I don't get the hype about the "finger-tight then a quarter turn" rule for oil filter installation.

Had a Continental IO-470 last month that kept leaking until I just cranked it down hand-tight with a wrench. Took me two oil changes and a ruined shirt to figure out that spec doesn't work for every gasket. Anybody else just go by feel instead?

3 comments

3 Comments

sarahpatel18d ago

Heard an old A&P say "tight is tight, too tight is broke.

abby18918d ago

@emery_taylor nails it, I've seen the same thing - had a bracket that was just slightly loose and it ended up cracking the whole frame from all that extra movement. That old A&P knew what he was talking about for sure.

emery_taylor18d ago

Nah, honestly I've seen way more stuff break from being too loose than from being a little tight. If you leave any slop in a joint or a fastener, that's where the wear and vibration starts, and it just gets worse over time. I'll take a snug fit that needs a little persuasion over something rattling apart on the job any day.