Was reading an old service manual and the torque spec for a 6.0 Powerstroke head bolt was way lower than I expected

I was flipping through a 2005 Ford binder in the shop and saw the final torque for the M11 bolts listed at 120 ft-lbs, not the 140 I've always done. Found it on page 04-10 under 'cylinder head removal and installation'. Did they revise that spec later on, or was I just taught wrong from the start?

3 comments

3 Comments

thomasgonzalez7d ago

Wait, only 120 foot-pounds (that seems way too low).

zara_sanchez7d ago

My old Honda's manual specifies 80 foot-pounds for the lug nuts. It's a light car with small wheels. I remember reading that over-torquing can warp the brake rotors on some models. The required force really does depend on the vehicle's weight and the stud size.

wendy_henderson217d ago

Actually, 120 foot-pounds is a normal spec for many passenger car lug nuts. It's not low at all for that use. People sometimes get confused because bigger trucks need a lot more torque. A standard sedan doesn't need the same force as a one-ton diesel.