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Changed my mind about using a torque wrench on every single fastener
Honestly, for years I thought I was being the careful one. I'd pull out the torque wrench for every nut and bolt on a panel, even the little ones. It added like 20 minutes to every job. The thing that got me was a lead mechanic at the hangar in Mobile. He watched me for a minute and just said, 'You know, your calibrated elbow is good for anything under 50 inch-pounds on those.' I argued with him, but then he showed me the manual for the CRJ we were working on. Sure enough, it listed specific torque values for critical stuff, but had a note saying 'snug tight' for a bunch of the non-structural panel fasteners. I felt like an idiot. I was wasting so much time being 'perfect' on stuff that just needed to be secure. Now I only use the wrench where the book says to. Anyone else have a specific torque value they use as their cutoff for going by feel?
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the_laura2mo ago
Yeah, that's a good point. I was the same way when I first started, thinking I had to measure everything. Now my rule is if it's not holding something heavy or under pressure, I just get it good and tight by hand.
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corap612mo ago
My shop in Dayton had a tech snap a valve cover bolt off that way. Hand tight is a guess, and guesses cost money. A torque wrench is cheap insurance.
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faith2714d ago
Wait, are you saying you skip the torque wrench for valve covers? I've seen too many leaks come from people guessing on those. The gasket needs even pressure to seal right, and hand tight on a valve cover can be way off from bolt to bolt.
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averyc942mo ago
My old foreman in Tulsa swore by 35 foot-pounds as his feel cutoff for engine mounts.
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