Anti-Seize / Thread Locker / Lithium / Teflon / Silicone / Moly

[indr]

Use what where?

I've been using Loctite Blue 242 on bolts that might come loose from vibration. I used moly grease when replacing the front sprocket. I use DuPont Teflon lube on the chain. I'm relatively new to moto and wrenching so I'm still learning about all the lubricants and where they are meant to be used.

Should I always coat all non-vibrating bolts with anti-seize? Is it okay to just rub on a drop of engine oil on the threads instead? When is it appropriate to use lithium grease? Dry graphite? Silicone lube? Is it enough to oil the clutch cable with engine oil? Does WD-40 really attract dirt and water after it dries out? Best general purpose thing to remove caked on dirt off wheels and engine crevasses?

It'd be much appreciated if I could get general rundown of what is appropriate to use where. I feel as though half the liquid stuff on the store shelves I can do without. All I have right now is WD-40, kerosene, teflon lube, Loctite, brake cleaner, silicone lube, moly.

What is the non-specialized minimum I should always keep in stock for all period maintenance and general need-it-now situations?

[TheOtherBart]

Originally Posted by indr

Use what where?

I've been using Loctite Blue 242 on bolts that might come loose from vibration. I used moly grease when replacing the front sprocket. I use DuPont Teflon lube on the chain. I'm relatively new to moto and wrenching so I'm still learning about all the lubricants and where they are meant to be used.

Should I always coat all non-vibrating bolts with anti-seize? Is it okay to just rub on a drop of engine oil on the threads instead? When is it appropriate to use lithium grease? Dry graphite? Silicone lube? Is it enough to oil the clutch cable with engine oil? Does WD-40 really attract dirt and water after it dries out? Best general purpose thing to remove caked on dirt off wheels and engine crevasses?

It'd be much appreciated if I could get general rundown of what is appropriate to use where. I feel as though half the liquid stuff on the store shelves I can do without. All I have right now is WD-40, kerosene, teflon lube, Loctite, brake cleaner, silicone lube, moly.

What is the non-specialized minimum I should always keep in stock for all period maintenance and general need-it-now situations?

That's a big question, I'm sure you'll get a lot of opinions. I can tell you for sure that you should use anti-seize anytime you have a steel fastener going into aluminum threads and anytime you're using stainless hardware.

[Motomantra]

Anti-seize can be too slippery for some applications, like head bolts. I always have brake clean on hand. Ford uses a different grease than the Japanese, so don't mix them. I always have some Mobil 1 10/30 around for when I need some general lube (works good on firearms).
There are many special lubes on the market that I like. As more people chime in you'll get more ideas.

[Beezer]

I use RTV for thread locker on frame parts instead of Locktite... on some engine parts too. RTV fills gaps, dampens vibration, and seals out water. It comes off easy when you want & I have never lost a fastener that was installed with it. I use heavy grease on wheel bearings & seals & the axles. Other than that, most shop manuals will tell you what lube to use and where to use it.

[anotherguy]

A good service manual will tell you what was engineered into a particular fastener's use.

[mike54]

Originally Posted by Beezer

I use RTV for thread locker on frame parts instead of Locktite... on some engine parts too. RTV fills gaps, dampens vibration, and seals out water. It comes off easy when you want & I have never lost a fastener that was installed with it. I use heavy grease on wheel bearings & seals & the axles. Other than that, most shop manuals will tell you what lube to use and where to use it.

You mean this stuff?



There's a lot of RTVs on the shelf. This one is advertised as a sealant and adhesive. Some are advertised as gasket makers meaning they fill gaps I take it.

[GH41]

Originally Posted by indr

Use what where?

I've been using Loctite Blue 242 on bolts that might come loose from vibration. I used moly grease when replacing the front sprocket. I use DuPont Teflon lube on the chain. I'm relatively new to moto and wrenching so I'm still learning about all the lubricants and where they are meant to be used.

Should I always coat all non-vibrating bolts with anti-seize? Is it okay to just rub on a drop of engine oil on the threads instead? When is it appropriate to use lithium grease? Dry graphite? Silicone lube? Is it enough to oil the clutch cable with engine oil? Does WD-40 really attract dirt and water after it dries out? Best general purpose thing to remove caked on dirt off wheels and engine crevasses?

It'd be much appreciated if I could get general rundown of what is appropriate to use where. I feel as though half the liquid stuff on the store shelves I can do without. All I have right now is WD-40, kerosene, teflon lube, Loctite, brake cleaner, silicone lube, moly.

What is the non-specialized minimum I should always keep in stock for all period maintenance and general need-it-now situations?

Keep using blue LT for all small fasteners. Use a marine waterproof grease for things that use grease. Keep using Dupont Chain saver. The cleaner also works good. Anti-seize goes a long way. My 8oz bottle is 10 years old. I use it on any thing steel going into aluminum that doesn't need loctite. ATF fluid is a great cable lube. Throw away the WD40 unless you want something to rust. PB Blaster is the best penatrating oil when you need it. Silicone lube is best used between plastic or rubber parts. Brake cleaner is what it is. For caked on dirt I use car wash soap in a hose end sprayer used to apply lawn chemicals. Keep it wet with the soap mixture for as long as possible. I usualy soak it for an hour while I am doing something else. Rinse with medium pressure hose. Don't use a presure washer on the bike! GH

[fritzcoinc]

On purpose, just to see what will happen, I use Anti Sieze on everything. Additionally I always clean the threads spotless and I dont apply much anti sieze. Apply with just a lightcoat from a fine brissle brush. So far no problems with anything comming apart. Sure makes things easy to take apart when tare down time rolls around. It would seem that the uniformity of torque between the fasteners the anti sieze provides makes a more ridged assembly. thats just my experience. i even use it on the scope mounts of the rifles I have. Nothing has recoiled apart, yet!!!

