UCA Installation/Removing the Bolt

I call BS. By this nonsensical logic, if you put the nut on top then it just wouldn’t vibrate loose in the first place.

Bolts that are prone to vibrating loose get some kind of secondary retainer. Maybe a cotter pin or an interference that prevents it from moving out enough to be a problem.

For every bolt you can find that is “head up” as “good practice”, I can find one equally as critical that is head down.

In this case it could also be an assembly aid for the workers. Because the bolt inserts from the top, the worker doesn’t have to hold the bolt from falling out as they install the nut. Or maybe this assembly is automated (or has some fixture) and that orientation was the easiest.

There are plenty of reasons it could have been done that other than “if you put the bolt in backward you WILL die”. Shit it could have just been done that way cause it didn’t matter at all and the engineer just thought installing from the top made some kind of sense.

 

I bought 2 new bolts, cutoff wheel to the old

New bolts went in opposite the old, as in uphill.

Easy and fast.

Also, unless my memory is totally gone, the new OEM bolts had nylon lock nuts (old too I think) so I'll take my chances

 

Honestly don’t really care. Was just replying when someone ask why it may be that way and why someone had thought it should be that way.
All my training and school as well as people that I work with in Boeing, Military, and Federal Civilian aircraft engineers does that practice, but then again we work with explosives. If you can find me a bolt on this vehicle that is inserted bottom up with without a retainer (cotter pin) AND the bold is is holding it by itself while the part rotated on it, I will be surprised.

edit: also your first sentence just told me you didn’t read my initial post

 

Tuesday when I get back to work (if the engineers in this thread are still chirping) I'll take a picture of the 8 bolts (4 each side) that attach the rear axle to a John Deere backhoe frame inserted bottom up, non locking nuts on top.

No reason they can't be inserted from the top, so if the non locking nuts vibrated loose the bolts would not drop out......but.....

With a guaranteed torque provided via DC torque tools tightening the bolts in sequence, our engineers (and machines) dont seem to have any issues.

Moral: torque your fasteners correctly

 

I guess no one is reading the posts correctly, and I agree on a vehicle it doesn't matter, but here is why engineers do it:
If its multiple bolts just holding something together it doesn't matter the orientation.
IT MATTERS if the bolt is used as an axis (to dumb it down: if thingy rotates on it) and there is only a single bolt (well duh if there are two bolts it won't rotate). If it does not follow the top, down practice (like your ball joint on lower control arm doesn't) it has a cotter pin/retainer.

 

Found the Air Force guy

Damn dude, your credibility really took a nose dive.

Honestly? This is the proof of your expertise on UCA bolts...your associates degree from the community college of the Air Force?

 

Oh this is gold. I wonder if airforce has usaf wtf moments


But seriously. I hate the UCA bolt.

 

This would qualify fo sho

 

Now I have seen it all........showing certificates/degree to prove/win a point.......

 

Posting your “credentials” gets you street cred bro!

 

Hahahahahahaha we all know how it can be talkng in front of a computer screen

 

It's logical that its installed the way it is, and its ideal no less. But I offered an alternative that turned into a shit storm.

Toyota does install some bolts in orientations simply because of manufacturing. The oddest is front macpherson struts. The bolt is always on the left, and the nut on the right, even though the bolt backing out would hit the brake line on the one side.

Rear shocks on the tacoma the bolt always faces inwards, no reason, only manufacturing.

The OP dealt with it, and its fine to move on now. I won't be posting any credentials .

 

It was like that for me, your cab is probably slightly misaligned for me. The other side was REALLY easy, barely had to bend the sheet metal at all. I would just cut through the bolt and put new ones in.

 

LMAO, I like how people just read one posts and never the whole thing.

We were talking about engineers and why would they have the bolt installed that way. I am not going to list all my credentials cause then someone can easily pinpoint who I am. Those were basic certs/degree that goes over "good practice" in engineering/mechanics that thousands go through yearly (if you read previous posts it was what we were talking about).
I never disagreed with UCA being installed the other way. I even installed it that way. We were just going over it and someone questioned my "credentials" which they should since a lot of people on here don't even have a single proof of what they do.

But cheers on assuming and making an ASS out of U and ME.

Youre right, even if it was basic certs that many go through, I'll delete it.

 

I didn't read the comments but just going off the title when I did mine...... IT SUCKED!!!! haha. But its do-able just bend and have a hammer and punch

 

Oh I saw every single post of yours and read every comment page-by-page. Matter of fact, I only came here because I went through the bolt shenanigans and I had to go help a buddy with his.

You made an ASS of yourself, but to be fair to the others...most airmen aren’t total jackasses. I have been in the Army since 2001, I got plenty of the same “credentials” but you won’t see me post them on TW for street cred.

and yeah, you should take that down. That’s a bad look

 

I’m with you 100%. Honestly, I just piped up because I couldn’t watch the dumpster fire any longer. As far as the UCA bolt, there are a hundred different ways to safely mitigate the nut backing off regardless of orientation (locktite, locknut, drill/cotter, tack weld, etc.)

That is the real answer here. If you put it in the other direction, just make sure and take precautions to lock the nut down permanently after proper torque.

Simple as that

 

Making that comment about the bolt seemed like you didn’t understand what we were talking about. My very first post were in response to people about engineers and mechanics going through technical school and being taught that way when they design/work on complex systems. Doesn’t mean it’s right it’s just “good practice”. for those that never been to technical school or never heard of “good practice” it means just a good habit to have.

Someone here called BS (you can read all the comments to see who it was). So I provided certs/degree that I went through some of those technical courses. I especially made it clear it was basic ones so people like you has them so you can’t pinpoint who I am. If I gave you my advance credentials you would known/can figure out who and where I am since it’s more limited.

 

Man this topic took a dive!

Whoever made the comment about a single bolt being used for an axis vs. bolt(s) holding things together, etc......that makes sense, well put

Cheers