There are a few places on our motors where
hex drive fasteners are used, typically on
upper casing aprons and water intake
screens. A thread sealant is applied to the
apron fasteners to prevent salt and mineral
build up from making the screws impossible
to remove. While minimizing the effects of
salt, the sealant can make the fasteners
a little difficult to remove during service
operations. That’s particularly true if your
hex driver is nearing the end of its useful
life. The use of worn or incorrectly sized hex
drivers can damage the fastener, further
increasing the difficulty, as well as causing
resulting in lost time and efficiency.
Here are a couple of tips you may find
helpful:
• Replace worn hex drivers or grind off
the worn end before they are no
longer able to properly engage the
fastener socket causing slippage that
can end up damaging the fastener.
• Clean debris out of the hex that may
prevent full insertion of the driver into
the fastener.
• Do not use ball-end drivers for
loosening these fasteners. Ball-end
drivers are great for many applications,
but they do not have the contact area
necessary to remove tight fasteners.
• When reinstalling fasteners, clean the
threads and apply a low-strength thread
sealant such as Loctite® 572™,
Loctite Quickstix® 561(p/n ACC-
QKSTK-56-10) or, in a pinch, a good
gasket sealer.