Preventative Anti-Seize

I've owned my 02 Jetta for 5 months now and 16,000 miles. Since I have do my own maintanence and repairs, do any of you have suggestions for fasteners that could use a quick removal and application of anti-seize to prevent headaches in the future?

Thanks in advance!

I use anti-seize paste on every threaded item on my cars. The only exception is my oil filter!This includes brake bleeder screws (used sparingly) also helps hold the suction when vacuum bleeding the brakes and have not broken one since. I also use it every time I remove a wheel lug bolt. I like the silvery kind but the copper paste is well known for good performance.

If you are uneasey about using them on brake bolts, crank pulley bolts, etc, be sure to use low strength Locktite to seal out corrosion.

You might want to consider using it on the surface of the wheel where it contacts the hub. This will reduce the possibility of the wheel seizing to the hub (aluminium wheels are prone to doing this).

Good call on the wheel/brake rotor surface for anti-seize. I would pay particular attention to the hub area where the wheel pilots. Particularly in northern climates where they salt heavily. I used to work at a shop where we kept a 5ft. chunk of pipe handy to break aluminum wheels loose from hubs.

As far as other bolts, I've always used it on wheel studs and spark plugs (N/A in this case). I would be careful on critical fastners (torque to yield or "stretch" bolts) as the torque values given are typically for not lubricated fastners. The lubrication of the anti-seize may cause torque errors.

Also, I think the copper stuff is typically higher temp, and is slick for manifold and exhaust bolts.

Ditto on the wheel antiseize thing. Mine were stuck the first removal. 5000 miles. Has never happened again. It is amazing how they will stick. Had to get out the rubber mallet.

Auto stores now sell anti seize in little envelope things now. Permatex brand. That way you don't need to buy a tube, use two drops and then watch it harden.

Although I've not had my TDI's turbo off, exhaust manifold and turbocharger bolts are MAIN candidates for never-seez. I dunno if it's accesable (practical) to do these. I use the Pure Nickel Special blend NeverSeez for these type of extreme temp. applications. My 12 year old son recites the logo from the can "Put it together with Never-Seez, and take it apart with guaranteed ease" He knows that it can keep you from sputtering like Yosemite Sam later.

WARNING!!!!

DO NOT USE THIS ON YOUR LUGBOLTS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

You cannot get the correct torque on them when you ad a non compessible material on the threads. I have seen this more than oe time on auto-x and race tracks where an errant owner did this then after some exuberant corners the wheel is passing them. YES you can use it on the wheel to hub surface and that is a great idea in salty areas.

Don't use light oil either. nothing, zip, zero, nada, no!

On parts that you don't want to come loose, yet eventually want to take off without much hassle, there is a loctite product I've used with a lot of success. It's Loctitie 592. It's call a pipe sealant or thread sealant.

I wouldn't use it on lug nuts as others have said already. And I'm not sure how well it works on high temperature locations within the TDI. It is listed to perform up to 400 degrees F. I don't know how hot those parts in the TDI get. It is listed to withstand 10,000 psi which is pretty high.

There are a series of Loctite thread sealers, I find a nice selection and description in the McMaster-Carr catolog. Great catolog for lots of things, their phone number is 732 329 3200.

dj

I use the silver loctite anti seize stuff, and for me the key is using it on all fasteners on the brakes. Especially the little phillips head retainer screw on the rotor! Oh, I know the torque is off on the caliper bolts, but they are not going any where after I torque them on and the load is all shear anyway...

Jason... I would most respectivly like to disagree. Have used 'silver' anti-sieze on all lug nut / wheel bolts on a variety of cars and vans. Over 30 years and many miles have never found any situation where they would loosen up.

I will agree that 'setting' the correct torque is not possible, but have never seen a garage or dealer torque a wheel bolt. Usually they put them on so tight they can not be removed by ordinary methods.

Motor vehicle inspectors seem to be just as bad as the usual tire guys.

another vote for Anti-sieze on lugnuts! Nothing like having a flat on the side of the road and the lugnuts stuck on!
Other great places for the stuff... Exhaust manifolds, sparkplugs, ANYWHERE you are bolting into aluminum! Greatest PITA is breaking off a bolt... and its always the hardest one to get to that breaks!
TEJ: you need to find better garages!! Everyone at the one where I work uses a torque wrench to torque the wheels! We only use anti-sieze on older cars with some corrosion on the lugs.. then hand start the bolts and snug them up with an impact... but always torqued to spec with a wrench!

