Screws.....

[sroach]

Is it normal to constantly find screws that need to be tighten, or put back in? I guess traveling with he AS let's them rattle loose?

Is it safe to use Loctite on the screws?

[Minno]

Yes, screws can vibrate loose. I used Loctite on the screws I used during our refurb, and I see no reason for you to not use it.

Chris

[dkottum]

We've never had any loosen. It may be good to check the balance of your tires, and question whether your weight distribution bars are too stiff for your Airstream.

[Msmoto]

My collection is up to about ten, now, mostly from the door latches, one from the microwave.

My solution, if i can determine where the screw came from is:

Wood or particle board, I use about three toothpicks, inserted into the hole and broken off, then a bit of construction adhesive on the screw, reinserted, tightened only to what is required to secure the fixture.

Metal: If threads have been striped, a new slightly larger screw, Loctite, blue. If not striped, just Loctite.

Composite, i.e., Corian or other: May require some filler, and I have used a bit of fabric with an epoxy for the screw on my drop down tray at the end of the counter. This had been repaired twice by the dealer, finally I did the epoxy thing and it is quite secure.

So, why do we have theses problems? Think of taking your house and subjecting it to an earthquake, Richter scale 7.3, fifty times a day....
Also, I do believe the screw driver torque settings at the factory are too high, or they do not really care if the screws are striped out. The door latches are the major source of my "screws on the floor", but the concern might be screws where we cannot discover them....

Anyway, this is apparently a common problem, we learn to live with.

And, yes, the tire pressures....one of the reasons I went with 16" wheels and tires, I can now run 54 psi, much easier ride for the trailer, now down to Richter scale 6.0....LOL

[Melody Ranch]

Never use screws to fasten the belly pan .

[Gearheart]

I notice your rig is 1972 vintage. Ever had the axles replaced? The rubber torsion bar axles have a life expectancy of about 25 years. Over time elasticity is lost and rubber bands turn to hockey pucks. This leads to a rougher ride that can shake all kinds of things loose.

[HiJoeSilver]

Blue loctite is good. Red not so much in the AS because you could burn the thing down to get it out.

If it's a metal into metal screw you can also try a few wraps of Teflon plumbing tape around the threads.

[PA BAMBI II]

Originally Posted by Melody Ranch

Never use screws to fasten the belly pan .

Why? I temporarily have my pan secured with self-tappers as I have to drop it do do one thing or another as I am using the trailer while renovating it.

I may go to large head rivets to secure the belly pan when I am "finished," but the screws are holding up fine and I refuse to waste a bunch of rivets by drilling them out every time I need to drop the pan.

[cwf]

Could be running gear ... seriously.. check it out..

Wood..if you run the screw in a bit, and it doesn't quickly 'snug' you may need something to take up some 'slack' and give some 'holding' strength to the screw shank. Be careful and don't make it too hard to screw in or you could/might cause the wood to split. I have had times I had to drill the hole, replace the wood with a 'toothpick'.. but what works good when you are 'on the road' is to find a small branch you can whittle down... it doesn't need to take up the whole screw hole.. just take up slack. If you carry some wood glue, you can wet the outside of the wood, put wood into the hole, and run the screw in... but don't 'tighten'.. after the glue 'dries', snug it up.

You can also use a 'toothpick', but, hey, what's the FUN in that?

On 'metal', same.. if loose, you can fill the gap.. use larger screw.. etc.. on metal, take care.. you don't want to 'wallow out' the hole... What I found works, is making SURE I have right size screw... including 'length'.. don't want to punch a hole in the outer shell!!! Next, use Locktite BLUE... if the screw isn't wobbly. Run screw till 'snug'.. just enough to hold the part.. If you over tighten you can over stress the threads, once the threads 'jump' once, the screw is 'loose'.

You can get some 'JB Weld' epoxy.. mix a couple of dabs with a toothpick.. then coat inside the metal hole. Allow to cure completely! you only want to 'coat' the hole inside. Push a little of the epoxy to the backside of the hole.. let it CURE... then run a NEW screw in place.

If that doesn't 'work', redo the epoxy as above. Then, before you run another new screw into the hole.. mix up another batch of epoxy... then, put a very thin coat under the head of the screw and 'snug' it down. Wipe off any epoxy..

To minimize the epoxy 'overflow', put a piece of painters tape over the area. Run the screw in until the head hits and stop. Use an "exacto" knife to carefully cut the tape as close to the head as possible. Now, remove the screw and lift out the center of the tape you trimmed. Proceed as above and you will find it easier to just ice down then pull off the tape.

[Lumatic]

sroach, what are you using for a tow vehicle?

[sroach]

Originally Posted by Lumatic

sroach, what are you using for a tow vehicle?

Hi Lumatc,

A Mercedes ML350.

[Msmoto]

Just a note....while so many of the screws on my unit have been tightened to the point of striping the threads...in the substance holding them....I have just replaced my bathroom faucet with one which I can get my hands under without splashing water on the counter, and in the process I had to remove the old one, of course.

My Serenity has been plagued by the pump cycling several times a day, and it could very well be due to the fact the faucet hose connections were never tightened...I simply took my arthritic hand and unscrewed the faucet line from the plumbing. Also, I noticed that there were no turn off faucets under the sink, probably not an issue as one can always run outside and turn off water or turn the pump off.

The next thing I noticed was the water sitting on top of the wheel well, under the sink, once I removed the back of the cabinet. And, when i placed the adaptors on the plumbing to accept my new faucet hoses, they leaked....strange, however examination of the threads revealed these had been damaged apparently when installed, would not seal with teflon tape. I solved this issue with a good pipe sealing compound....

I will see if this new installation leaks, if there is new water under the sink, and if possibly I have corrected one more, "loose screw" problem in my Airstream.....