4 ms·

Ive been working on cars and motorcycles and everything else other than airplanes for almost 25 years now, from motor swaps to transmission rebuild and custom s

Ive been working on cars and motorcycles and everything else other than airplanes for almost 25 years now, from motor swaps to transmission rebuild and custom suspension. The only time I ever use is a torque wrench is on engine internals, or smaller fancy areas into aluminum. Everything else, over the years, you learn by feel. You pay attention to the size of the bolt, the material it's going into, and it's overall job. Yes you'll mess it up a few times a long the way. Hopefully you're a lot more careful when you see that the cost of making a mistake is a difficult extraction or alteration of some sort. Personally, I think you'll run into bolt/thread failure 10x more from improper insertion, dirty threads, corrosion, and overall entropy than you will from over torquing once you learn a few early lessons. I've done countless brake jobs, tire rotations, oil changes, spark plugs, valve cover gaskets, shock and bushing changes, without a torque wrench. I've yet to ever had a problem from it after going a little too hard when I was 16 yrs old and learning what bolts and materials can hold what.

pests 3y ago
The size of a bolt head is directly related to it's target/max torque due to the increased leverage from the larger rotation. This wasn't obvious to me at first but it's helped for rough guesses when I didn't know exact values.
Dalewyn 3y ago
At the Costco where I get my car's tires swapped out (summer/winter tire swap) or rotated, the technician always tightens all the wheel nuts with a torque wrench. Then another, different technician comes by and checks all the nuts again with his own torque wrench. When all is done and I get the sign off paperwork, they strongly encourage me to stop by next time I'm there so they can quickly check the wheel nuts again with a torque wrench. So please, don't "do it by feel". That's how you Boeing. I know I would never patronize your shop again if I saw you being so callous. A true craftsman double and triple checks his work objectively with other craftsmen, not be proud he can do it blindfolded with one arm behind his back.
- talldatethrow 3y ago
  I don't work at a mechanics shop. Costco prior to probably 15 years ago used to just throw wheels on and hit them with air guns without a torque wrench in sight. Mechanics shops snapping wheel studs was a common problem for years. A decent mechanic would know to never use a high torque impact gun on something with decently low torque threshold, as I said in my OP about experience. But that shows you how many years and millions of cars were/are on the road without caring about exact torque. The reason Costco does this, and does it twice, is to make sure the lig nuts at tight on the first place... So you don't leave with one loose. The fact that they use a torque wrench is just because they got tired of replacing wheels studs.

pests 3y ago

The size of a bolt head is directly related to it's target/max torque due to the increased leverage from the larger rotation. This wasn't obvious to me at first but it's helped for rough guesses when I didn't know exact values.

Dalewyn 3y ago

At the Costco where I get my car's tires swapped out (summer/winter tire swap) or rotated, the technician always tightens all the wheel nuts with a torque wrench. Then another, different technician comes by and checks all the nuts again with his own torque wrench. When all is done and I get the sign off paperwork, they strongly encourage me to stop by next time I'm there so they can quickly check the wheel nuts again with a torque wrench. So please, don't "do it by feel". That's how you Boeing. I know I would never patronize your shop again if I saw you being so callous. A true craftsman double and triple checks his work objectively with other craftsmen, not be proud he can do it blindfolded with one arm behind his back.

talldatethrow 3y ago
I don't work at a mechanics shop. Costco prior to probably 15 years ago used to just throw wheels on and hit them with air guns without a torque wrench in sight. Mechanics shops snapping wheel studs was a common problem for years. A decent mechanic would know to never use a high torque impact gun on something with decently low torque threshold, as I said in my OP about experience. But that shows you how many years and millions of cars were/are on the road without caring about exact torque. The reason Costco does this, and does it twice, is to make sure the lig nuts at tight on the first place... So you don't leave with one loose. The fact that they use a torque wrench is just because they got tired of replacing wheels studs.