Mirage V2 shaft setscrews keep coming loose

I'm on my second Mirage drive for my Outback and I'm having the same problem with it that I did with the first. I keep finding the setscrews for the main shaft and idler pulley shaft have loosened. Once on the first drive the main shaft slid backward so far that I couldn't get the drive out of the well! This time the idler pulley shaft slid forward and dropped out of the rear ring. While fixing it I checked and found the main shaft setscrew was also very loose, but the shaft hadn't slid yet.

So, is this normal? I do use the pedal drive quite a bit (almost daily last month) but I only got this drive - and lubricated and adjusted everything at the time - about two months ago. I'm leery of tightening the setscrews too much as the previous drive went back when I found the plastic ring the idler pulley setscrew is in had cracked. I don't know whether I cracked it while tightening or when the shaft slid out, but it cracked quite cleanly along that molding seam at the top.

Should I put some sort of locktite on them? I notice the blue I use on the blade shafts says not for use with plastic.

What if you were to clean the plastic with alcohol and then put a small dollop of Goop over the set screw?
That stuff sticks very well to plastic and should keep the Allen head set screw from moving after it drys for 24 hours.
You can always remove it when re-greasing the shaft is needed.

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Dr.SteelheadCatcher
Warrenton, OR

Don't overtighten the set screws -- snug only as they will crack the spine if overtightened. Use Loctite Blue to hold them in place. Make sure your screw is in the slot. That will fix your problem. The plastic warning is not an issue with the type of materials Hobie uses. I Loctite everything on the boat and have for years -- never a problem with it. Hobie uses it as well.

DON"T use Loctite Red unless you intend for it to never come apart!

The only exception to Loctite Blue is the older Drives with V-1 masts that are wobbling. In that case I use Marine epoxy to reset the masts and also with the set screw. When that fails it's time to upgrade to V-2 sprockets and masts!