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Working on a Cessna 172 in Denver showed me why torque wrenches matter
I was replacing the spark plugs on a 172 last week and just guessed at the tightness for years. This time I borrowed a coworker's Snap-on digital torque wrench and torqued them to the exact 168 inch-pounds in the manual. The engine ran smoother on the test flight than it had in months, with no rough idle at all. How many of you actually check the torque specs for every single fastener, or do you still go by feel sometimes?
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sammartinez24d agoMost Upvoted
My old instructor always said torque wrenches were for engine mounts, not spark plugs. I must have done fifty plug changes by feel before a rough-running Cherokee proved him wrong. Seeing the spec was 168 inch-pounds and how far off my guess was, that was a real wake-up call. Now I check the manual for everything, even the little stuff, because that smooth run is proof enough.
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miles_robinson2024d ago
My neighbor's Ford needed new heads after a plug blew out.
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