Fiber exhaust gaskets - exhaust nuts won't stay tight

[bulabula]

I've been lurking for the last few years since I've had my '99 Standard. I"ve learned alot from this site.

I bought it with 2000 miles on the odo; it came with straight pipes.  After about 5000 miles, the sound got tiring...

I found a factory set of pipes missing the piggies and installed them a few weeks ago.   Love the bike even more now.  (I couldn't hear it at Rolling Thunder yesterday).

After reading a few posts on the importance of re-checking the torque of the exh nuts, I've re-torqued them twice now at about 250 mile intervals, and find 10/12 need re-tightening.

Will they ever finally snug up and stay there?  Or should I have purchased and installed the copper versions?

BTW, using the 1/4" Sears 10mm swivel makes tightening them a breeze, but I'd rather not be checking them forever.

Thanks

[F6BANGER]

Worth reading this thread.....  http://www.valkyrieforum.com/bbs/index.php?topic=21165.0

[JaysGone]

I use cap nuts after tightening them down on all my bikes.

[MarkT]

Blue Loctite (242) will add enough friction to stop them from moving.

[hubcapsc]

Blue Loctite (242) will add enough friction to stop them from moving.

Cool... I wondered if blue loctite would do any good there with all the heat... I
guess this is like hearing it "straight from the horse's mouth"...

I got the idea that with the copper gaskets, several tightenings after installation
might be needed to "smoosh them down good"... MarkT, do you think that
the initial tightening of the nuts on new copper gaskets plus blue loctite
might make it so that the initial tightening is all that's needed?

-Mike

[R J]

You say you have tightened them twice now?

You will have at least one more tightening and then they will stay.

I used the Blue Loctite on mine and after 3 times on the wrench, they stopped coming loose.

Not to worry, they will shut up in fairly short order.

[Ricky-D]

I strongly urge you to not use any thread locker on the exhaust flange bolts.

Most use an anti seize on those bolts.

Tighten them as needed and after a while more tightening will not be needed.

There is no vibration and the loosening you are finding is because of the gaskets compressing and seating.

There is no loosening from vibration - none. No thread locker is needed.

If you've been using a torque wrench, you must have the feel by now about how tight to make them and to feel you must continue to use the torque might be a mistake.

Regardless, use no thread locker on any fasteners on the Valkyrie. It is not needed and not recommended.

***

[hubcapsc]

I strongly urge you to not use any thread locker on the exhaust flange bolts.

No doubt you'd be ill advised to use loctite on the studs (or bolts), they stick in there too good
already sometimes...

But the nuts have a habit of falling off unless you retighten or recheck them the first few rides
after they've been off. I've had several sets of pipes on my bike, and have lost several of those expensive
nuts.

MarkT has probably got enough Valkyrie exhaust experience to have a good opinion about whether or not
loctite helps with the nuts and whether or not it causes problems later, hopefully he'll visit this thread again...

-Mike

[bulabula]

Hey all, appreciate the dialogue.  I read that thread referred to earlier, but I'm not suffering from any leaks or pops, I just want the dang nuts to stay tight.  Have tightened them twice now. 

I figured after a couple re-torque's they'd be ok,  so maybe one more time.  I wasn't sure about using some blue loctite on them (the thought crossed my mind), but if'n it don't snug up by the next time, maybe a little drop will do me.

I'm hoping on riding her back to MI in June if I can get the time off and didn't relish the thought of laying underneath her every 2 or 3 tanks....

On the way home from work this afternoon, I stopped off at the local Honda shop to look at mowers and they had a Valk Interstate in there for service.  I explained my situation to the young fellow, and he said that either gasket should be ok but that he'd use copper.

[Ricky-D]

Thinking that the nuts are loosening by themselves due to vibration is misplaced.

That would be the only reason a thread locker be used.

The reason Mark uses thread locker is because of the liability which he had stated about a year or more ago.

Once the gaskets are fully compressed and seated with the exhaust flange tight, there will be no more experiences with loose connectors.

Buy some extra exhaust flange studs if you plan on using thread locker. You'll surely need some.

***

[pancho]

I used anti seize on mine simply because they were rusted tight and it got a bit scary removing them... also cleaned up the studs with a small wire brush,, I didn't want to find them in that condition again. I used fiber gaskets and although I only have a few hundred miles on it, I checked the nuts just to see. Only one required any tightening, and it just about 1/8 turn.

Exhaust gaskets like any other gasket should never be completely crushed,, once it is, it is not a gasket anymore, it is a spacer. They need to have some give to fill the voids, and to make up differences to the expansion and contraction from temperature extremes. I have to admit I don't understand why flange nuts would be falling off if they had been torqued properly..  (partially crushing the gasket).. but then again my only experience with these bikes is with the six individual pipes (cobra) where each can move independently.