4 Point Bolts Keep Coming Loose?

[NorthLightingConcepts]

I installed the 4 point brace a few months back and struggled to get the passenger side rear “4th point” in place. Since then, there has been a random knock here and there and I found the bolt loose. I have tightened it several times but it seems to work it’s way loose again, I put the loc-tite on it, but no dice.
Anyone else have any issues? It’s the Pierce design. Solution?

 

[green_henry]

How do the threads on the bolt(s) look? You might want to consider replacing it/them. Sometimes you need to lay the loc-tite on pretty thick; let the first coat dry and apply another.

 

[NorthLightingConcepts]

Not sure, I have not uninstalled the bar as of this point or checked the threads. I did have an issue getting that side to line up and get the bolt in, so I wonder if I messed up the threads or something. I may try and tighten it some more with weight on the car and see if that does anything versus with weight off the car.

I also we debating just hacking the 3rd and 4th points off and just running a 2 point....could save me the hassle I suppose.

 

[NorthLightingConcepts]

For note, 3 of the 4 points are rock solid. It is the third passenger side rear 4th point that is coming undone. I had the hardest time to get this one to line up.

 

[zeddzik]

I haven't dealt with Pierce customer service but to be safe I would contact them and see what they say, maybe they will send you another bolt to try out or there is something wrong with that particular brace.

Sent from my Pixel 2 using Tapatalk

 

[NorthLightingConcepts]

I purchased it second hand, so I do not believe I will have a warranty. I can try contacting them though. I am not opposed to just cutting off the rear and running a 2 point. I can take a hack saw and fix the problem well enough. Not that much of a difference from the 4 point to the 2 point I would think. I have 2 new bolts on tap, but had wanted to wait to use them for if I ever parted the car out or changed up my suspension plan....

 

[NorthLightingConcepts]

I wonder if widening the mounting hole on the bar would make a difference. Perhaps it is not actually tightening 100 percent. Could the cars suspension be tweaked somehow? It does have 122k miles now.

 

[green_henry]

I wonder if widening the mounting hole on the bar would make a difference. Perhaps it is not actually tightening 100 percent. Could the cars suspension be tweaked somehow? It does have 122k miles now.

I wouldn't touch the bar.

When you've tightened it, was it jacked up on both sides or only one? If only one, that could be the issue.

 

[kivnul]

The bolts in question are a use once, turn to yield type.
The front two bolts are: W715977-S900
Torque
Stage 1: 63 Nm
Stage 2: 180°
The back two bolts are: W714343-S900
Stage 1: 100 Nm
Stage 2: 240°

You can put the bolts in finger tight with the wheels free hanging, but you need to torque them down with the wheels loaded. You can do this by either jacking up the wheels themselves or dropping the car onto them. I recommend new bolts.

 

[NorthLightingConcepts]

The front bolts are fine. It’s the rear bolts of the crossmember that I’m having the issue with.
yes I did tighten with the wheels loaded initially.

The bolts in question are a use once, turn to yield type.
The front two bolts are: W715977-S900
Torque
Stage 1: 63 Nm
Stage 2: 180°
The back two bolts are: W714343-S900
Stage 1: 100 Nm
Stage 2: 240°

You can put the bolts in finger tight with the wheels free hanging, but you need to torque them down with the wheels loaded. You can do this by either jacking up the wheels themselves or dropping the car onto them. I recommend new bolts.

 

[NorthLightingConcepts]

I wouldn't touch the bar.

When you've tightened it, was it jacked up on both sides or only one? If only one, that could be the issue.

Both sides on lunch welds. I may try tightening the bolt with not jacked up at all. I can get the socket to well enough.

 

[kivnul]

Also, verify that your passenger engine mount is bolted tight to the frame and to the engine, and that the center bolt in it is not busted. For the longest time I thought my noises were from my 4 point: in actuality, 2 of the 3 bolts to the car were loose with the 3rd not being exactly tight. During autocross the G's on the engine were enough to get the mount to slide around.

 

[NorthLightingConcepts]

Its late at night and my spelling is awful. Both sides were tightened with the car jacked up on pinch welds and I jacked up the tires to basically level to create the "load" on the suspension,.

I can wiggle the brace up and down a tad on the rear passenger side so I know that is the culprit. I can feel the bolt sticking out also. I will try and tighten it with the load on the suspension and see how that goes. If not, I will replace all 4 bolts and see what happens.

There is signs of an accident on the passenger side, so I wonder if its just tweaked and the bar just simply wont ever fit. I am the second owner.
I will check that passenger brace too. I love logical excuses to buy new parts lol.

 

[kivnul]

I can wiggle the brace up and down a tad on the rear passenger side so I know that is the culprit. I can feel the bolt sticking out also. I will try and tighten it with the load on the suspension and see how that goes. If not, I will replace all 4 bolts and see what happens.

There is signs of an accident on the passenger side, so I wonder if its just tweaked and the bar just simply wont ever fit.

It sounds like you are doing everything right. If the bolt threads in, does not damage the threads, and the head does not catch on the socket in the brace, then you should be able to install the brace on the car regardless of its history. If the brace is just barely not fitting, widening the hole on it a tad shouldnt hurt anything and may free up whatever binding you are experiencing on the bolt allowing you to torque it properly.

 

[Intuit]

Possibly curb damage; which may have damaged the threads before you even touched them. But it is more likely that the threads were damaged in the course of trying to get the bolt in straight when the assembly wouldn't line up. Listen to kivnul. Once TTY bolts are torqued down and removed, they should to be replaced anyway. Body shops deal with these sorts of issues all the time. Take it around there, advise them on what's going on, and they'll get it installed right; and it'll stay together.

 

[NorthLightingConcepts]

I’ll tighten it again and order another 2 bolts then so I can have 4 new ones. I will try and widen the mounting hole once the new bolts get in and see if that resolves it. If not I’ll just have to assume either the bar is tweaked or the car. I’m inclined to think my car is tweaked due to the damage on the under carriage in my car on that side. Not sure how I could level that out.

 

[NorthLightingConcepts]

The bolts in question are a use once, turn to yield type.
The front two bolts are: W715977-S900
Torque
Stage 1: 63 Nm
Stage 2: 180°
The back two bolts are: W714343-S900
Stage 1: 100 Nm
Stage 2: 240°

You can put the bolts in finger tight with the wheels free hanging, but you need to torque them down with the wheels loaded. You can do this by either jacking up the wheels themselves or dropping the car onto them. I recommend new bolts.

After re-reading this post, I am hoping I discovered the issue. I was going off the 63Nm and 180 for the rears, not 100Nm and 240....
I have retorqued both the rears and we shall see. If not I will order new bolts all the way around and give that a go.

 

[kivnul]

You will be very hard pressed to get the full 240 with previously stretched bolts. It is hard enough with new ones.

 

[NorthLightingConcepts]

You will be very hard pressed to get the full 240 with previously stretched bolts. It is hard enough with new ones.

I’m ordering the new bolts, and hoping this holds in the mean time. I got about 180 or so before it felt like it might snap. So I backed off and left it. It tightened down way more than it has done before.

 

[FocusedSlayer]

You will be very hard pressed to get the full 240 with previously stretched bolts. It is hard enough with new ones.

Thats no joke, to get something like that you'd need a long cheater bar. And more than likely it would break before that.