wastegate bolts

[LEMHEAD16]

I have almost lost my wastegate twice because the bolts loosen and fall out. What do you guys use to keep them in? Will loc-tite work in that high of temperatures?

[C-Kwik]

Loc-tite will not work. If possible, the use of studs with mechanical locknuts would work well. However, with many set-ups, this isn't an alternative you can use. There are bolts out there that are designed to mechanically lock. Stage 8 bolts would work well, but are pricey. There are some bolts that you can get that use stainless steel inserts that are harder than the regular bolt and also expand with heat so it locks in. These are a bit hard to find in small quantities. Another solution is to find or make bolts designed to accept a safety wire. This is probably the easiest to find, but can be awkward and most involved. Finding bolts that accept safety wire is not always easy. But they are relatively easy to make.

Find yourself a piece of metallic angle. The sturdier the better. You'll want it to be a scrap piece as you will drill it out and tap it as a template. Find yourself the correct size bolts. Perhaps a few extra, just in case. I prefer allenhead bolts as standard hex bolts generally have a thin head profile from a side view. Take the angle and drill a hole of appropriate size to accept a tap that matches the intended bolts. Tap the hole. Then screw in one of the bolts. Take the angle and clamp it down to a drill press so that a bit will be centered on the side of the bolt head. Use a small bit that is a little bigger than the intended safety wire and drill through the side of the head. to make additionals, all you need to do is remove the bolt from the angle and screw another in. Then Drill again. I do recommend using a drill press, both for consistency and control.

To install it, just screw in the bolts. Then take the safety wire and run it through the bolts and tie up the wire. You can use one wire for both bolts so long as you arrange it so that if one bolt tries to loosen, it will have to tighten the other bolt. As a suggestion, to tie the wire and tighten it, I take the remainging ends and line them up parallel to each other. Then clip the end leaving maybe a foot or so on each end. Then stick both ends in a drill and cinch it down in the jaws. Run the drill and it should twist up the wire, eventually tightening it. Don't over do it or the wire will snap. Just a bit of tension is good. Then clip off the excess wire so it leaves about 1/2" of extra wire.

Here is a pic of my old KA's safety wire set-up. Sorry for the poor quality, it was taken with a camer phone. But you can see the wire and the hole in the bolt on the lower portion of the pic:

[LEMHEAD16]

Thanks for the indepth response

[LEMHEAD16]

I lost the metal ring that seals between the manifold and wastegate anyone know where I can get one for a Tial 38mm wastegate?

[Import_Ant]

I lost the metal ring that seals between the manifold and wastegate anyone know where I can get one for a Tial 38mm wastegate?

http://www.roadraceengineering.com/tial.htm

scroll to the bottom. it's 30$.