Safety wire question

[Seldom Seen Slim]

Stainless, I'm not quite as fumble-fingered as some folks think.  I do know where my skills lie, however, and also what time, training, and tools I've got available to play with when I want to race.  That's why I've chosen to follow the route I take.  I did notice, though, that there's no fine print on the record certificates that distinguishes between "built it myself" and "had someone build it for me". 

Whatever, I inspect for ECTA but didn't respond to the question, thinking someone else might want to jump in and get a point or two for his total.  Internal oil filters, such as the one in discussion here, do not have to be safety wired since an oil-filter failure inside the engine wouldn't let the oil out of the case.  I believe we do not require that the cover to the internal filter be drilled and wired, but we would certainly appreciate it if it were so.  We might ask that the fasteners holding the plate on be snugged in our presence if they aren't drilled. If I read your original question correctly you say you can drill/wire some of the fastners on the plate, but not all of them.  Since the failure of one would not likely allow the plate to come loose and spill oil -- do it on the fasteners you can access and don't worry about the other one.

I'll ask the one BMW rider that races at Maxton if he's been saddled with this issue and how he's responded, but for right now I think you're safe with less thanall of the bolts wired up.

[Rchop]

Thanks Jon, I appreciate the info.

[Dean Los Angeles]

Safety wire is designed to keep the bits and pieces from falling off. Even if one bolt falls out and doesn't cause you any difficulty, the guy that runs after you and hits that bolt is not going to be happy.

The rule book isn't the end of the story. I have a lot of things safety wired that aren't required by the rule book.

The bolt can be safety wired. See the pic below.

[Rchop]

That's a good pic Dean. I may just do that regardless of the rules answer. Thanks

[Seldom Seen Slim]

Good point, Dean, and I yield -- but how far do you go?  Each and every fastener wired -- or only those that are likely to work loose. . .

Yep, the rules (as we so often repeat here) are just basic minimums, and everyone is urged to go above and beyond.  So while wiring the bolts for Rchop may be wise from the "parts falling on the race course" point of view, the racer should also consider making sure that everything is tightened properly before a run, thereby reducing the chance that something will work loose during that run.

Caveat Emptor!

[Dean Los Angeles]

Each and every fastener wired -- or only those that are likely to work loose. . .

[/size]

And which are likely to work loose? If the answer is none then we never need safety wire. Safety wire is not only an insurance premium, but if forces you to pay attention to detail. Did I really tighten that? I better check!

I use a check list with every bolt and the proper torque and another list of safety wired items to check. Not that much work if it prevents problems.

[fastesthonda_jim]

Back when I used to desert race, it was critical in a 175 mile race to be able to check out the bike quickly at the pit stops every 40 miles or so.  What we did was torque striping.  Basically after you torque a bolt you use a Sharpie to draw a stripe across the bolt/nut and onto the surrounding metal.  A quick visual check would insure you that nothing had begun to rotate (that's loosen up, Kent), and you'd be on your way.  Or you'd get out your wrench.

It was also a way to check and see what bolts you might have forgotten to tighten, i.e., ONLY stripe after torqueing.  If you want to get really sexy, number each bolt/nut and count them off as you check the striping.

From the artsy part of North Tijuana.

Jim

[Seldom Seen Slim]

Which bolts are unlikely to work loose?  Well, what I had in mind when I said that is - the ones that you've never loosened - only checked.  Not the ones that you open and close every time you're working on the vehicle, but the things like the one that attaches the swingarm to the frame, maybe, or that holds the gas tank in place.  Yes, by all means check them -- but I don't find it necessary to follow your idea to the obvious conclusion and wire each and every fastener on the vehicle.  Is that what you're implying that you do?  Wow, that'd be a lot of work.

I've striped bolts/nuts before -- but didn't know there's a name for it.  I'll keep that thought handy for next time.

[1212FBGS]

rotate..?... did you say "ROTATE"..?...dems fighten' words ther barnyard...
kr

[JackD]

If a pressure relief valve fails and the oil escapes the confines of the can, all the safety wire you can steal won't do any good.
Under normal levels of proper assembly, it ain't gonna loosen up either.
It is sorta like many helmet users will tell you, " When traveling in a line with others, always hang onto the knot in the rope so you don't bunch up , or get lost."
Who is to know if the part has been over tightened to almost the yield point and when it breaks off with what little strength that remains, what you have left is the broken part hanging from the wire.
While proper safety wire is for sure a plus, it really, mostly tells a viewer that it is likely the part had the proper attention to start with.
 

[Rchop]

I talked to Todd (Narider) yesterday for quite a while. He gave me a lot of useful info regarding ECTA rules and I'm looking forward to meeting him and the other ECTA members in April. Thanks for all the info guys and C-ya on the salt and Maxton.

Randy

[narider]

Randy, nice talking to you the other day and as I mentioned, and as JW replied... your setup will not need safety wired(nor will any other filters at Maxton as far as that goes).
Todd

[Dean Los Angeles]

Jack is absolutely right. Proper installation beats safety wire.

Tighten them until they strip, then back off a quarter turn.

[narider]

And as I've so unfortunatley found out Dean... safety wire can both hide improper installation(like the siliconed on head of a motor mount bolt that I tugged at because I wondered why it had safety wire on it), or even promote improper installation(like in the reply of "Oh I keep that loose because of where I drilled the hole in it so I can get the safety wire in and out easy between runs, you know so I don't have to waste safety wire" when asked why an oil fill plug was loose). 

At least most of the cases like that were eventually overshadowed by the velcroed and duct taped on chain guard extensions(two different meets, same bike, same team  ).
Todd

[John Burk]

At the Baja the day before the race some put a smear of 3M weatherstriping adhesive on the exposed threads above every nut and alongside the head of every screw .

John