What is a fastener?

• A device to locate or hold parts

• As a repair technician you will become skilled at

removing, reconditioning, replacing, and installing
fasteners.

• An important skill to learn is how to remove a stuck

fastener without breaking it off.

• (You will get lots of practice with this as a technician)

How do you remove a stuck fastener?
•An easy treatment for stuck nuts and bolts is
Penetrating Oil (like WD-40).

•Some brands work better than others, so ask what

works and experiment on your own.

•Spray it on the threads and shock or vibrate the

fastener (hit it with a hammer) to get the oil to sink in.

•You must allow time for oil to work into threads.

•I spray and shock a stuck bolt, then go work on another

job for an hour or so to let the magic happen
 What about using Vice Grips to remove a
stuck bolt?

•Vice Grips (locking pliers) damage the head of a bolt or nut and make it
MUCH more difficult to remove.

•Use Vice Grips to hold or grip objects.

•They should never be used as a wrench, or a socket.

How do you remove a stuck fastener?

• Heat can help loosen a fastener

• Too much heat can damage the fastener

• Too much heat can weaken the surrounding metal

• NEVER heat fasteners red hot

What is a torque to Yield Bolt?

• Most commonly used for head bolts

• They are tightened (torqued) until they just begin to stretch

• This provides a very consistent clamping load and helps keep an even
sealing pressure for the head gasket
This is how you identify
torque-to-yield bolts
Torque to Yield bolts require special procedures

• Tighten to the specified torque

• Continue to turn the fastener just enough to cause it to begin to

stretch

• This will be specified in degrees of rotation

This tool is used so you can see exactly how
many degrees you are turning a torque to yield
bolt
What replacement fastener should you use?

• Same Length
• Same Diameter
• Same Thread Pitch
• Same Plating or Material
• Same hardness or GRADE
• Same weight
Bolt Length and Diameter
Thread Pitch is measured with a special
gauge
The correct gauge will match the grooves of
the bolt
This gauge has a the same thread pitch as the
bolt
This gauge has a different thread pitch than
the bolt
Same Pitch
Different Pitch
These gauges can measure the diameter, pitch and
bolt length
What replacement fastener should you use?

• Same Length
• Same Diameter
• Same Thread Pitch
• Same Plating or Material
• Same hardness or GRADE
• Same weight
 Always use the same plating or material as
the original fastener

•Nuts and Bolts are not all the same.

•They must be compatible with the other metals they

contact

•Many have special plating to resist corrosion

•The material or plating will change the general torque (or

tightening) value.
What replacement fastener should you use?

• Same Length
• Same Diameter
• Same Thread Pitch
• Same Plating or Material
• Same hardness or GRADE
• Same weight
Bolt Grade

• Bolt Grade is important and easy to identify

• A good article on this is at

http://www.rockcrawler.com/techreports/fasteners/index.asp
Bolt Grade

• Both bolt heads marked A are the same grade

• Both bolt heads marked B are the same grade

• The top are SAE, the bottom are metric

• Which bolts are stronger, A or B?

 When do fasteners have to be
the same weight?

• Any time the nut or bolt is on a rotating part

• Cooling fans

• Drive pulleys

• Flywheel or clutch or torque converter

• Lug nuts Drive shafts

Rotating parts

• If you replace one fastener on a rotating part…

• Replace them all to keep them the same weight

• Failure to do this may cause vibration and an unhappy customer

How do fasteners lock in place?

•Proper torque is usually the only thing that keeps a

bolt or nut from vibrating loose

•Sometimes lock washers are used, especially when a

light fastening torque is desired

•Over-tightening a lock washer will ruin it’s ability to

hold

•Do not any washers unless they were used by the

manufacturer
 How do fasteners lock in place?

Cotter pins, locking tabs, and self locking nuts

are often used.

You should replace these with new ones to ensure they do not fail
 How do fasteners lock in place?
• Thread locking compounds are often used

• Two types that are widely available are…

Red LocTite© and Blue LocTite©

• Use the BLUE unless specified. Using Red LocTite© will make a bolt almost
impossible to remove after it the LocTite cures

• It is O.K. to use Blue LocTite© for most applications

Do not re-use

• Cotter pins

• Nuts in critical locations such as connecting rod nuts

Always use a NEW cotter pin
Use new fasteners in highly critical
locations like this connecting rod
 Inspect all self locking nuts

Some lock nuts are distorted at the top to create an interference fit.

These will wear out after being removed and installed several times
Inspect all self locking nuts

• Some lock nuts use a nylon insert that may wear out if they are
removed and installed too often
Inspect all self locking nuts

• Self locking nuts should feel tight when the threads

of the bolt reach the top of the nut.

• If they spin on with little resistance you should

replace them with new ones.
What do you put on threads?

• Anti-seize compound will make it easier to disassemble nuts and

bolts

• Blue LocTite© will help keep nuts and bolts from vibrating loose

• Be sure to clean threads before using LockTite