Can Spray Lube/Penetrant CAUSE loosening?

[SumpChump]

I was thinking about spraying one if my favorite penetrants/corrosion protectors on a few nuts under the good in my engine bay.......then a few questions came up. Especially since I see all those ads with the penetrants creeping deep in threads.

A. Could the penetrant actually LOOSEN (no, not un screw) the nuts or cause them to be more prone to vibration loosening.

B. Could the penetrant protectant damage a gasket if it crept in there? For example my 2013 Camry has a composit black plastic thermostat neck and in it are rediculously small studs with raw nuts which are now corroding in a weird powdery almost lichen type way. I wanted to protect them fir the Wisconsin salt vapors of winter but I dot want the fluid film or LPS to eat away a gasket or the composit or something weird.

I think this is a valid concern.


Secondary. If I spray a protectant such as Fluid Film or CRC anti corrosion or Corrosion X....on battery posts....will it seep in an actually cause a loss of some amount of transmissibility ofthe electricity?

 

[Johnny248]

Fogging oil does a pretty good job of protecting nuts and other metal parts from the elements.

 

[Merkava_4]

Basically if it's safe for your skin, it's safe for plastic. Try some PB Blaster on your skin for a couple of minutes - if you can stand it that long.

 

[andyd]

No. Creeping oils will just weaken the rust bond, not release torque Every time I use a brake bleeder or do some plumbing under one of my old heaps ..err.. classic German touring saloons, I smear grease on my efforts To keep couplings and connections free.The penetrate dries out, it won't last. I use oil soaked cloth washers full of grease on the battery posts. I coat exposed copper connections with electric grease. It is just heavy duty vaseline. You brush it on after the connections are made. Most gaskets are resistant to oils so your fears are unjustified.

 

[abycat]

I use copper kote on all bolts I take out. Unless head bolts or something like that. Works great.

 

[sciphi]

FF won't do anything other than protect the metal. I've sprayed it onto lots of stuff on both cars with no ill effects. Including battery terminals.

 

[buck91]

I tend to lubricate every threaded connection I assembly that does not require thread locker. So things work better than others but for the most part it really doesn't matter as long as you choose something that will stay (chassic grease, silicone grease, fluid film, Boeshield, anti seize). Beware petroleum on a plastic fitting though.