Is the red sealant that comes on the speedbleeders the same stuff as Loctite? Would teflon tape + loctite strengthen the seal of the bleeder? Would loctite need to be reapplied every time you loosen the bleed screw?


What is the difference between the red, blue, hot pink, etc... Loctite? I know they make tons of different formulas, but is the red loctite the basic mild sealant that could be used on most applications?

 

red is NOT the mild stuff. we use red here at our stainless steel fab shop. usually needs to be heated with a propane torch to get it free...

i believe blue is the standard loctite formula. not as aggressive.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by siisgood00 &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Is the red sealant that comes on the speedbleeders the same stuff as Loctite?</TD></TR></TABLE>no

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by siisgood00 &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Would loctite need to be reapplied every time you loosen the bleed screw?</TD></TR></TABLE>no

loosen the screw ~1/3 of a turn and pump.

 

bleeder screws don't use the threads to seal. the seat of the bleeder is what seals the caliper. don't use locktight or teflon tape on your brake bleeders. i think the speed bleeders have some sort of high temp wax-type sealant on them because they tend to suck air in from around the threads when you are bleeding the brakes.

nate

 

Blue Loctite = lock the screw, but you can remove it later.
Red Loctite = permanent lock. As mentioned before, it'll talke some serious persuasion to convince that screw to come back out.

If I ever need Loctite, I always use the Blue.

And I don't ever use any kind of thread locker on the bleeders. If you are having problems with them leaking, maybe some good ol' plumber's pipe dope would help? That stuff doesn't harden, and seals pretty well. I don't know how it would chemically react with brake fluid, though... just a thought.

 

I use(d) teflon tape on my speedbleeders. I also got some thread sealant (pipe dope) in a tube, but the heat range does not go nearly high enough for a brake caliper, so I didnt use it.

edit: teflon tape isnt pipe dope


Modified by elgorey at 3:36 PM 6/10/2003

 

pipe dope is not the same as teflon tape. as has been my (very) recent experience in plumbing, teflon tape often does not seal matallic (brass) threads very well. The metal threads tend to cut up the tape, which then ***** up and does noting to seal. After several attempts with several products, I bought some plumber's pipe dope, which is some kind of relatively nasty, non-water soluable grey-brown paste. that stuff works really well, and my newly relocated washer/dryer valve connections don't leak anymore.

Edit: good point about the heat range. I don't remember what the bottle said, but it probably doesn't go nearly high enough. Never mind my idea, then...

 

yeah my mistake. I got the 2 confused. the thread sealant that I got in the tube was pipe dope. I didnt use it because the max temperature was pretty low.

 

I think speed bleeders suck - literally - which is why the threads need to be sealed. I am a fan of teflon tape on the bleed screw threads even if they are being bled the old-fashiond (read, "correct") way.

K

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Knestis &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote"> the old-fashiond (read, "correct") way.

K</TD></TR></TABLE>

Hahah, I agree!
If I had monkeys around all the time to help me bleed, there is no way in hell I would have the speedbleeders...but I dont!

Thanks for all the advice everyone. I will re-wrap all of the screws with some Teflon tape and buy some blue loctite for the future (not to use on the bleed screws though).

OT: Dosent the inside rear screw (the one with the plastic cover over it) that bolts the seat rail to the floor require RED loctite?? I have never re-applied any loctite to the bolt and have not had any problem with the bolt backing out. Is the loctite just an extra safety precaution?

 

I prefer actual bolt-checking to loctite on chassis hardware but - again - I am old-school.

K

 

Half the time i dont use anyone to help me bleed, and i dont use speedbleeders or a pressure bleeder and i've never had a problem with that method

RJ

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by .RJ &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Half the time i dont use anyone to help me bleed, and i dont use speedbleeders or a pressure bleeder and i've never had a problem with that method

RJ</TD></TR></TABLE>

RJ, thanks for the help a while back. I tried it with the loop and had great results. I flushed the entire system in under 30 minutes.

 

l00p of t00b =

 

FWIW, I recently changed back from speedbleeders to OE bleeders, and felt no difference after bleeding. The only difference was it took a lot more time and ended up with an annoyed girlfriend with a sore leg

a note to the speedbleeder users: do NOT overtorque them. I damaged 3 of the 4 bleeders, the little hole in the bottom of the screw was crushed. I doubt it would have caused it to fail, but it didnt instill and confidence and was a reason I switched back.

 

RJ- Why you sportin Loctite symbol now?

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by .RJ &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">l00p of t00b = </TD></TR></TABLE>

Care to elaborate?

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by elgorey &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">a note to the speedbleeder users: do NOT overtorque them. </TD></TR></TABLE>

This is a fine line. It seems to me that they require more torque than seems right to keep them from leaking some or shooting the black nipple coverer (?) off. Hopefully the teflon tape will help me out some