Driveshaft bolts - re-use or replace?

[claluja]

Thoughts? Vehicle is F250. Any chance these are TTY?

Manual says replace, but I've already put the old ones back on. Does it really matter? Just wondering if I should order new ones and replace them?

Thanks

 

[Linctex]

I always reuse, even on my 800 ft.lb twin-turbocharged 351W Mustang drag car.

Never had a failure, ever.

 

[boulderdentist]

I always reused existing bolts, never a problem but mine were on a smaller, lighter Ranger, 28 years old and 336,000 miles when junked.


Scott

 

[Nick1994]

I always reuse too.

The rear driveshaft has probably been off my Jeep at least 6-7 times.

 

[Danno]

I had an F350 that lost a u joint that turned into a $7000 repair, when the flailing driveshaft took out the transmission by cracking the transmission case.
Just my experience.

 

[SteveSRT8]

I had an older Caddy driveshaft come right through the floor at high speed. Tore up that rear seat and filled the car with foam and horse hair!

If folks would just scribe the yoke first and then be careful not to bend it things would turn out right.

 

[spk2000]

May have had some type of Lock Tight from factory. Usually it is the dried type on bolt. Probably could put your own on and reuse.

 

[AZjeff]

Originally Posted by Danno
I had an F350 that lost a u joint that turned into a $7000 repair, when the flailing driveshaft took out the transmission by cracking the transmission case.
Just my experience.


Bolt failure or cross shaft/bearing failure?

 

[mattd]

Originally Posted by spk2000
May have had some type of Lock Tight from factory. Usually it is the dried type on bolt. Probably could put your own on and reuse.


This is the only reason why they say thar

 

[andyd]

Only time I ever replaced D shaft bolts was after I sheared a U-bolt doing my first clutch R+R on a '57 Chevy. BMWs used Ny-Lok nuts. The Rat is using original 12 point hardware.

 

[claluja]

Originally Posted by mattd
Originally Posted by spk2000
May have had some type of Lock Tight from factory. Usually it is the dried type on bolt. Probably could put your own on and reuse.


This is the only reason why they say thar


Thanks. I did use Permatex blue when I put the original bolts back in.

 

[Danno]

Originally Posted by AZjeff
Originally Posted by Danno
I had an F350 that lost a u joint that turned into a $7000 repair, when the flailing driveshaft took out the transmission by cracking the transmission case.
Just my experience.


Bolt failure or cross shaft/bearing failure?

Diag was bearing failure, but shows how catastrophic a driveline failure can be.

 

[tcp71]

I took the driveshaft off my 09 F150 yearly to lube the splines. always used the same bolts.

 

[bdcardinal]

I put in new ones, but then again I have a bin full of hardware at work and keep the ones for my car in stock, and they are cheap since Ford has used the same ones for years.

 

[Black_Thunder]

i reuse with a dab of threadlocker on the end of each bolt, never an issue.



Only once did i have the bolts loosen up but that was because I didn't put threadlocker on the bolts for whatever reason


so if the threads are ok and the head of the bolt isn't round'ed off by all means should be ok to use them.

 

[CBR.worm]

Huh. It never really occurred to me to reuse the old bolts in that application. I have always replaced them if the manual said to replace. Other places I will use my own judgment but if a bolt failure could lead to catastrophe, I replace. Maybe I will reconsider going forward.

 

[Trav]

Originally Posted by claluja
Originally Posted by mattd
Originally Posted by spk2000
May have had some type of Lock Tight from factory. Usually it is the dried type on bolt. Probably could put your own on and reuse.


This is the only reason why they say thar


Thanks. I did use Permatex blue when I put the original bolts back in.


I wouldn't worry about it. Those would not be TTY bolts in that application, the reduced diameter of the bolt stretch area would be prone to shearing. As others have said its the loctite on the OE.