Been using torque wrenches wrong for 12 years

I had a 2004 F-150 in the shop last month, doing a head gasket job. I torqued the bolts down in sequence just like I always did, then the guy I share the bay with asked why I wasn't doing a three-step process. Turns out I was just cranking them to final spec in one go for years. I looked at my old service manual and it was right there in the instructions. Has anyone else had that moment where you realize you skipped a basic step for way too long?

3 comments

3 Comments

the_patricia5d ago

Wait, did your buddy actually show you the star pattern or did you just figure it out one day? I had a similar thing with oil filters. For like eight years I was tightening them as hard as I could by hand, until I saw a YouTube video where a guy just snugged them and then gave them a quarter turn. Blew my mind. Now I always leave my filter a little loose, and it's been fine for over a year. Makes you wonder what other basic stuff we're all doing wrong, right?

barbara_moore735d ago

It's funny how many things we learn by rote and just never question, like I did with tightening lug nuts for years before someone showed me the star pattern.

the_sage5d ago

My uncle showed me the star pattern on a '78 F-150 back in high school and I remember thinking "why didn't anyone teach me this sooner." I did the same dumb thing with spark plugs for years, just cranked them down until they felt tight until I ruined a cylinder head on my old Civic. It's wild how we just accept the way we do things until someone like @barbara_moore73 makes you stop and think about it.