WHOA HOSS! I was checking for HOW MUCH i needed to reduce torque when using Loctite and I came across this thread on my search. I was thinking it was 30%. I joined your forum just to comment on this thread, I was horrified at all the misinformation on here - the misconception of what lubrication even is.
If you think it has to be grease or oil to be lubrication, think again, folks. WATER is a lubricant! Granted it ain't very good, but it is. Gasoline? Lubricant. Yeppirreedoodle, sir.
Loctite, before it dries, is a rather good lubricant. So you think you can just tighten those screws into your aluminum case at the same torque w/o worry when you use Loctite?
Shyaaaaaa, know what? yer gonna STRIP 'EM! I work on aluminum engines all the time, I sell Yamaha snowmobile engines for aircraft conversion (at 150 HP and only 120 lbs , 4-cycle and water cooled how can ya go wrong?), special clutches, gearboxes and adapter kits. There have been times when I have forgotten to reduce torque when adding loctite to the threads, and I have wound up having to Helicoil the [censored] things when I did so.
EVEN LOCTITE ENGINEERS TELL YA TO REDUCE TORQUE 20%, so where do you guys come up with this nonsense that you supposedly don't need to reduce torque because? Is it because it ain't 5W-20 and therefore it ain't lube???
And it ain't one or two of you, it's an entire THREAD FULL OF MISINFORMATION!
Loctite, when still wet, is a lubricant on the threads and YOU MUST REDUCE TORQUE 20% when using it.
Next, try this: Use a 3/8" drive ratchet for those little M6 and similar small screws threaded into cases to secure covers, etc. Hold the wrench close to the socket, not way out at the end. As you tighten, you can feel the resistance to the wrench increase as you go past snug. Keep turning slowly, until you feel it is as far as you want to go. Sometimes the resistance will even "hitch" a bit.
Now stick a torque wrench on it, note the position of the handle (1 o'clock, 6 o'clock, etc) and then loosen the screw. Then torque it back to the same location and figure out how much torque that is and compare to spec. Once you get your "feel" down and get it to compare to actual spec torque values, go with it.
A torque wrench is this HUMONGOUS thing that makes it nearly impossible to FEEL what is happening with smaller screws and if you can't feel the difference you are bound to strip threads.
What's important is to be able to tell when you are nearing the point of stripping threads. When you use a SMALL, suitable wrench handle you WILL be able to tell when you keep advancing the wrench and yet the resistance fails to increase any more. THAT IS WHEN YOU STOP TURNING THE WRENCH, of course - cuz otherwise that is when you are going to strip those little threads.
AGAIN - REDUCE TORQUE 20% when using Loctite.
Ya know what? It is nearly impossible to get threads dry when tearing stuff down and putting it back together. That is why, unless you can get it absolutely clean and dry, it is far easier to just use the Loctite and suitable REDUCED torque specs that go along with it.
I'm outta here guys. But check out our website at
www.MohawkAeroCraft.com, and our Facebook group "Yamaha Aircraft Engines"
Yours truely,
GT Mills
Columbia, SC
This is one of my 3 gyroplanes, with the Yamaha 150 HP conversion. Here it is shown fitted with a long range fuel tank in place of the rear seat, which gives it a range of 4 hours at 80 MPH, 320 miles. With the rear seat in place it has a range or 250 miles.
Gyrocopters/gyroplanes provide all the fun of a helicopter at a tiny fraction of the cost. They are far more nimble and fun than a fixed-wing plane, and in the event of power loss you simply glide down to the ground, pull all the way back on the stick to stop it and float down the last foot or two with zero forward speed. With a fixed wing airplane you have to carry that 50-60 MPH glide speed when you land with no way to slow down or stop like this, and unless you are in a nice, clear open field or back at the airport that is what causes all the damages and injury. Gyros are the safest thing in the air. Lessons are $150-$180 per hour, which includes another hour of ground training, the rent of the aircraft and fuel. gyros in good, flying condition can be purchase for as little as $6000, with high-end models selling for $65,000 - $150,000.
Feel free to contact me for more info, where to get free rides, and $40 introductory lessons - to see if this is the thing for you! We have access to clubs and certified instructors all over the USA, and abroad!
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