Working on vehicles, whether as a mechanic or an auto body technician, requires significant training and skill. The goal often revolves around either restoring the vehicle to the day it rolled off the production line or improving its performance and appearance. However, experienced technicians use several tricks, including anti-seize compounds, to help the process along and provide better final outcomes.
What Are Anti-Seize Compounds?
Anti-seize compounds are products made from copper, graphite and other materials that protect the vehicle’s metal parts. They tend to have high heat resistance and provide adequate lubrication for fasteners, flanges, bolts and other parts. Their job is to prevent seizing, corrosion and galling, or adhesive wear. In addition, they lubricate parts so they are easy to disassemble.
How Anti-Seize Differs from Grease
Most technicians use grease to remove or separate parts that have a low load or to lubricate fast-moving parts, such as ball bearings. These products are oil-based and thick, and they burn off at high temperatures. Therefore, they are insufficient for parts that heat and for high-load applications.
Anti-seize products, which have both grease and solids, such as copper and graphite, actually produce more efficient torque or tightening force. Although these compounds work well in high heat and load applications, they can actually jam parts that move fast.
Solvents remove both grease and anti-seize products because both have an oil base. In addition, any part that requires grease or products that prevent seizing should receive a thorough cleaning with solvents to remove dirt and debris and protect the parts.
When To Use Anti-Seize Products
Although compounds that prevent seizing can attract debris if technicians use too much, they do have many uses. For example, fasteners that require high torque benefit from these products because they can help prevent over- or under-tightening. In these cases, the seize prevention compound becomes a torque multiplier.
Techs use these products when they want to prevent corrosion and rust, such as on steel bolts. These compounds are especially beneficial for fasteners that require frequent removal. In some areas of a vehicle, different metals come into contact with one another, but seize-prevention compounds smooth their connection and prevent friction between them.
Technicians commonly use these products on exhaust and braking systems as well as suspension components in addition to most fasteners or bolts, such as brake caliper bolts.
When Not To Use Anti-Seize Products
Technicians should not apply these products to stripped or damaged threads or stubborn fasteners. In addition, avoid using them on spark plugs with shiny silver chrome threading or lug nuts. When fasteners have damage, such as rust, abrasives can remove it, but most will discard these fasteners and choose new options they can use with compounds that prevent seizing. Avoid using them with mechanical assemblies that need lubricants. Technicians should avoid areas that also require some form of car sealant and have exposure concerns because it could attract contaminants and affect the sealant.
Rogo Fasteners can help technicians find the right product for their tasks, whether they need car fuses, grease or anti-seize compounds. Check out Rogo Fastener’s quality product selection.