Ducati Sporting Club UK > Model Specific - Discussion, Technical Problems and Help > 998 / 996 / 916 / 748 > Thread locking compounds

[Harv748]

Is there a type of thread locking compound that is better than the others for the majority of the bolts on a duke?

Do I need more than one type/strength...I'm thinking along the lines of items such as the footrest hangers/disc bolts etc. Gernal stuff that will be done/removed during the winter stripdown...not main engine component stuff.

[phil_h]

I would caution against using anything stronger than a general purpose threadlock.
The trick is actually to remember that the stuff has a limited shelf life, and buy some new every year.
I have used the industrial strength ones very occasionally, but only when I really dont want something to come apart again.

[Iconic944ss]

So weird that I have just read this:

http://www.computingscience.nl/wais/.../QuackFAQ.html

34. "Loctite comes in so many different colors (strengths). Which color do
I use for my particular application?"

(thanks to Mike Lee of Team Banana Racing, (mikel@ichips.intel.com)

and the hotrod mailing list.) The most common ones are blue and red. Blue
comes in a little bottle. Red comes in a tube that looks like a travel-size
tooth paste tube. The blue stuff is most commonly used, and doesn't do a
great job at preventing stuff from loosening. The red stuff is for things
you will NEVER take apart again =8^). The warning on the tube says
"requires heat and/or special tools for disassembly." They are not
kidding....

Loctite Retaining Compounds
---------------------------

Notes:

* The gap fills are all *maximum*. The optimum gap is between 0.001" and
0.002" (0.002 to 0.004 diametral) for any of these adhesives;

* This table refers to the *retaining compounds*, not *thread lock
compounds*;

* The viscosity "Low/Med/High" is from the descriptions for each product;

* The '660' is referred to as 'Quick Metal', considered a non-running
product;

* If you're using another brand (is there any other ? you're on your
own;

* Cure Speed assumes no accelerator is used. Activators/accelerators may
improve the gap filling capabilities slightly as well as ensuring
proper/faster curing respectively. If you need to accelerate it, talk to
your dealer;

* Primers are useful on inactive surfaces such as aluminum, black oxide,
stainless steel and thermoset plastics;

* Remember... *CLEAN CLEAN CLEAN* !!!

--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Compound No. 609 620 635 640 642 660 675 680
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Color Green Green Green Green Green Silver Green Green
*Maximum*
Gap Fill 0.005" 0.015" 0.010" 0.007" 0.012" 0.020" 0.005" 0.015"
(Diametral)
Viscosity V.Low High High Med. Med. !!!! Low Med.
(cP) 125 7000 2000 600 500 1200000 125 1250
Shear (psi) 3000 3000 4000 3000 3500 3000 3000 4000
Temp Range(F)
Low -65 -65 -65 -65 -65 -65 -65 -65
High 300 450 300 400 350 300 300 300
Cure Speed
Fixture (Min) 10 30 60 60 5 10 20 10
Full (Hrs) 24 24 24 24 24 24 24 24
Primer T or N T T T T or N N T T

--------------------------------------------------------------------------

Uses:

609: spindle bearings, lip seals, bearing races

620: engine cylinder liners, heat exchanger tubes

635: gears, pulleys, fans, collars, rotors, sprockets, cams and flywheels
to shafts.

640: bushings and sleeves, rotors to shafts

642: bushings in manual transmissions

660: worn shafts, worn housings, worn end bells, bearing spinouts, wallowed
key-ways, wallowed splines

675: oil impregnated bushings, drill bushings

680: gears, wheels, pulleys, cams, collars, flywheels, sprockets, and
rotors to shafts, replacement bearings in worn housings or on worn
shafts.

[blueduke]

For general purpose thread locking you need LOCTITE 222 threadlock, this is a pink coloured liquid and will be ok for all fasteners that you need to Dis-assemble in the future.
Normal procedures apply, clean /degrease parts that you need to screwlock
As mentioned before this stuff has a shelf life of about a year, buy it in the smallest quantity you can, it comes in a 50ml small bottle and that will be enough for ever. Not cheap tho, around the £18- £20 mark.
DO NOT use any Green loctite like 609 on screws or you will never get anything apart ever again!!! as this is a RETAINER and it does exactly what it says.
Have fun
Cheers
H