Rookie question about using the right loc-tite... Do I use blue or red when assembling my engine ? I know that I don't use it on head bolts...
Red is permanent and blue is used for a fastener that you may want to remove some day You are correct on the head bolts
This is often a debatable topic so here's my 2 cents.... Green - removable, great for smaller fasteners, 1/4" and smaller Blue - removable, great for larger fasteners Red - permanent, may require heat for removal, any size fastener. Should be used cautiously and only when called for in service or technical manuals. All should be used sparingly, more than a drop or two is a waste. On smaller fasteners I usually apply a drop and then wipe off the excess so it is just in the thread valleys. These colors are based on Loctite brand...
Depends on what brand makes the thread locker, permatex red is high strength, blue is medium, purple is low strength, and green is permanent.
Not sure why they consider red to be permanent. It is not too difficult to break free. More important is the temperature of the application. The red will withstand higher temps without melting or burning away. Not sure but i think it is 300 or 400 degrees where you would decide to use red over blue.
Oh yeh?? Try get a clutch fan off when some retard puts red loc tite on it!!!! Everything has its application. Trick is knowing which is for what and when it ISNT needed at all. Red is a big no no in our shop unless it calls for it by application.
To get red broken free if you cannot do it by hand, just hit the bolt with a propane torch or other heat source. Hit if for a few seconds and you will smell the sweet smell when it finally melts/burns and lets loose. I have come across a few that I needed to do this with, but for the most part, red has broken free pretty easily every time I have used it. Not as easily as if it wasn't used at all, or if blue was used. You can definitely tell that it wasn't going to back out on its own during use. I used red on my steering linkage last weekend for two reasons...1) I don't want that EVER coming loose! and 2) it rides pretty close to my headers and the heat might get warm enough to melt blue loc-tite. I still need to get in there and scrape off the excess. Even that one drop can be too much on small fasteners like these. This is actually one drop for the set screw and another drop for the lock-nut.
I agree, I used to use blue on most and red only on the most serious, but now if it needs loc-tite, I use only hi-temp red. If it needs to be locked tight, may as well go full-power!
The only places I use Loc-Tite (blue) in an engine is the center cam bolt and the two bolts that hold down the retainer for roller lifters. If the other bolts are torqued correctly you won't have a problem.
