Caution Caution Caution - Locktite is DANGEROUS around Plastic!!!

This warning about Locktite is posted here periodically, but since I just worked on a bike today with massive ABS plastic damage due to stupid Locktite use, I thought I'd start it again.

The bottom line is that Locktite is known to damage many plastics, and ABS is one of them. We often caution people to never use Locktite on any screw that goes into plastic, but the problem is much worse than that. NEVER use it on anything that is even near ABS plastic! Every once in a while someone gets a bit uppity about these warnings and tries to say it is BS if a screw/bolt is going into metal, but I will give you first hand information about how much damage can be done by ignoring this warning.

Had a guy come by today with 2nd gen trunk where all of the mounting points inside the lower trunk for the latching mechanism had busted loose. This just does not happen on this bike, so I was puzzled by why it had happened to him. The initial examination looked like maybe the plastic was defective from the factory. I have 100,000 miles on my RSV, most of which have been with the trunk over-full, and I have never had any problem, so why did his all break? Well, it became obvious while we were fixing it.

Turned out that the plastic all around the latch mounting points had just disintegrated - no clean breaks at all, just crumbling plastic. And when I was removing the mounting bolts, I was struck by how tightly they were frozen into to the tinnerman nuts that fit over the plastic mounting tabs. These bolts should easily unscrew, but not his.

Closer inspection showed that some poorly informed person had used Locktite on each of these bolts. Although these bolts do not directly screw into the ABS plastic, the tinnerman nuts clip over the plastic tabs so the bolts fit through a hole in the plastic, and the Locktite fumes damaged all of the plastic around the bolts.

So the standard warning remains as strong as ever - NEVER use Locktite anywhere near ABS plastic!

Goose

Everything Goose say,s is true. However if you insist on using loctite, remember that a very small drop is all that is needed in retaining a bolt. Pouring an excessive amount on the bolt is just a waste and as in the above post when it drips or even runs off the bolt onto the plastic the above post becomes another reality.

Yep, what he said!

We have this problem where I work, we use very high grade industrial plastics like Ultem and Delrin, they are much more robust than ABS and they are attached by the locktite products that are designed for active metals.

Locktite does make a plastic safe product that we use on our products is basically superglue, I have no idea is it compatible with ABS or not.

I was going to say 2 things I have done for those types of applications where a screw goes thru plastic into metal. One I have used is fingernail polish, no particular color. Or you can put a dab of tread tape or pipe sealer. It sort of looks like liquid paper. The PVC tape works pretty well and you dont have to worry about adverse effects. Thanks for the reminder Goose.

My basic rule is Blue-for anything aluminum Red-steel to steel Green-if you want it to never come apart

I think we need to make a distinction here between Locktite brand products and thread-locking products.

"Locktite" is a brand name, and they make numerous products, including a super glue. But when most of us say "Locktite", we simply mean the common thread-locking compound. Locktite was the originator of this product, but there are now a number of competing brands of thread-locking compounds that are virtually identical. All of them cause plastic damage.

This thread is specifically about thread-locking products, not all "Locktite" brand products.

Goose

We have this problem where I work, we use very high grade industrial plastics like Ultem and Delrin, they are much more robust than ABS and they are attached by the locktite products that are designed for active metals.

 

Locktite does make a plastic safe product that we use on our products is basically superglue, I have no idea is it compatible with ABS or not.

The plastic safe Loctite is NOT basically superglue. Superglue will attack most plastics also.

When referring to Loctite products you should always refer to the part number.

There are dozens of different Loctite thread lockers and only 6 colors.

What I normally use is;

Red = 263

blue = 243

Green = 290

Most of us use;

Red = 262

Blue = 242

Green = ? Many people use one of the 7 different green bearing retainers as a thread locker.

The green Loctite 290 is designed to be applied AFTER the parts are assembled.

The plastic safe Loctite is # 425 and it is a blue color. I am not sure if it is ABS safe. the Loctite data sheets part of their site is down rite now.

I just do not use any thread locker anywhere near ABS.

Great reminder Goose. I got bit by this mistake last year with the plastic wind deflectors that mount under the upper fairing. The plastic tabs that the screws go through totally disintegrated, and I had to resort to using PlastAID to fabricate new tabs on the deflectors. New ones are very pricy. This fix worked out, and I highly recommend PlastAID for any such plastic or ABS repairs. You can make just about any part out of it, including wing nuts, and the resulting repair is generally stronger than the original. Great stuff!

OOPS Yea I forgot they actually (Locktite) have different numbers for same colors. I have a tube of blue that is in a tube and is a "jell", works pretty well. My Red is the 262 I think. The green I use to use when building rearend gears was a thicker type like the red. I have a small bottle of green that is suposed to be "retaining" type but it is watery and looks like food coloring.

Major catastrophy Iinot averted I used some locktite about 4 years ago around abs not anymore I raid my wife's or daughter's make up kit for the nail polishbut I do have a question I seen some locktite tape about 4 months ago I didnot get any but would that be safe to use it was a little pricy compard to liquid locktite:confused24:

I have used nail polish for small screws for ever and it seems to work well. I don't know if it has any side effect on plastic.

I have used nail polish for small screws for ever and it seems to work well. I don't know if it has any side effect on plastic.

As with any chemical, it depends on the plastic. Nail polish is solvent based, different brands have different solvents, ABS is easily melted with many solvents. Test on an inconspicuous spot and dont get carried away with the application.

Small dab of silicone gasket sealer works too. I havent seen it eat anything up.