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That one time a old mechanic told me to stop using so much torque on oil drain plugs
I was working on a 2015 Freightliner in Phoenix last summer and I always cranked those drain plugs down tight. This old guy walks over after I stripped the third one that month and says 'you're not building a bridge, you're just keeping oil in.' He showed me how to hand tighten then give it just a quarter turn with a ratchet. Changed my whole approach and now I haven't stripped a plug in over 6 months. Has anyone else had a senior mechanic drop some simple wisdom that saved them from dumb mistakes?
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lily_singh216d ago
Never thought about how the same logic applies to almost every threaded fastener on a truck. Hand tight plus a little extra has saved me so many headaches with brake caliper bolts too.
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robert_anderson6916d agoTop Commenter
Rule of thumb says 15 ft-lbs minimum for caliper bracket bolts.
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