I am making this thread because I do not know where i should put threadlocker. I googled this question in a couple different ways and i didn’t really find anything satisfactory on the topic. I searched the forum as well and whilst i could find answers here and there, i didnt find a definitive one. I am creating a topic so that people can find a direct answer either via the site’s search or hopefully through google.
I would like to know where i should put threadlocker (I have Loctite 243 and only that), what else should be used elsewhere, what i can skip and what is absolutely mandatory, how much to use and hopefully pictures showing which bolts will need threadlocker.
I aksed a person via dm’s but i’d still like to get more than one opinion on the matters.
Thanks!
PS: The budget build is running. I need to put in the loctite, double-secure everything inside so it doesn’t move and dohble check the vesc settings so it doesn’t break in 2 rides. Apart from that, i actually got to even ride it in my hallway!
In my experience, any bolt gets 3-4 drops of blue loctite at the least (enclosure bolts, axle threads, any lighting assembly I have mounted) with any drivetrain related bolts (motor mounting, geardrive/motor mount clamp bolts, motor axle locking bolts) receive a drop or two of red loctite in precaution of events you can’t ride off like a motor falling off the mount or a gear drive locking up.
I am attaching this for some reference because visual learning is always best.
I guess we can go by colors - Yellow, Red, Green and Blue.
Other than the enclosure bolts, i don’t really see anything else of particular importance so i guess atleast I am looking for advice for them. Arent 3-4 drops… a lot of blue loctite (243)? From what i’ve seen, only a little dab, just so it has something on the bolt itself, is enough.
Also… i’ve seen just a lot of hype and praise around Loctite 243 and got it, though it was very expensive. The bottle was like half the cost of one of my motors. Can’t i just use it instead of also invest in other strengths of threadlockers? I guess this info is relevant for anyone looking for an answer to the question in the thread title.
Yes to all but blue, where is your spring washer on blue? That is supposed to negate the need for picture
Also in my experience loctite blue has been shit and I’ve just used green. It can sometimes be very difficult to get stuff out but it never rattles loose whereas my blue has many times on the enclosure and motor bolts
Blue loctite 243 on all bolts you need to remove more often or are multiple times used to fix one part.
Green loctite 648 or 638 between pulleys, gears, sprockets and motor shaft.
If you use a keyway for your pulley or grub screw and a flat spot on the motor shaft it would be enough to fix the grub screw with loctite 243.
Don’t forget especially with the 243 that you should let it set as minimum 24h before you go on a ride.
Not sure what you mean but regular spring washers doesnt work. so yeah either a nyloc nut or thread locker is needed there.
I normally put 243 on everything.
Red (243 should be fine but…) on stuff I dont want to fall off and dont anticipate to adjust very often, because you never have a heat gun when you need one, so you end up stripping the fastener instead.
For cylindrical low tolerance fittings, such as motor shaft and my motor mount system im using 648, on the motor pulley that is in fact the only thing im using, and have been for the past 2-3 years.
in reality you dont need thread locker if the bolt is torqued down properly and the materials clamped down and doesn’t give, but the amount of vibrations seen on a electric skateboard normally overcomes that. and for some piece of mind just add a small dab of 243 to everything. and let your Loctite stuff cure especially the critical stuff. an enclosure bolt you can live without so I normally hit the road if I have to.
Enclosure bolts get a lot of BLUE threadlocker because I need to open them up regularly for maintenance, and they do love falling out without it.
Motor mount bolts (unless locked in with a nylon nut like Whooshboards mounts) get RED threadlocker because the vibrations there are crazy! Blue doesn’t last a day lol
The bolts that attach the motor to the motor mount I put BLUE threadlocker on; for some reason those bolts rarely tend to get loose
On grub-screws that go into pulleys I believe I use BLUE on so that I can get them off easily if needed, but maybe a bit of RED would be more appropriate.
The GREEN Loctite 648 is a RETAINING COMPOUND, not a thread locker, so it should be used to glue parts together that aren’t locked by threads. In our case – pinion gears or pulleys onto motor shafts for when you don’t have grub-screws.
Well, the blue circled part has what i understand to be a nylock nut. Isn’t that sufficient? Also… can superglue be used in place of what you call 638 or whatever it was?
I use blue on almost everything except nyloc nuts,the motor shaft and I do not use loctite on plastic parts. For the motor shaft I use green loctite 648.
Red circles: if D shape shaft, i use 648, if key shaft, i put superglue between the key and keyway and use 243 for the scrub screw
Blue circles: i used 648-equivalent product only because 648 is always out of stock for me
none of my motor mount have set screw on the clamps (green circle), but if i have one, i will either be using 648 or stronger loctite, that clamps needs to stay on no matter what
