Overheard a guy at the parts counter talking about torque specs

Was waiting for a water pump at AutoZone. Guy next to me says he never uses a torque wrench on oil drain plugs. Just tightens by feel. Said he's been doing it 20 years with no issues. Made me think about all the stripped pans I've seen. Maybe I'm overthinking some of this stuff. Or maybe he's just lucky. Anyone else run into old school guys like that?

2 comments

2 Comments

daniel8572d ago

Read a forum post where a mechanic said he's only seen stripped pans on cars with torque wrenches.

terrybennett2d ago

Oh man that line about torque wrenches hits home @daniel857. I have seen the exact same thing. Had a buddy who thought he was being all precise with his fancy click type torque wrench on his oil pan bolts. Cracked the pan and stripped two holes before he realized the wrench was way out of calibration. I stick to a good old beam type torque wrench or just use the good tight method with a regular ratchet. Never had a single issue with my old Toyota or my Ford. People overthink drain plugs way too much.