[dirty_sanchez]

Team-

Here is the official Loctite Thread-for all of the bonding, threadlocker, bearing fit, thread sealing, gasketing, metal rebuilding-type questions live.

Peruse it at your leisure and all of your answers will be discovered.

http://advrider.com/forums/showthread.php?t=265016

I only scanned a few posts on this thread but......

All nuts and bolts vibrate on a motorcycle. Another who'da thunk'd it? Try this one on. Years back in the 35mm camera days-warranty claims on the cameras travelling journalists used were eating the lunch of one of the two largest camera mfg's. The engineers were puzzled at the loose fasteners found deep within the bowels of their cameras- They pinned down the problem to frequent airplane trips. Threaded fasteners in the cameras loosened themselves by being shaken at frequencys jet planes emit, but humans can't feel. The camera mfg. began using threadlockers during the mfg. process and stopped the problem.

Threadlockers seal the threads. moisture can't displace a hard thermoset plastic which is what a anaerobic threadlockers turn into once they cure. Threadlockers stop loosening from vibration and loosening from thermal expansion and contraction. It lubricates threads-especially important on stainless, a very sticky metal, to help bring about accurate clamp loads. Rustlock on the threads does not happen when the product is properly used.

Threadlockers stop galvanic corrosion. Which is a process brought about by contact by dissimilarly charged metals coupled with an air gap. The threadlocker fills the air gap-one component the galvanic corrosion process must have in order to rear it's ugly head. If you're not sure what galvanic corrosion looks like, remove a spark plug screwed into an aluminum head and notice the white powdery residue. It's a sign of galvanic corrosion. Never use a copper anti-seize on aluminum threads. Copper and aluminum don't play well. Use a silver, a nickel, or a metal free anti-seize on spark plugs.

Anti-Seize is nothing more than grit (metal dust) and grease. It lubricates the theads to help bring about accurate clamp loads. In high heat applications where it should be used the grease cooks off/evaporates and leaves behind a metal dust in which years down the road threaded fasteners can be easier to remove. Anti-Seize does not stop the two largest causes for mechanical threaded failure which are loosening from vibration and loosening from thermal expansion and contraction. Anti-Seize does not stop loosening from fastener sideslip-it can't because there is no rigid filler contained within the airgap found in between the male and female threads.

Dirty

[fritzcoinc]

Originally Posted by dirty_sanchez

Team-

Anti-Seize is nothing more than grit (metal dust) and grease. .

Dirty

WOW...... The anti Seize I use is all dry lubricants like graphite. What brand you using?

[gsweave]

Originally Posted by fritzcoinc

WOW...... The anti Seize I use is all dry lubricants like graphite. What brand you using?

Contains high percentage of micro-fine copper flakes in a semi-synthetic grease carrier
Fortified with high quality rust and corrosion inhibitors
Temperature range: -30F to 1800F
Provides good electrical conductivity
Suggested Applications; Spark plug threads installed in aluminum, exhaust manifold bolts, engine bolts, oxygen sensors, knock sensors, thermostat housing bolts, fuel filter fittings and battery cable connections



nothing like cut and paste

[ert01]

I use that anti seize on almost everything on my Jeep and a lot of things on my bike. I have never had the grease cook out of it and I use it on my O2 sensors in my jeep... Not many parts can get hotter then the O2 sensor in the header on my Jeep when Im on the nitrous.

[TheOtherBart]

Originally Posted by gsweave

Contains high percentage of micro-fine copper flakes in a semi-synthetic grease carrier
Fortified with high quality rust and corrosion inhibitors
Temperature range: -30F to 1800F
Provides good electrical conductivity
Suggested Applications; Spark plug threads installed in aluminum, exhaust manifold bolts, engine bolts, oxygen sensors, knock sensors, thermostat housing bolts, fuel filter fittings and battery cable connections



nothing like cut and paste

I've always been taught to use copper anti-seize on sparkplugs in aluminum heads because of the steel-aluminum interface plus the need for conductivity, but that (and your cut and paste) directly contradicts what Sanchez says about copper not playing nice with aluminum...now it has me wondering.

[Beezer]

galvanic corrosion can exist either with air or without. to form it needs an Electrode Potential Difference, an electrolyte, and a path. EPD is due to the atomic structure of the materials involved... anode/cathode.

as for RTVs.... red or copper where its hot, ultra black for general, gray for stuff that really vibrates... it says on the pack what they are for, but any of them work for general aps

[Pike Bishop]

Originally Posted by TheOtherBart

I've always been taught to use copper anti-seize on sparkplugs in aluminum heads because of the steel-aluminum interface plus the need for conductivity, but that (and your cut and paste) directly contradicts what Sanchez says about copper not playing nice with aluminum...now it has me wondering.

If you use Copper-Kote gasket cement on an outboard engine in salt water, it'll eat the aluminum and burp out a puff of white aluminum oxide powder faster than you can sneeze.