Lost Strut Bolt

I lost a lower strut bolt on stage, and the car went straight off the road due to 45 degree camber.

Probably, I should have had wire on those bolts (among others).

Stock nuts are not locking nuts, is there any reason I shouldn't use those there too?

Any other good ideas out there? Don't want this to ever happen again.

Loctite is your friend.

Checking torques in service always helps. Never had any issues of bolts falling off that were properly torqued. Now, I have had lugs fall off that weren't properly torqued....

But blue loctite wouldn't hurt, but I don't think it is needed on a strut bolt. YMMV

Billy, definitely a part of the plan I'm going to try, time willing. Thanks!

I can't tell you how many times I've seen stuff NOT get tightened by people. To the point of me only trusting a very very few people to work on my stuff and even then I tend to double check stuff.
Also, cordless impacts can be super unreliable. They can even sound pretty much the same but deliver much less torque depending on battery level. Always hit it manually and ideally with a torque wrench if it's something of importance.

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Grant Hughes

I know I snugged them up with box end wrenches. And I know I did at least one side with the torque wrench, maybe I forgot one side or something.

I definitely didn't check at service, which is clearly a mistake.

Do you all torque every suspension bolt at every service?

Or is it more of a visual check?

We wrench check all the suspension bolts at every service, and axle flange bolts also. Then visual on other stuff.

Torque everything at home, then a dab of torque seal:
https://www.pegasusautoracing.com/productdetails.asp?RecID=3165

Then in service its just an easy visual check to see if anything has loosened. Saves a lot of service time vs giving everything a tug.

Yeah, but when you are rallying something other than a VW in 2wd, like a Merkur or if you're in a Subaru Open Light car you have to search for things for people to do in service other than cleaning the windshield.

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Grant Hughes

The VW ones are pinch nuts. I replace them occasionally, typically when I replace
wear'n'tear things like the rear stub axles or the strut tops.

If you can't find pinch nuts, yah, loctite. You could potentially go with nylocks, but
I tend to not use those for high-torque things as the grip area of nylocks is about 2/3
what a full nut is.

Bummer that a mechanical failure like that caused an off. Glad you were able to get
your car out ok. Get back on that horse and flog it! It'll probably take you awhile to
get the ghosts of that incident out of your head, but rebuild it solidly and you'll build
up trust again.

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Self-righteous douche canoe

In the SW races, certain bolts tend to come loose even after they've been torqued to spec. Strut bolts are one of them on most cars. I've crewed for a few fwd cars that had to have them retightened at each service. Check them often, and maybe consider toqueing them about 10-20% higher than factory spec.. Also, like it was said, see if you can get staked nuts, mechanical locking nuts. They will have a square area punched in the side and/or when looking down at theslightly tappered end, will look oblong.

-Jon

I should have shared the in car (skip to 7:30 to ignore slow driving)





Hoche + Jon, I think staked nuts are a great idea. Hopefully I can find some with flanges.

I also ordered the torque seal, I think that's a great idea.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/02/2012 11:39AM by ofensus.

You boys may consider getting "fresher" bolts occasionally. Ya know---like OEM replacements that haven't been torque and retorqued a bazzillion times.
Same for the nuts.. (junk yard is a good place for OEM bolts.)
Some decent anti-seize so your torque reading is actual torque and not galling and binding.
Naturally clean them first, and wipe the excess stuff off when you're done.

---

John Vanlandingham
Sleezattle, WA, USA

Vive le Prole-le-ralliat

www.rallyrace.net/jvab
CALL +1 206 431-9696
Remember! Pacific Standard Time
is 3 hours behind Eastern Standard Time.

torque seal is great stuff. I use it on all of the important hardware on my plane. Great for a quick visual check.

In addition to lock nuts (either metal or nylock) have you considered using safety wire or cotter pins to prevent nuts from backing off?

Are you sure the nut backed off? Any chance the bolt sheared on the landing at 7:30?