Screw and Snap Ring Reliability

Careful screw and snap ring installation is critical on due to the high vibration experienced by the derailleur. If these small parts come loose, it can lead to a ruined ride or race, significant issues with shifting, and even damage to other components of your bike. 

Screws

Always use threadlocking compound (such as blue loctite) on the threads of every threaded fastener. 

The SRAM B screw and limits screws often come loose due to the plastic thread locking features wearing out after a few adjustments. After the plastic threads are worn out and no longer hold these adjustment 3 screws in place, we recommend using a threadlocking compound on these screws to ensure the screws are held in position. Although threadlocking compounds can damage plastics, once they are damaged from repetitive adjustment, it is better to use threadlocking compound because they are already damaged at that point.

Snap Rings

Using the right snap ring tool is the best approach to ensure a reliable snap ring installation.

Do not over stretch snap rings when removing or installing them. If they are deformed even a little bit, they will not fit tight and reliably when they are re-installed.

During a SRAM rebuild, we recommend re-using the SRAM snap rings if possible, but only if they are not deformed after you remove them. The Madrone snap rings work fine too, but the SRAM ones are slightly thicker and stronger.

In each Missing Links kit, we provide enough snap ring to replace each one, plus extras.

Lastly, make sure the snap rings are fully seated in the grooves during installation, and not resting on the slightly larger OD of the pins. If they are not fully seated in the grooves, they could come off the pins.

Tip: Use a pick to fully seat the snap rings in the grooves during installation.