GOE 18" Wheels, corrosion and ????

**Garfield** · 23rd October 2016, 05:42 PM

I'm waiting for my next wheel rotation to slap some grease on. Long cup weekend away should see enough kays to warrant a tyre rotation. I think Babs has brought this problem up before as well.

**Garfield** · 23rd October 2016, 05:49 PM

Originally Posted by LandyAndy

It can happen to any Alloy wheel.Alloy does not like being in contact with steel,it causes electrolysis = corrosion.
It pays to use an anti seize on the spigot and wheelnuts.It has to be compatible with aluminium.NEVER use coppercoate,it really sets off a problem with steel/aluminium.
Andrew

Sorry to sound naive LandyAndy but is coppercoate same as copper grease ?

**LandyAndy** · 23rd October 2016, 07:29 PM

Originally Posted by Garfield

Sorry to sound naive LandyAndy but is coppercoate same as copper grease ?

Yes,as mentioned above,its nickel based antisieze product you need for aluminium.Copper and aluminium hate one another with a passion

Andrew

**Disco-tastic** · 23rd October 2016, 08:52 PM

Originally Posted by LandyAndy

Yes,as mentioned above,its nickel based antisieze product you need for aluminium.Copper and aluminium hate one another with a passion

Andrew

Whoops. I should probably check mine then. Ive been using copper grease on the wheel nuts...

**Garfield** · 23rd October 2016, 09:01 PM

Originally Posted by LandyAndy

Yes,as mentioned above,its nickel based antisieze product you need for aluminium.Copper and aluminium hate one another with a passion

Andrew

Thanks Landyandy for the heads up !

**LRD414** · 23rd October 2016, 09:57 PM

Originally Posted by Disco-tastic

.... Ive been using copper grease on the wheel nuts...

That's ok but a bit risky Dan.
If used sparingly and only on the studs/nuts copper is alright.

However this stuff is excellent:

Molytec - Stainless Thread Lubricant

I've used it since experiencing the same problem with getting one of the wheels off the hub after about 12 months installed.
The small brush attached to the lid helps with application too.

Cheers,
Scott

**LandyAndy** · 23rd October 2016, 10:05 PM

NEVER use Copper coat in an aluminium boat!!!!!,also make sure you don't let any wiring job offcuts loose.They will eat holes in the hull.
Andrew

PeterJ · 24th October 2016, 08:20 AM

Originally Posted by Disco-tastic

Whoops. I should probably check mine then. Ive been using copper grease on the wheel nuts...

I'd be a bit careful with this as well, torque for the wheel nuts is 130 N.m and it is customary for this figure to be quoted against clean dry threads, I must admit I am not sure what LR practice is, perhaps someone can enlighten us, but, from standard charts it looks like a clean dry spec.

If you lubricate with grease then do the 130 N.m you will be over tightening the bolts. Without getting too technical about it all a thread is just an inclined plane and you can think of tightening the wheel nut a bit like sliding two inclined planes (wedges) against one another. The torque you apply when doing up the wheel nut is analogous to the force you would use to push the wedge up the slope. Adding lubrication significantly reduces the friction between the two surfaces so making it easier to push the wedge up the slope. The vertical change in height as you slide the two inclined planes is the clamping force that is applied to the wheel and hence reducing the force to push the wedge effectively increases the clamping force. This increase puts the wheels and wheel studs under a lot more stress/strain which can cause problems for the materials they are manufactured from, steel in the case of most wheel studs and aluminium alloy for the wheels, at least in my case.

I did not search the forum but I am sure this topic has also been discussed at some point but I hope this helps with the wider understanding.

Peter

**BigJon** · 24th October 2016, 09:52 AM

All this trouble with the GOE 18 inch wheels. I am happy to take a set off someones hands if they don't want them anymore.

**PerthDisco** · 24th October 2016, 11:57 AM

Originally Posted by LandyAndy

NEVER use Copper coat in an aluminium boat!!!!!,also make sure you don't let any wiring job offcuts loose.They will eat holes in the hull.

Andrew

I've worked in aluminium boat building all my life and this is an interesting subject. It is often said in mythology that a dropped coin will eat through the bottom of an alu boat. Witness the amount of alu dinghies with tools fish hooks, swivels, coins bottle tops etc. in the bilge and they last 50 years before rattling apart. Not to mention steel anchor and chain rattling around in the bows of aluminium cray and work boats in direct contact.

The reality is that both materials are tough as old boots in a well aerated and mostly dry environment. The alu will oxidise to a grey and powdery surface and protect itself beautifully.

Add permanent moisture, humidity or a stray electrical current and the alu will die very soon. A non ventilated void that sweats will corrode out in no time. That's boatbuilding 101.

In a steel boat the insides of the hull must be painted and maintained or rust takes over. In an aluminium ship as long as the void is well ventilated and kept clean no paint protection is needed. Commercial alu work boats often have no paint externally where it is only used for cosmetic appeal.

Steels commercial ships are scrapped after 20 odd years due to rust (or sold to a 3rd world country). The rules allow for this. Large aluminium 80m ferries are now going on 30 years good as new barring things like water tanks and exhaust outlets that can cut out and replaced as new. Engine and equipment gets replaced but the structure has a indefinite lifespan if built well.

(I've never seen a careful sparky hence the huge amount of cable tie ends and wire clippings they leave behind.)

Externally you have to have skill. All s/s fixings tapped into the aluminium need isolation paste. Stainless handrails pressed onto alu stubs with a nylon sleeve in between. Rubber gaskets and isolation collars for bolts at the flange where steel piping exits through an aluminium hull fitting. The use of glued windows has avoided steel frames.

A bad alu boat is usually due to a steel builder having a go.

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