Got told my torque wrench method was basically guessing

Honestly, I was setting head bolts on a 6.7 Powerstroke by feel for years, thinking 'close enough' was fine. An old timer at the shop in Tulsa watched me last week and said, 'Kid, you're leaving 30% of the clamp force on the table and begging for a leak.' He made me redo it with his calibrated wrench and a proper three-step sequence, not just a final pull. The difference in the final click was way more solid than I ever got. Ngl, it added an hour to the job but I can't argue with the result. Anyone else have a basic habit they had to unlearn the hard way?

3 comments

3 Comments

the_wyatt2mo agoMost Upvoted

My old foreman in Wichita made me re-torque every single bolt on a 5.9 Cummins after I did the same thing. The sequence matters way more than people think.

the_paul2mo ago

My buddy learned that with his own head gasket.

jade8852mo ago

So he got hands-on training?