red stuff on flywheel bolts

[Sean]

Got my new flywheel bolts out of the bag today, ready to install the new flywheel on my Duratec engine, and there is some red stuff on about the first inch of threads. Now I'm apprehensive about applying Loctite to these threads until I find out what the red stuff is, and if applying threadlocker on it is necessary, optional, or maybe even harmful. Anybody know? Bolts are in a bag labeled Cosworth (called them, but they're closed until 2008).

 

Thanks.

[Arya Ebrahimi]

Generally speaking when a bolt comes with a red or blue substance pre-applied to the threads from a factory, it is loctite. The red stuff is the stronger loctite which generally requires heat to remove the fastener.

 

Is this stuff uniformly applied? I.e. is it the same on every bolt? or does it look like something was spilled in the bag?

[slngsht]

As Arya said, if it's uniformly applied to the bolt, it's ready to go. At least on GM stuff, alot of bolts you get from the factory come the same way. I imagine these are the same.

[Sean]

It is very uniformly applied, and each bolt is absolutely identical. It almost looks like a band of candle wax has been carefully melted on, or maybe a very thin heat-shrink tube, starting just past the first imperfect threads and continuing for half the length of the bolt.

 

edit: After re-reading my original post, it sounds as though I was describing a Ny-loc patch (I wasn't). I should have attached a photo, so here's one now:

 

http://www.usa7s.com/aspnetforum/upload/1484075068_CIMG6396.jpg

 

An engine builder in the U.K. answered my post on Blatchat this morning, and he (she?) tells me it is a thread sealer, used to prevent any oil from seeping through the threads and getting on the clutch, and that it is referred to as "patch locking". Hmmm...

[SR27.Seth]

Cosworth bolts eh? Cool.

The girl-guy on the phone would only be correct if the holes in the crank are not blind, but drilled all the way through- all Japanese cranks have blind holes- don't know about your wacky motor.

The only thing I ever apply to flywheel bolts is the proper torque!

 

 

[MHKflyer52]

Hi and Merry Christmas and Happy New Year,

 

Just my belief but the red striped stuf is most likely an form of lock-tite that sets after tourque has been applied and the bolt sets for a while and is also a way of identifying the crank bolts are new and have not been used before as most bolts that are for holding the fly wheel to the crank are one time use only hardware due to the loading they are subjected too.

 

 

[scannon]

- all Japanese cranks have blind holes-

 

Every Miata crankshaft I have seen has through holes. New flywheel bolts come from Mazda with the red sealant on them.

 

Skip

[fnmag58]

Just my belief but the red striped stuf is most likely an form of lock-tite that sets after tourque has been applied and the bolt sets for a while and is also a way of identifying the crank bolts are new and have not been used before as most bolts that are for holding the fly wheel to the crank are one time use only hardware due to the loading they are subjected too.

 

 

:iagree: This is the best way to identify if the bolts have been used before--remember than when you apply the final torque value, you are actually stretching the bolts and at roughly 80% of the bolts overall strength. You sure dont want to use them again.