6
Talked to an old Ford mechanic at a junkyard yesterday
He said he never uses a torque wrench on oil pan bolts, just tightens them by feel after 40 years. Made me wonder how many engine jobs I've made harder than they had to be by being too by-the-book.
3 comments
Log in to join the discussion
Log In3 Comments
jade_johnson7d ago
Blew the oil pan gasket on my old beater because I thought I could guess the torque on a rusty bolt. Ended up with oil all over the driveway and a tow truck bill. Sometimes the manual saves you, sometimes experience does, but guessing always hurts.
6
carr.elliot7d ago
Oh man, that's a rough one @jade_johnson. I think the trick is knowing when to trust your hands and when to pull out the book. For a rusty or crusty bolt, I'd still go by feel because the torque spec assumes clean threads, which you never have on an old beater. But for a new gasket on clean bolts, I'd rather use the wrench to avoid exactly that kind of disaster. Guessing on torque is like playing roulette with your oil pan.
3
finley_price247d ago
Man that's rough! I've been there too with a leaky gasket and it's the worst feeling seeing that oil puddle under your car. I think a lot of us have learned the hard way that guessing torque on old bolts is a gamble you usually lose. The old mechanic might have magic hands from all those years, but for us normal folks, a torque wrench is like a safety net. Hope you get it sorted without too much more headache!
3