Red Loctite on Caliper Bolts W715623-S439 4X

[Tycoon]

Question: I'm about to change my front brake rotors. Noting that the caliper bolts come with red Loctite. I might need to change the wheel bearings soon. Should I reuse the old bolts or will these red loctite bolts not be too hard to remove?

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[John S]

Those bolts should come off without any difficulty. The OEM dry threadlock colors don't always match the usual color designations common with the liquid versions offered in the aftermarket. Torque-to-yield fasteners are not typically used on general service applications, and if they are, it should be clearly identified as a torque-to-yield design. Same thing with "red" loctite, It's generally not used on serviceable components, and if it is, it is clearly identified. Ford recommends pitching perfectly good fasteners because of liability of not trusting the condition of the used fastener or how well it is cleaned and reapplied with the proper replacement threadlocker. Use your common sense when reusing fasteners, especially any with locking, sealing, or anti vibration features and, if in doubt, replacements are cheap insurance.

 

[CrazyHippie]

That's not red Loctite. You'll be fine.

 

[Optimum Performance]

Those come right out, I would just use some Blue Medium Strength on your existing ones and save these for when you need them.

 

[johnthomass]

Skip the red Loctite on caliper bolts. Red is meant for stuff you never plan to remove again, and caliper bolts need to come off every time you do pads or rotors. If you use red, you'll likely need to heat the bolt to break it loose next time, and there's a real risk of snapping it since these bolts aren't huge.

If the factory torque spec is correct and you're using a torque wrench, you honestly don't need threadlocker at all, that's what proper torque is for.

If you still want some insurance against loosening, use blue (medium strength) instead. It holds fine under normal vibration but comes apart with a regular wrench next time, no heat gun needed.

 

[Tycoon]

These are all great answers. I appreciate the help. The bolts I posted above are the incorrect bolts to attach the caliper to the caliper mount. The correct part number might be W716471-S439. I have non-pp, 4-piston calipers. I had some red Loctite 262 on hand, so I bought some blue Loctite 242. I used the 242 on the old bolts.
A few brake pad notes. Removing the upper caliper bolt required the use of a 3" extension on a 1/2 breaker bar. Caliper bolts are 15 mm. Torquing the upper caliper bolt required the use of the same extension on a 1/2 torque wrench. This might sound ridiculous, but I was only able to get the pads in by: I) mounting the calipers but not tightening down the caliper bolts so that some play remained; ii) inserting the pads, pins, etc. with the play still there, and; iii) lastly torquing the caliper bolts down to 85 ft. lbs.
My 2018 Mustang has 98k+ miles now. It's been maintained very well, but I have some suspension creaking/knocking/chattering and a slight wobble when breaking at highway speeds. I do not know if the new rotors will take care of the wobble. I'm fairly frustrated with the suspension sounds. I inspected suspension components while doing this, and everything looks really solid. Can't find any play or bent parts. Was hoping there would be something obvious to replace. The car is lowered with stock struts and Ford Performance street lowering springs with BMR Caster Camber plates.
Thanks again for all the great answers above.

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