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That old timer at the Ford dealership in Phoenix taught me more about torque specs in 5 minutes than I learned in 2 years of school
He just pointed at my wrench and said 'tight is tight, but spec is safe' while showing me how a 10% overtorque on a head bolt can warp the whole block, and I've carried that quote with me ever since, anyone else have a short interaction like that stick with them?
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xena58215d ago
Used to be one of those "just send it" types, thought torque specs were for engineers who had too much time on their hands. But after snapping a bolt on my own truck trying to "feel" it tight, I finally got why that old timer said spec keeps you safe instead of sorry. Now I actually read the manual before I touch a wrench, beats paying for a helicoil kit.
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the_claire15d ago
Snapping a bolt is basically a rite of passage into the torque wrench club, right @xena582? The old "calibrated elbow" technique works great until it doesn't (and then it really doesn't).
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the_robin15d agoTop Commenter
Keep a little anti-seize handy for anything that's been through a few winters under the hood. Makes the next guy's "calibrated elbow" a lot less stressful.
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eva_moore15d ago
Harbor Freight torque wrench paid for itself after I snapped a valve cover bolt on my old Civic. @the_robin is right about that anti-seize too, I keep a tube in my glove box for exhaust bolts. Learned the hard way that a $20 breaker bar doesn't replace a proper torque spec.
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