Yes, another pulley bolt thread. but this one will open with a question/goal.

What is the final forum consensus on what to do about this?

I have read every thread about this since before I did the pulley swap mod like 5 years ago and have yet to encounter a final solution. I am posting because after following all the best advice this happened.

Less than 5K miles, installed at a reputable indy who is my next door neighbor so I know he chased the threads and did due diligence, brand new OEM bolts, and this useless boltlocker mechanism that does NOT have a painted surface mating the pulley. The bolts have uniformly backed out, which has me super concerned. Is my hub trashed? Can I just retorque these? Do I nee to remove the wheel, toss the boltlocker, install new bolts and hope for the best? This was my worst nightmare. I read and re read and re re read every thread about this and did everything short of the safety wiring to prevent this from happening. Yet it did.

 

What's a pulley BULT? I don't know about you, but I treat pulley and rotor bolts as 1 time use and replace with new non-stretched bolts. Add a drop or two of blue Locktite for good measure. NEVER A PROBLEM.

 

Off the top of my head, I can't offer a specific cause to your issue.. Hopefully one of the more knowledgeable people on here that has experience and knowledge in this area will chime in...

But thinking out loud...

How loose were they....? 1/4 turn?.... Two turns?

How did they loosen with your boltlocker mechanism on them? Doesn't seem possible/probable...

Do your boltlocker mechanisms fit around the bolts, or do they also go between the bolt heads and the pulley, maybe replacing the OEM washers?

Did you use the OEM bolts and washers, and use either new bolts (with thread locker on them) or old bolts adding "two Drops" of red 262 loctite on each bolts...? NOTE: My '01 & '03 HD Softail Service Manuals say to "apply 2 drops" of red 262 loctite to each bolt. My 2012+ HD Service Manuals say the bolts are one-time use and the new ones come with thread locker on them.

FWIW... I have never had an issue with drive pulley removal or reassembly. I have done this on early Twin Cam Softails and a later (2016) Dyna. I have also reused the bolts (per the early Twin Cam Service manuals) after cleaning the bolts & the bolt holes, adding red loctite to the bolts, use the OEM washers, and torqued them to proper torque.

I'm no expert in this area. I am not a machinist, or trained tech. However, of the issues I have read about, a vast majority share a common theme. They have done something other than use the OEM pulley, OEM bolts, OEM washers and proper torque. Many have put "something" in between those three OEM parts and the wheel hub.... whether it be paint, powder coat, chrome, or "special" washers and/or bolts, they have done something that affects the grip (clamp) of the bolts.

I have to admit I am very curious as to the cause...

 

I installed the pulley on my Dyna before I knew this was a problem. I used blue Loctite, ran the bolts down in a star pattern with an impact and torqued to spec. I check them now and then to make sure they're still tight. All is good after a few thousand miles.

The only way it can come loose is fretting or the bolts stretching. Loctite, safety wire and locking devices won't fix that. If you're reinstalling the same pulley, it doesn't hurt to mark it before removal and put it back like you found it.

 

As stated by others, I've never had pulley bolts come loose.. I clean and reuse the stock bolts and even use grade 8 socket cap screws without issue.. I always use red loctite and even torque the bolts to 70 lb feet.
I see there is a washer between the bolt locking device and the pulley.. If I were to use a contraption like that i would not have used the washer.. you stacking the bolt and probably not getting a proper toque value all around.. You need to remember that it's the clamping force that holds the pulley in position so it wont rotate back and forth on the hub.. This alone will work the bolts loose. Pull the pulley and look for greyish rub marks on the mounting surface of the pulley and the hub..
One needs to remember that the OEM washers are thicker and wider than a normal washer to increase the clamping force that holds the pulley in place.
I would be interested in your build and riding style because a higher power motor and a lot of hard acceleration and deceleration can slip the pulley over time causing the bolts to loosen..

 

I don't know how the bolts could back out with that device on there. It's basically the same thing as safety wire, even if they wanted to back out they can't because they are trapped by the locker.

Unless the threads in the hub were damaged so badly previously that they allowed bolts to walk straight out without rotating.... but then if that were the case, how did they get torqued to begin with?

How sure are you that they are actually backing out? Every "bolt-locker" i've seen looks exactly like that with the pulley bolts protruding a little bit.

 

It occurred to me that this info matters: This was the first real ride since installing a new tire and cams. I had done some short ones to run my tuner. It's safe to assume if this gap had existed when doing the tire the shop would have noticed it when the wheel was off. I've put about 8k miles on since the pulley and locker were installed and never noticed this until now. Considering the gap between the bolts and pulley is pretty much uniform and occurred in about a 1 hour highway ride, there's likely something off with the wheel installation. A wobble could cause this, right?

 

They do? I WANT to believe you so bad. Any way you can verify this with the other guys you know who own them? You said "protruding" but we are talking about the gap between the locker and the pulley.

 

OP ... Ask one of the Mod's to correct your thread title "Bult" ... You might get more attention ... Yes this has become a reoccurring problem on many especially the Dyna line ... Good Luck

@DynaDaego

 

I'm talking about the head of the stock bolt being slightly above the outside/top surface of the "locking" ring. I'm just reaching for things that could lead you to believe that your bolts are backing out.

That gap isn't good. Maybe the old washers stuck to the wheel and someone didn't remove them? Anyway, I would think that would cause those bolts to shear before they'd ever back out.