Wheel lugs. Those things love to corrode on VWs for some reason. I think it's related to steel lugs poking through aluminum alloys, but I could be wrong.

-mickey

I have been using silvery anti-seize on lugnuts and lugbolts for the past 300,000 miles on 5 different vehicles. Never, ever had one loosen up and never, ever, had one break off from corrosion! In Pennsylvania to boot!

Here is another application: The surfaces between the hub and the brake rotor. The can corrode together. I smear a very thin coating on both mating surfaces. Very thin or it may melt and run. Don't forget that little screw that holds the rotor on! Give it a heathy dose.

Waterpump bolts! They have a habit of corrosion. Steel on aluminum is the worst combination.

Steel and aluminum make a great galvanic couple. The aluminum corrodes preferentially to steel. It is used in commerical applications to protect steel. Similar to zinc being used as preferential anode to steel. Aluminum oxide is a tough oxide, it is actually a ceramic, and when it gets stuck on something it is hard to get off.

Putting an anti-sieze between aluminum and steel is a great idea. I'm going to take my rims off and do just that. I'm glad it was suggested here. I've never understood how car manufacturers could put aluminum in direct contact with steel, unless they are wishing for the aluminum to corrode and keep the steel in good condition....

dj

Regarding use of anti-seize, thread-locker or what-have-you on lug nuts or any kind of fastener for that matter: The key is to use very SPARINGLY!! Don't smear the whole dang bolt in the stuff. A very light dab is all that's needed. Then there's no chance of hydrolocking the bolt or getting incorrect torque readings or coming loose. Common sense, but seen way too many times by even "experienced" mechanics

I vote in favour of using anti-seize in lug bolts.

I use anti-sieze on almost every bolt on the car. Including lugnuts. Rumors that your lug nuts will come off with anti sieze is hogwash.

Use makes things A LOT easier to take apart later. Expecially in the salty Michigan climate.

Yes,yes,yes I've used Never-Seez on lug nuts and bolts for 25 years haven't had any come loose yet. I know it distorts the torque reading but here in the salt belt rusty nuts are no fun. On rear drive drum brake stuff I use it around the axle flange where the drum rusts on.

[ July 26, 2002, 15:52: Message edited by: Bob the rocket scientist ]

There was an interesting episode of 'Two Guys Garage' on the Speed Channel last night that relates to this. A rep from Automotive Racing Products was discussing their fasteners as used in racing engines. Torque is used to achieve a desired clamping force. To demonstrate the effects of thread lubrication they had a test instrument that measures the clamping force of a torqued bolt. Using the ARP thread lubricant and a given torque, a clamping force of 13,000 psi was obtained. Using ordinary oil as a thread lubricant yielded a clamping force of 9,000 psi at the same torque. The point being you are not going to know if the clamping force of a torqued fastener is correct if you deviate from the lubrication specified with the torque (A4 lug bolt 85 lb-ft dry).

I use the silver loctite anti seize stuff, and for me the key is using it on all fasteners on the brakes. Especially the little phillips head retainer screw on the rotor! Oh, I know the torque is off on the caliper bolts, but they are not going any where after I torque them on and the load is all shear anyway...

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<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">This is completely wrong! A proper high strength high load bolted joint has the bolts in pure tension plus perhaps a bit of resudual bolt windup. The shear is developed by the mating surfaces only. If the joint contact surfaces move and the bolts go into shear, the joint is then considered a failed as it was not tight enough or was improperly designed for the given load. That is why such a joint should never have painted joint or bold/nut contact surfaces as the paint can 1) extrude lessing the preload and bolt stretch, and 2) the paint cannot withstand much shear force and the joint will shift. A shifted joint puts a high shear load on the fastener like sizzors and there are very high stress concentrations created which will can lead to bolt fracture. Some bolted joints need to be free of oil and grease to allow the surfaces to develop high shear forces to resist shear loads.

If you want to put metal cross sections in shear, use enough dowels or keys to take the load. Dowels with a press fit can work well to resist reversing loads. However a key with reversing loads will get chewed up with movement. If enough bolts are used to prevent the movement, then the key is doing little of use and the bolts also stay in tension and to not take a shear load.