goldstar Needs Advice on Threadlocking

[goldstar]

Some of you may know that the bolt and nut that attaches the gearshift lever to the change control rod fell out of the assembly onto the road last summer while we were on vacation in Virginia, leaving me shiftless. I made a quick repair but now it's time for a permanent fix. What would be the best of the following three alternatives?
1. OEM nut and lockwasher with blue threadlocker.

2. SS Nylock self-locking nut with flatwasher.

3. SS Nylock self-locking nut with flatwasher and blue threadlocker. Would this be too much and unnecessary like wearing a belt and suspenders? Also, if I used threadlocker here would it damage the nylon insert and render it ineffective.

I have all the above materials on hand so it's just a matter of making the right choice.

Your advice would be most appreciated.

Happy Motoring!

[wheresthericego]

Combo #3 and a tack weld should be more than sufficient and you will not have to worry about finding a good samaritan to borrow a jack... Ever

[D323]

Mike;

At work when mounting something in an emergency vehicle (ambulance or squad car) we will use method #3. That being said that is overkill but that is the method because of the chance of lives being on the line. Your case will probably not result in a loss of life making #2 a valid option. I have the feeling that you will end up going with the method that offers the least worry (#3)... especially since you already have the materials there with you.

And no, the blue thread locker should not hurt the nylon insert at all.

D

[KAinjection]

I think option 3 is overkill for a daily driver, just in case you ever need to take it back apart. If it was me I would do option 2

[1Mazda323Fan]

I'd say #3 is fine, as long as you have access to air tools and/or are rather buff. The combination of blue threadlocker and a Nylock nut might prove to be a pain to get back off, should the need ever arise. That being said, it sure as hell isn't going anywhere.

[Raider9864]

I'd say option #2 will work just fine, but #3 provides a better peace of mind. You could also go with the blue threadlock, flat washer, lock washer and oem nut.

[323Permin]

I just put mine back together on my DD when I swapped in some bronze oilite bushings with OEM nut & lock washer and Red thread Loc-Tite.

So far so good ...

[SgtRauksauff]

1/8" drill, and a cotter pin? or a piece of a coat hanger, or safety wire?

you wont' have to over-tighten a nut to cause binding in the linkage, and it physically CANNOT come out.

For the nut, I'd say nylock, or one of the oval-holed 'mechanical' lock nuts....

--sarge

[goldstar]

Thanks very much to all who replied to this thread. I really appreciate your help and advice; and as Nate pointed out, you can't always find a good samaritan when you need one.

Keeping in mind that I'll probably have to disassemble the connection at some point in the future to replace the bushings, I've decided to go with option #2 utilizing the self-locking nut without threadlocker. As some of you pointed out, option #3 would probably be overkill and might make it a PIA to remove if it should ever become necessary. I'll just keep checking things from time to time (especially before vacation time) to see how the connection is holding up.

I do like Sarge's solution because it's totally fail-safe, would prevent binding, yet it's easily removable, and if my current fix doesn't work out I may consider it.

This is a great Forum.

Happy Motoring!

[1Mazda323Fan]

and as Nate pointed out, you can't always find a good samaritan when you need one.

Sadly, that is one resource my state is lacking in. Especially in my area (just outside the District). If you ever find yourself out this way, remember that there's at least one fellow CP member willing to lend a hand should you need it.

[FE3-323]

please consider the strength of threadlock blue. on a 12mm nut you have no worries of it rendering difficulty in coming free......... (red is a different story)

i run a flatwasher & locknut on my shift linkage personally. & @ one point i do remember putting locktite blue on it. i usually tighten it up enough that theres little to no chance of it coming free on its own.
If your shift linkage is anything like a 1st gen one. installing through the top it shouldn't be any serious worry even if the nut falls off.

either way keep us updated which route you take.

[goldstar]

Securing the Shifter Bolt

Some time ago my hydraulic jack (Big Red) stopped working so I bought a cheap Goodyear jack from PEP Boys as a replacement. With a maximum 14" of lift, it turned out that it wouldn't jack the car high enough for me to place it on jackstands. I already knew that the OEM jack by itself wouldn't lift it high enough either, so not wanting to go out and get still another jack with greater lift, I placed a length of 2 x 4 on top of a length of 2 x 6 under the base of my OEM jack. This enabled me to get enough lift to position my Big Red 3-ton jackstands in the 4th notch position under the frame rails giving me enough clearance to work on the shifter bolt under the car. I would have preferred the 5th notch for the added clearance but this worked out okay. BTW, I can slide the jackstands under the frame rails from the side of the car without having to go underneath; something I'd never do when the car is supported only by the OEM jack.

The OEM shifter bolt is an M8 x 1.25 and the bolt head takes a 12 mm wrench. The nut requires a 13 mm wrench. To gain access to the bolt, it's first necessary to remove 2 of the heat shield bolts and pull it down out of the way. The heat shield bolts require a 10 mm wrench. Because of the limited clearance, I found it best and easiest to use short box wrenches in all cases.

The nut was still fairly tight on the bolt although it had loosened somewhat from the time of my emergency repair since my shift lever had developed slightly more play compared with my original setup. It probably would have stayed on for some time before it fell off again, however.

I removed the nut and flat washer and discarded them. I slid a new M8 flatwasher (Grade 10.8) onto the bolt, followed by the SS nylock self-locking nut. Holding the bolt head, I progressively tightened the nut until all trace of play disappeared from the shift lever, making sure there was no binding. This required me to slide out from underneath the car and get behind the wheel a couple of times between adjustments to check the feel of the stick, until it was to my liking. Now, as far as I'm concerned it feels about perfect. Before reinstalling the heat shield bolts, I coated their threads with anti-seize. Just snug up these bolts and don't overtighten.

As stated earlier, I had decided not to use blue threadlocker with the self-locking nut, feeling it would be overkill based on your comments. From the feel of things during the installation, I'm fairly certain that this new nut won't loosen up and fall off anytime soon but I suppose it couldn't hurt to go underneath and check it out once a year.

Because I'd never had a problem with it, while under the car it didn't occur to me to check the connection between the change control rod and the transmission shifter forks where I'd also installed a pair of nyloil bushings. IIRC, I was able to tighten the nut to OEM torque specs without binding so I assume the connection is okay. But the next time I'm under the car I'll give it a look to ensure it, too, is secure. I do have more self-locking nuts.

The next day, Saturday, I was able to give the connection a lengthy road test since we traveled to Torrington, CT to my neice's house for her daughter's 6-year birthday party. The 294 mile round trip gave me ample opportunity to check out the shifter and it felt just fine. Otherwise, as you'd expect, the Protege behaved flawlessly, just as you'd expect from a fine sports sedan.

I want to thank all of you again for your suggestions and help.

Happy Motoring!

[FE3-323]

torque specs on the shifter bolt?? this is new to me

[goldstar]

Torque specs for the shifter bolt and for the bolt at the transmission end of the change control rod with the OEM rubber bushings: 12-16 ft/lbs (16-22 Nm).

When hard bushings are used, bronzoil or nyloil, the shifter tends to bind with the OEM torque specs. That's why the nut has to be torqued below spec and some means is required to ensure it won't eventually loosen and come off.

Happy Motoring!

[SgtRauksauff]

I wonder how the exhaust heat will affect the nylon insert in the nuts. Granted, the heat shield is there, but on cars where it's been removed, there might be more of an effect.

--sarge