Mother F*&^$r! Not again!

[LJRuddy]

I don't know how or why this happened again but my freakin' crank bolt is loose for a third time since my crank cancer last December. Thankfully, I have a brand new crank pulley sitting here as this one is toast just like the last one.


I torqued my crank bolt to 15lbs over the listed specs and used a dose of red loc-tite and they still come unscrewed. What do I gotta do? Weld the freaking bolt to the crank like I did with my timing sprocket?!?!?! F***!

 

[hawkeye18]

Tighten it to 50lbs over the spec. I tighten all mine to ~250lb/ft and haven't ever had a problem with one coming loose. I think whatever you're using to torque with isn't torquing right...

 

[Phoenix]

I never torque that , it's 1/2 air impact gun @ 125 lbs all the way untill it stops moving.

Just dare loosing on me biotch.

 

[Off Road SHO]

In my opinion, they designed that bolt to flex at the shoulder rim to act as a locking spring washer. Over the years they lose their springy-ness I think.

Tom

 

[twr]

Uh - red loc-tite starts to flow when heated. So clean out all the loc-tite and reinstall. Using an impact to install the bolt is not the best idea either, I think Gary said that it could damage the thrust bearings. Don't quote me on that and I've never had a problem doing it that way.

 

[Off Road SHO]

Terry,

I think he meant an impact wrench, not an impact driver. Definitely two different tools.

Tom

 

[randy'sho]

yeah i just fixed my crank cancer and impacted it to 150 ft lbs and then double checked it with my torque wrench to 150+...with blue loctite! drove it for a couple days and checked it...so far it is tight as can be~

 

[Phoenix]

thats what I used. Whatever you guys say about its gonna damage this and that , at least it wont loose up.

 

[sdpatt]

I have also had to deal with the effects of the wear on the crank and keyway from the loose bolt. I have found it is imperative to have a tight-fitting Woodruff key so the damper does not rock on the shaft. That action will loosen even the most heavily torqued and Loctited damper bolt. I have a five foot-long rods of metric key bar stock that ensures a tight fit in the keyway. Rather than use the bar stock, I used an OEM keyway (thanks SHOtimer) for my last front end work. I also used Loctite's sleeve retaining compound to ensure the damper fits tightly on the crankshaft. It's still there.

 

[itwonder]

Hint: Cut a small hole in your fender liner so you can get a socket on the bolt using a long extension (Harbor freight) . Check torque each time you rotate the tires.

I stay with the Ford specified torque for this bolt. Speculation, but seems like over-torque could flatten the edge of the bolt head which supplies the retention pressure and locking. it's also a reason that i think front 60K's should be extended to 100K's to avoid having to loosen that bolt any more than absolutely necessary.

 

[walser]

impact gun put on highest level and let her rip till she stops, thats what i did but didnt keep using short bursts just a long one to not try and damage the bearings, and i didnt need any loctite, still working good today with 4500 miles

 

[nativeSHOz]

what he said

 

[hawkeye18]

I have a big gun and a little compressor; I do it in spurts... gun it until the motor kicks on... gun it again... I do it 4-5 times until I don't see the bolt turn any more on the initial kick.

 

[1993MTXSHO]

I tighten mine to 150 ft lbs and give it another nudge if I feel it needs it, so far *knocks on wood* none of mine have ever come loose.

 

[expy916]

I have a 3/4 gun and a compressor the size of a highschool freshmen. 'nuff said.

 

[LJRuddy]

Sorry for the late update. Its been a busy day at work... Just finished a 16 hour day.


Just to edit, I used blue loc-tite and not the red. Just now noticed my error in the original post.

Also, I see a lot of you have used the impact gun method. I have as well. After my bout of crank cancer, I reinstalled the crank bolt using no thread locker. I torqued the crank bolt using my Kobalt 1/2" impact @ 130psi until the bolt stopped. This lasted for about 15,000 miles. The bolt came loose and that is when I used loc-tite and a torque wrench to tighten is after reading some concerns about over torquing the bolt. This lasted about 9,000 miles.

Short of finding a brand new in box crank bolt, I have no idea what to do. This morning, I attempted to tighten the bolt using my torque wrench. However, my antique clutch prevented me from getting more than 90 ft/lbs. Put the tranny in 5th gear and had a friend stand on the brakes and I was still able to rotate the engine with just my torque wrench.

I think its about time I buy myself a bicycle. Maybe then I will have transportation that won't break on me.

 

[NEp8ntballer]

I think its about time I buy myself a bicycle. Maybe then I will have transportation that won't break on me.

you'll find a way to...