Cant keep muffler bolts in my 16" Husky

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wood-fan-atic

Minister of Fire
Oct 4, 2010
872
Long Island, NY
What gives? Got the saw about 3 years ago and had no problems. Lost a muffler bolt (it happens). Bought a new muffler and tightened down on the bolts like a SOB. I still cant keep a bolt in there. It tightens up just fine - nice and snug. But after a few minutes , I'll check it, and sure enough, its about to drop out! Have you guys had this problem? I dont want to 2 part-epoxy it in there, but I dont know what else to do. Any suggestions?
 
Maybe try putting a lock washer under the head of each bolt. And, maybe a flat washer contacting the muffler if you are scared of the lock washer damaging the muffler.

I bought a 372XP, and one bolt had fallen out of the muffler bracket. I put lock washers on those, but I used loctite too. They have not loosened.

However, the inner dog bolts were loose as well. I put little lock washers on those without loctite and they are holding fast.
 
Is there a way to saftey wire them? or is the bolts loosen up due to streching when heated.
 
As said above; couple of star washers ought to do it... blue loctite if you really want. Flat washers under the locking washers might defeat their effectiveness.
 
They seem to do that after a few times of re-tighten with a t-handle after its hot normally will fix it. Lock tight for me would be a very last resort.
 
Locktite has various grades of strength, but works. It does let you remove a bolt also. A lock washer if the threads are partially stripped will not do much.

Trick from motocross where the vibration, pounding, and bad attention to details strains the whole bike: shove coarse steel wool into the bolt hole.
Use just enough so that the bolt feels as if it is tightening. Repeat if needed. Otherwise re-thread the bolt hole for a larger bolt.
 
If you tighten these muffler bolts when cold they will back out every-time unless you retighten them a few times when its hot. Once you retighten a couple time when its hot you should have a problem after that.
 
Now that is information that would have been useful BEFORE I lost 2 more bolts! %-P Thanks,Jay.
 
wood-fan-atic said:
Now that is information that would have been useful BEFORE I lost 2 more bolts! %-P Thanks,Jay.

I have lost all 4 at once and found them all.....lol just dumb luck there!
 
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