That guy who swore torque wrenches were a scam

Had a dude at the hangar last Tuesday tell me he's been torquing spark plugs by feel for 30 years and said my fancy Snap-on wrench was a waste of $400. He even showed me his stripped spark plug hole on a Lycoming like it was a badge of honor. I just nodded and kept walking but that conversation stuck with me because he was dead serious. Anyone else run into mechanics who refuse to use torque specs?

2 comments

2 Comments

miab8726d ago

Tell that guy torque is cheap and new cylinders aren't. I've seen too many Lycomings with heli-coils because someone thought they were "close enough" with a three-eighths ratchet. The feel argument falls apart when you realize aluminum threads are way softer than steel spark plugs. Spend the $400 once, or spend $800 on a helicoil kit and a case of beer to apologize to your mechanic buddy. I keep a beam-style torque wrench as backup just in case someone borrows my Snap-on and forgets to zero it. Those old-school guys are the same ones who think safety wire is optional too.

holly_green8225d ago

Yeah but what about when that guy's "feel" gets passed down to some 19 year old kid who thinks he's got the touch too? That's how you end up with a whole generation of guys who think torque specs are just suggestions from the FAA. I've seen the aftermath of those helicoil repairs and half the time they strip out again because nobody bothered to check the thread depth or use the right tap.