What the **** kind of bolts are you using that a wire brush damages it?

 

[jmm]

There are many parts that wear quickly in textile machinery. When installing them, maybe half the time, I do nothing but pull off what I can of the old loctite and run the bolt, with new loctite, back in. It'd take forever to get my bolts perfectly clean, or walk to the supply room to fish out brand new ones.

Of course, there are several applications a clean fit with new loctite is very necessary. In these situations I often use new bolts, but every once in a while, I'll use the aforementioned acetone trick to clean up old fasteners. Let it soak for a bit, and the stuff peels off very easily.

 

[bobcatdan]

I clean up pretty much every bolt I reuse with rethread dies. If there is gunk still on it, I will wire wheel it. I havn't had any problems. I find myself straight out replacing a lot of bolts instead of reusing them.

 

[AZ_Catskinner]

There are many parts that wear quickly in textile machinery. When installing them, maybe half the time, I do nothing but pull off what I can of the old loctite and run the bolt, with new loctite, back in. It'd take forever to get my bolts perfectly clean, or walk to the supply room to fish out brand new ones.

Of course, there are several applications a clean fit with new loctite is very necessary. In these situations I often use new bolts, but every once in a while, I'll use the aforementioned acetone trick to clean up old fasteners. Let it soak for a bit, and the stuff peels off very easily.

I've gotten where I keep canvas bags full of ¾-10x3" and 5/8-11x2½" with nuts and washers in my toolbox, since they are the two sizes for virtually every wear component in a screen, feeder, head chute or loading vee.

 

[Cryptic1911]

I wire wheel the bolts and run a wire brush in the hole to get any chunks left in there

 

[CWP1616L]

Is it black.... as in Permatex No 1?

It was some kind of red stuff. I had to clamp the bolt in a vice and then scrape the stuff off with a pick. It was like a hard plastic coating on the threads.

 

[dirtydogintex]

Gotcha.
Red thread locker - a pita but it'll usually come off w/o much effort esp if it wasn't factory applied

 

[skiingman]

First off,where you getting hardened steel bolts ? Second,a soft wire wheel wont clean off sealant or locker residue.Third,a while back when I was in engineering school we did a good bit of study and trials on thread fit and fasteners,and that was one of the conclusions.Lastly, find me ONE professional engine builder that will wire brush bolts and then install them.Haveing done it,I can tell you that the only time I ever pulled the threads out of a block deck was when useing brush cleaned bolts and after a few episodes of haveing to helicoil block decks I started doing it the way I learned to in the first place.So you can do anything you want,but that dont make it right.

edit) a threaded fastener pulls up and locks on only 2 threads and on the top 50% of the thread.There is no pull up in the root area of a threaded fastener.If the top 50% of the thread is deformed,burnished,roundened or what ever,the lock up and holding power is severly diminished.

You use dead soft bolts with sharp threads eh? Quality bolts are strong and hard and the threads are rolled. Really good ones have radiused thread forms.

 

[andywander]

You use dead soft bolts with sharp threads eh? Quality bolts are strong and hard and the threads are rolled. Really good ones have radiused thread forms.

There are no manufactured bolts with sharp threads. All of them have either a flat or a rounded area on the crests and in the troughs of the threads.