Thought this might help pictures show locations of bolts, not sure of age of nylocs as i got the car built which was approx 2 years ago....
Rescued attachment P1010002.JPG

sorry for confusion car was finished 2 years ago i got it about 4 weeks ago!!!........been a long day

Are the bolt heads 17mm? or 19mm?

one more
Rescued attachment P1010002.JPG

First thing I would try are brand new nylocs with a bit of thread lock on them and ensure they are torqued up.

Regards

Rich

Looking at the picture below, it looks like threaded rod, next time at the scrappers get yourself the proper diff bolts and then as above, hope the rod isn't stretching inside the diff casing

[Edited on 8/10/06 by RichardK]

view from different angle, had a problem with posting pictures - sorry please feel free to edit as necessary!!!
Rescued attachment P1010001.JPG

17mm for the nut...

That's threaded rod.

See my previous post here

Cheers

Mark

Edit: the proper bolts are only a few quid from Ford by the way

[Edited on 8/10/06 by mookaloid]

How can you tell they are threaded rod from the Pic Mark? I can see a cap head on one end.

Dont recall seeing normal cap head bolts that long.

ive used threaded bar, 3,000 miles so far and no probs, i do understand your concerns though and will keep checking them.

Well I can't see a caphead but I don't how you know it's threaded rod either!

And Mad Dad has already said they're allen heads which I guess if they're 12.9 grade explains the rust.

Mad Dad,
if it's bolts/cap heads I'd leave them and fit new nuts with Loctite. I have a similar design and not had a problem with bolts there at 1200 miles.

If it's threaded bar then ditch it quick and fit washers/bolts and new nuts!
It's just unsafe if it's not high tensile (ie. grade 8.8 or above) and could be stretching I suppose.

HTH,
James

just thought, does he mean it is secured using 4 seperate capheads, with the cap end inside the recesses in the ally casting?

I have used seperate bolts on mine too rather than long ones, but then mine is an ST installation which is totally different and uses the rear mount and half of the front one.

yip, looks like threaded bar as the pics are from both sides of the diff, I think!

Threaded Bar is OK, as long as it's high tensile, as stated before 8.8.

Cheers

Ian

If the nut takes a 17mm spanner then the threaded rod is 10mm . Pretty sure they should be at least 12mm bolt possibly bigger?

Cheers everyone definitely not threaded bar as i can hold each one by putting an allen key in by the diff housing so there are defo 4 seperate bolts. I will get some new nylocs and loctite at weekend and see how it goes but thanks for all the feedback......will get a piccie of the type of bolt at the weekend for those who might be interested!!!!!

I thought the hole in the diff is 12 mm not 10 mm.

So why put in a M10 bolt when a bolt M12 with nice non-treaded part fits exactly???

Play in the mounting can't be nice, even when your tightning it very strong.

my mistake they are 19mm nuts not 17mm as i put in earlier reply!!! will take em out at the weekend and replace with new bolts and nylocs.......

my mistake they are 19mm nuts not 17mm as i put in earlier reply!!! will take em out at the weekend and replace with new bolts and nylocs.......

I think your problem will be that the heads of the caphead bolts that you have used are slowly digging into the alloy casting of the diff casing. The back of the casting that they are pulled up against is not quite flat, and as they settle in they will squeeze the ally till it is flat.

once they have done this they should stay tight.

Most on here use two very long bolts all the way through the diff casing and brackets, which then cant sink into the ally.

quote:

---

Originally posted by NS Dev
I think your problem will be that the heads of the caphead bolts that you have used are slowly digging into the alloy casting of the diff casing. The back of the casting that they are pulled up against is not quite flat, and as they settle in they will squeeze the ally till it is flat.

once they have done this they should stay tight.

Most on here use two very long bolts all the way through the diff casing and brackets, which then cant sink into the ally.

---