anti-seize lubricant application

[bronkenn]

lot of good replies there. never seize is just a thread lubricant which will give you a more accurate torque. manufacturer recommendations are always best as far as thread lubricants. old catipillar diesel engines service manuals recommended never seize for head bolts so you never no for sure were you can and cant use it but i have used for many years on engines and chasis parts and would recommend its use

Even ARP lists it's torque specs with a lubricant.

 

[Glass Pony]

I put a quick shot of oil from the trusty old oil can on every wheel stud I ever worked on. Dad taught me that and it's served me well.
I don't remember him telling me exactly why, but after all these years I'm still assuming it was to keep rust, or galling at bay so removing and replacing lug nuts in the middle of nowhere would never be an issue.
Paul

My Dad taught me the same thing. I remember in my early teens (early 1970's) we would do maintenance on the family cars in the driveway and listen to a radio talk show where folks would call in with car issues. Good memories.

 

[Bronco Maniac]

I use it on a lot of bolts. and yes, that stuff finds a way to get on everything, but it is good stuff. You better make sure you use it on stainless/stainless and aluminum/aluminum applications.

 

[bmc69]

I use it on a lot of bolts. and yes, that stuff finds a way to get on everything, but it is good stuff. You better make sure you use it on stainless/stainless and aluminum/aluminum applications.

One caution: Do not use the copper-bearing anti seize around or in aluminum. Copper and aluminum hate each other.

Since my business is marine products, we use a lot of teflon-based anti-seize, some of it bearing zinc. Unless it's stainless on stainless...then we use the nickel-bearing type.

Since both are always in the shop, they are what I grab for my vehicle projects too.

 

[Steve83]

...if the thread locker acts as a rust inhibitor like anti-seize then why not use just thread locker on most bolts?

Anti-seize lube is NOT a corrosion inhibitor. It has a carrier oil that will temporarily inhibit water from contacting the base metals, but that washes away quickly.

Threadlocker is only a corrosion inhibitor in the same sense as paint - it solidifies, preventing water & Oxygen from flowing across the metal surfaces. But rust CAN still work under the threadlocker from the exposed metal at the edges - it just takes a LOT longer. Yes, I recommended using threadlocker in my first reply.

 

[DirtDonk]

Agree with Steve on that. I should have referred to it as a "life extender" or "rust-slower-downer" when I mentioned rust.
It's not proof of never rusting, but between the lube and any paint I use and on some bolts even renewing it every few years, any of those things will help keep rust at bay a while longer than just being bare.

Then again, in dry climates and driven vehicles that don't sit a long time outdoors, rusty bolts are not always a huge issue even when hidden. The do rust of course, but usually just surface rust and can still be threaded out relatively easily even years down the road.
It's those decades down the road that end up being a pain even in the dry areas, and I've found coating the bolts with something will help extend that usable period some.

Frankly, the tiny amounts of anti-seize I used on some fasteners probably does not inhibit rust as much as the paint I use on most, or the plating on new bolts, or changing to stainless where it makes sense.
But I'm still in the "if it helps, do it" category.

Paul

 

[bmc69]

Just used a fair bit of anti-seize on the bolts that pull the C's together over the new WH 4-degree wedges. ;-)

 

[bmc69]

Anti-seize lube is NOT a corrosion inhibitor.

That opposite is true in the marine world..with marine anti-seize compounds. They are designed to lube, seal and prevent corrosion, particularly the corrosion that occurs when steel or stainless steel is in close proximity to aluminum. That's why I use marine anti-seize on all of the bolts that go through the aluminum timing cover on 289/302/351w and any that go in to aluminum intake manifolds.

 

[Glass Pony]

That opposite is true in the marine world..with marine anti-seize compounds. They are designed to lube, seal and prevent corrosion, particularly the corrosion that occurs when steel or stainless steel is in close proximity to aluminum. That's why I use marine anti-seize on all of the bolts that go through the aluminum timing cover on 289/302/351w and any that go in to aluminum intake manifolds.

Yup, learned the hard way on that. I had a 15 hp Johnson that I had to remove a screw in a water jacket to install a flushing device after use. I would put a little nickel based anti seize on the threads and after 8-10 years the thread were about gone.

 

[bmc69]

Yup, learned the hard way on that. I had a 15 hp Johnson that I had to remove a screw in a water jacket to install a flushing device after use. I would put a little nickel based anti seize on the threads and after 8-10 years the thread were about gone.

Sure weren't the first time that happened. We use Tef Gel, Mercury Marine's special grease/anti-sieze (contains strontium chromate) or a product we get from McMaster that is a zinc-loaded anti seize compound.

The major yacht builders use Tef Gel almost exclusively, as do suppliers to that market like Miami Lee (fish fighting chairs and offshore sport fishing outrigger systems). The TefGel never goes away...a little dab on the threads and its there for life. Same goes for your clothes...;D