Blue Threadlocker - Holy Cow!!

[sourdough]

I'm going to tell on myself only in the hope of helping someone in the future.

Bought a new Montana HC. When we searched for a new RV I stipulated several things and one was no more "split" fenders over the tires. Well, this one has that on one side. I went with it because they were so much flatter than the last ones and seems more secure - didn't look like the air scoop on a jet engine.

Well.....the split little piece on this one just kept feeling loose along with a couple of other screws. Unlike the last Cougar these screws go thru 2 layers of metal and have no extended ends to put speed nuts on so had a brilliant? idea; pull the screws, put some blue locktite on them and put them back in hoping that the locktite would cinch down with the metal panels. That was so wrong!!

Pulled 3 screws (thank the Lord it wasn't more), doused the with Loctite and put them back in hoping they would held securing with those metal panels....that was yesterday. DW went out today as we continue to piddle around sorting things with it. She knew I was messing with the fender pieces so she just said "that piece of fender you were working on is on the ground". ??? Huh? Went to look at it and saw the little section on the ground. Big round holes where the screw heads went through. Dang! I thought. Maybe I overtightened them (but I knew I didn't). Started looking at all 3 of the screws I had applied the Loctite to had made big round holes around them - not another one on either fender. The Loctite EATS the fender!!

Some may know this, maybe everyone, but I certainly did not. I've used it for decades but don't actually recall if I ever used it in contact with plastic, but, DON'T!! Spent the evening fabricating/forming new plastic inserts to repair my stupidity.

With as much trouble as I've had with fenders on my last trailers (I've offered a new one for my last RV sitting in my barn to the SM at the dealership) I have no doubt I could have claimed warranty. But as another poster said in another thread; that would not be morally right.

Anyway, beware. And, I had to look high and low for that little tube of threadlocker so I could zing myself! Guess you gotta find something to do during this time.

[GHen]

Thanks for the heads up!

[flybouy]

I know it goes against the "testosterone" bearing but Read the instructions/label". These days with so many adhesives and materials someone with a Phd in chemistry would still have to read the label.
Thanks for sharing you're experience, should help anyone that reads it!

[captcolour]

Hindsight is of course 20:20, but when in doubt, try it on a small section of the plastic that is hidden like the bottom edge.


For the flimsy fenders, I go up a size on the machine screws and use a fender washer to prevent the hole in the plastic from wearing larger as they flap away.

[foldbak]

Stainless machine screws with stainless nylon lock nuts. Problem solved!

[sourdough]

Yep, I figure read the directions would have helped but I have used threadlocker on lots of things so was just on autopilot I suppose. I most assuredly will in the future, even if I have to go find some reading glasses.

As far as remedies, I had it figured out on the last trailer (which by design was much worse than this one) but this trailer has none of the screw exposed (maybe just the tiny tip of 2 or 3) because it goes through double layers of material (it is built much better than my last trailer). That eliminates nuts, speednuts or anything else. I've used the finish washers under the others to spread the pressure with excellent success but this one hasn't had any cracks or breaks...yet, and I do have a box full of painted ones waiting if it seems to need them. In this case the threadlocker literally melted a hole the size of the screw head right through the plastic. Quite the shock and a reminder that those tiny little words probably mean something if you can read them....

[rhagfo]

Originally Posted by foldbak

Stainless machine screws with stainless nylon lock nuts. Problem solved!

X2!
Stainless is your best bet.

[kksfish]

I can never read the “instructions or warnings “ on the back of the tube due to the greasy thumb print that obscures it! Besides I would also have to go inside and get my glasses....

[Customer1]

I didn't know, thanks for the tip.

[Gegrad]

Holy smokes, thanks for the heads up. I've always used the red thread locker... I wonder if that makes a difference?

[Gary R.]

I also replaced the self tapping cheapo screws with #8 stainless steel machine screws, washers and nylon lock nuts.

Also, I learned not to tighten them all the way down, just tighten them to where the screw head just contacts the plastic, secure but not depressing the plastic. Any more than that may cause the plastic to crack.

Everyone stay safe,

Gary

[xrated]

Originally Posted by sourdough

I'm going to tell on myself only in the hope of helping someone in the future.

Bought a new Montana HC. When we searched for a new RV I stipulated several things and one was no more "split" fenders over the tires. Well, this one has that on one side. I went with it because they were so much flatter than the last ones and seems more secure - didn't look like the air scoop on a jet engine.

Well.....the split little piece on this one just kept feeling loose along with a couple of other screws. Unlike the last Cougar these screws go thru 2 layers of metal and have no extended ends to put speed nuts on so had a brilliant? idea; pull the screws, put some blue locktite on them and put them back in hoping that the locktite would cinch down with the metal panels. That was so wrong!!

Pulled 3 screws (thank the Lord it wasn't more), doused the with Loctite and put them back in hoping they would held securing with those metal panels....that was yesterday. DW went out today as we continue to piddle around sorting things with it. She knew I was messing with the fender pieces so she just said "that piece of fender you were working on is on the ground". ??? Huh? Went to look at it and saw the little section on the ground. Big round holes where the screw heads went through. Dang! I thought. Maybe I overtightened them (but I knew I didn't). Started looking at all 3 of the screws I had applied the Loctite to had made big round holes around them - not another one on either fender. The Loctite EATS the fender!!

Some may know this, maybe everyone, but I certainly did not. I've used it for decades but don't actually recall if I ever used it in contact with plastic, but, DON'T!! Spent the evening fabricating/forming new plastic inserts to repair my stupidity.

With as much trouble as I've had with fenders on my last trailers (I've offered a new one for my last RV sitting in my barn to the SM at the dealership) I have no doubt I could have claimed warranty. But as another poster said in another thread; that would not be morally right.

Anyway, beware. And, I had to look high and low for that little tube of threadlocker so I could zing myself! Guess you gotta find something to do during this time.

I learned that lesson years ago, although I didn't learn it personally. As some of you know, I've ridden motorcycles for almost 50 years and many of the new bikes have plastic fairings and body panels...even plastic covers over the metal fuel tanks. A friend of mine, years ago got a little over enthusiastic with some locktite on his bike and dripped a little of it on a body panel, unknown to him at the time. Next morning he had a couple of fairly large holes in the body part where the Locktite had dripped. The lesson learned was to alway protect anything plastic with some sort of barrier before you breakout the Locktite around plastic.

[flybouy]

Reminds me of when Styrofoam cups became popular. A friend asked me help him get his mower running. I told him to get me a cup of gasoline. Seemed like he was gone longer than it should have taken so I went to find him. I found a trail of bottomless Styrofoam cups leading to the garage. There he was filling his 5th or 6th cup wit gas. He said "these cups are defective", I told him brains were defected and we got a good laugh out it.