Beam bracket to shell bolts - Dry, Thread-lock or Grease?

[LR5V]

Beam has been off for rebuild & now back on my Mk3 valver.
I copper greased the threads then torqued them up using the figure from the haynes book of lies ...
however after a 500-600 miles there was a creaking sound that upon investigation showed it to be the bolts had worked themselves loose.
Tightened them up & the creaking disapeared, but the ride now feels a bit loose & twitchy turning into right hand bends, just as though its gone loose again.

Was copper grease a bad idea? -I realise now it changes the torque value & can fix this taking each bolt out individually & cleaning out the threads then re-installing.

Is the haynes manual correct at 70nm or could my torque wrench just be well out?

Should I have just fitted them dry or applied thread lock?

First post, very happy to be here, cheers in advance

[Wayne]

I would remove them and clean the threads, then loctite plus torque to spec.

[gazareth]

and ease of on the handbrake turns

[LR5V]

I would remove them and clean the threads, then loctite plus torque to spec.

Cheers  - I Had a feeling it was going to be that way.
Axle stands, Toothbrush & brake cleaner on standby

and ease of on the handbrake turns

I will!
on a side related note, my driving instructor was a part time rally driver, he taught me to do hand brake turns during a lesson. Interesting guy, allegedly served time for armed robbery too!

[hobbiniho]

if you have torqued them to 70nm wet then they will be tighter than they should have been as the torque settings in the haynes book of lies will be a dry torque setting, and as you have lubed them up you are removing a lot of he friction that "opposes" the turning action (torque) so you will get a far greater clamping force on the bolt as you will be able to turn it further before the torque value is reached,so i dont see how they could have come loose as they are tighter than they should have been, however as you have found out wet threads tend to work themselves loose due to vibration a lot easier, my advice would be to clean them and torque to 70nm without loktite as the loktite will act as a lubricant so you will not get the correct torque

[VW BUSH]

Check they are not stretching/stretched

[Thom89]

If the beam has been painted/powder coated, the torque settings will not be accurate either way!
OE bolts would have been lubricated by the Loctite, in the factory when torqued on the line

OP, did you fit the refurbed beam with the mounting bushes loose... as you should! the bushes should only be tightened when the car is planted on the ground, or preferably on a 4 post ramp

The creaking sound you describe, is most likely the bushes tearing themselves to shreds, because the have not been tightened in a neutral position!

Remedy, loosen bush bolts, drive the car for a short distance to re seat the bushes, then re tighten with the car on the ground, or on a 4 post ramp, and hopefully not too much damage to the bushes!

Thom