Best way to free up loctite???

[sapper_triple6]

I was trying to take the motor mount out of my 8ight RTR last night and the screws are so tight I keep twisting my hexes. Any suggestions on loosening up the loctite?

[JERRY2KONE]

I don't bleieve that there is any easy solution for this one. If you used the red locktite that stuff is formulated for permanent installations, and short of destrying the hardware it will not likely come apart. It would probably be best to drill it out before you deform the area beyond repair. At least that way you will have a good surface that you can work with for drilling, extracting, and re-tapping new threads.

For the blue locktite it usually only takes a firm steady pressure to break it lose and remove it as long as you have good hardware in place and precise(hardened) tools to work with. If not then it also will be difficult to remove. Before you do any drilling you might want to wait and see if anyone else on here has any miracle treatments other then what I have suggested. Good luck with resolving this issue, and please by all means come back and share the outcome. I think it may be good to share with others who are using it so they may be a bit more particular about what they use it on. Sorry my answer is not more positive.

[lincpimp]

Try some heat, that usually frees up stuck hardware.

[JERRY2KONE]

Locktite is designed for hardware on industrial machinery and works very well even in areas where heat is previlent, such as in gasoline, diesel, and gas turbine engines. If the area in your project is all metal it may help, but it may make things even worse. I would try doing that on some old harware before doing it to your pricey RC vehicle.

You might even consider contacting Locktite directly and asking them for advice. When I worked at Universal Studios Florida as a rollercoaster tech we were given some hands on training by Locktite to show us all of their newest products (99-2004), and how they worked on our equipment. I think there may have been some kind of special solvent for releasing the hardware agents, but I am not sure. I am not sure why but heat was one of the things they discouraged us from using.

[Arct1k]

Thinking about how we release tires i,e, boiling.

Maybe could try sustained 100c heat or you could try leveraging thermal expansion - heat up mount try to cool bolt...

I've got a soldering gun that I use for small work. I find if I touch the tip to something loctited that I'm having trouble getting loose and hold it for 15-20sec, that softens the bond enough to let me "break it" get it loose.

There's no substitute for good tools - I hope you're not trying to get this free using an ordinary L wrench.

[Serum]

Loctite starts to get loose at ~400F. there is some solvent available too. Do a search on google for loctite solvent, and options will appear.

[ClodMaxx]

yep - heat will do the trick. i had red loctite i wanted to remove, and loctite says right on their website to heat it to a certain high temp, and it would allow it to break free. i have a heat gun - works great, although i like duster's soldering iron idea better as it's a more concentrated area and won't inadvertently heat areas you don't want hot.

[Maxxman]

Something I found out is don't heat up the pieces if one of them is cf as it bends.

[Hickoryhead]

Originally Posted by Maxxman

Something I found out is don't heat up the pieces if one of them is cf as it bends.

Or plastic. It melts. I use the solder gun method. Works like a charm.

[JERRY2KONE]

Good to know since we all use it on our vehicles. I had never run into that scinario of having to remove anything with red locktite. So let us know if that does the trick.

[Papa]

If the screw head is stripped, try cutting a slot in it with a rotary tool and a cutoff wheel. Now you should add the heat and attempt to get it out with standard flat driver. Good luck.

[DrKnow65]

Loctite is basically a plastic when it's hard. I have to work with it often as I am a mechanic.
Heat is the best tool for making it soft enough to break the bond between screw (nut,bolt,ect) and the part. However if the part is any kind of heat sensitive (plastic, can be warped, ect) I find that leaving the Loctite cold and tapping the parts to break the bond works well.
Put a screwdriver bit-all metal (or a flat punch for hex head bolts) on the head of the screw and use a light hammer to sharply tap on it .
You are not just trying to push it into the threads but also to have the screw rebound outwards a bit too.
Also if you can tap the area of the part where the threads are contained this works very well too, like a bolt that is in the corner of a part, or it there is a molded shape for containing the threads. Sometimes you may need to put a dead weight on the other side of a thin part to counteract the force of the hammer&punch (another heavier hammer or big socket works well).

Just be nice to the parts and think about it like you are just trying to momentarily deform things just enough to break a seal between part and hardware.

I've never used a solvent but it would seem to me that anything that will dissolve loctite would do the same to a plastic part.

[sapper_triple6]

I'm not sure if it is the red or blue loctite. Its whatever Losi uses straight from the factory. Im going to try the heat tonight. I have a 100W soldering iron with a big tip I'm going to try. Ill post the results. Thanks for the suggestions.

[Getter Robo]

I had similar experiences with Losi's loctite. Luckily I was able to rotate the part free from the chassis (It was the brace between the center skid and main plate, 1 screw was left which has stripped)
I wonder why Losi sticks to these tiny hex screws/wrenches? They're way too weak for unscrewing them while being secured by loctite.