A question for you guys who are running the GBR hub flanges:

Are you having problems keeping the flange bolts tight? Mine keep coming loose and backing out, leaving me with 90 wt spewing out from the flanges. Each time I pull them, I clean the bolts, holes, and flanges, re-seal with flange sealant, and then use loctite. I've tried blue and red loctite and nothing seems to hold these little buggers in. Is there something I'm missing? I know I could safety wire them, but I'm not sure that would help considering that red loctite won't hold 'em.

Anyone come up with other solutions? I find that the flange sealant lasts longer than RTV and about as long as the paper gaskets. What gives?

-john

what do you torque them down too?

i have GBR flanges all around and havent had a problem....I use blue loctite + torque them to 48 ft/lbs, and have never broken one, and never had one come loose.....

Will

I had this problem in the first few months following the install of the axles, but then it stopped. They haven't backed out in over a year now. I just use blue locktite and torque them to spec (65Nm?). This seems to be pretty common.

I have the same problem, usually after a wheeling trip. Didn't used to happen when my GCR allen bolts were new, but after removing them a few times, that permanent locktite wears off. Don't have a solution, other than wire them or keep an eye on em after you flog her.

Johnathan

PS- sorry to hear you won't make the quarterly this year

Meeeeee toooooo.

Never could keep um' tight...Replace everything with grade 8, everything clean as a whistle, blue lock-tite, used right-stuff to seal and went to 60 ft/lbs....Still came loose (only on one side though) :confused:

Dunno...I figure the best thing to do is check them as often as you check your bead-lock bolt torque....Every outing.

O'yea, and replace those crappy British bolts with a quality (non-counterfit) grade 8 (or L9 if you can find them)....I've snapped about 3 of the stock bolts before I got smart on that one.

--D

wheel bearing preload?
IE too loose?

Yeah, I was thinking about tightening the wheel bearing pre-load a bit. I've always kinda done that by feel and I think I'll see if it can stand to be run a little tighter.

I replaced all the bolts a while ago with Metric 12.5 allen head bolts. I know I tighten them down tight enough because I have actually stretched some of the 10.9 bolts and whenever the threads get buggered on the bolts, I replace them so I don't have to worry about them shearing. I also chase the threads out with a tap to get out the extra loctite and crud that is inevitably in there.

The longest lasting solution I've come up with so far is to clean out the threads in the hub thoroughly with a tap and brake cleaner, use red loctite, and tighten gorilla tight.

Another variable is the sealant used on the flange. I am hesitant to run them with nothing and it's a PITA to get new paper gaskets all the time. So.. I've tried RTV, Right stuff, gasket maker, and flange dressing. I think the flange dressing seems to last the longest for me so far. Any other suggestions? What do you guys use?

-John

Originally posted by Rover Addiction


Another variable is the sealant used on the flange. I am hesitant to run them with nothing and it's a PITA to get new paper gaskets all the time. So.. I've tried RTV, Right stuff, gasket maker, and flange dressing. I think the flange dressing seems to last the longest for me so far. Any other suggestions? What do you guys use?

-John

I have been running without paper for awhile with no leaks. (it all leaks out the axle seals on mine)

I use standard permatex black. I have used permatex blue with good results as well.

j

Yet another reason to run stock axle shafts.

Mine never leak!!! Hehe. :flipoff2:

I haven't heard anyone mention gasket eliminator.

I can't imagine that there is absolutely *no* way to keep those flanges from leaking. I'm not saying that gasket eliminator will work for sure, but it seems weird that several of you have the same problem.

I have also started using scotchbrite round pads on a drill to scuff/clean the surfaces I'll be sealing together. Maybe that would help too???

Interesting actually (not that I have any bright ideas).

I use hylomar(sp?) with no gaskets and have no leaks.
Of coarse I don't have the GBR flanges though.

I recommend that you get the http://www.gulfcoastrovers.com
bolts. Stop running the tap through to clean the threads as you are just making them looser. If the thread locking stuff on the GCR bolts doesn't hold them tight, they are already predrilled for wire-tie.

Replace the hub. Odds are the threads are fawked.

That would be the solution I would come up with besides something hard (safety wire which would definately hold and work) or dumb (tack welds)

Ron

Doesn't really seem like its the hubs--this happens a lot when people install the GBR flanges. It usually seems to go away, did for me anyway. Mine never leaked though..I never used a paper gasket, just smeared some Hylomar on the mating surface. It was just the bolts backing out.

I did replace the rear hubs on my D110 because it turns out that the previous owner had heli-coiled the flange bolt holes. That cured the problem for a bit, but it's back. :(

Not that it's really that bad, it takes me 20 minutes to pull out the tools, pull the flanges, clean 'em real good, re-seal them and tighten them down. It's just annoying.

I guess I'll just keep re-sealing them and maybe I'll safety wire the bolts eventually. I'd rather not, but that seems to be the best option. The only thing is that safety wire doesn't really keep the bolts tight, it just keeps them from falling out or getting completely loose.

-John