🐿️Pinecone Attack

c/aircraft-mechanics

18

fionarodriguez•8h ago

Overheard a lead mechanic say "you don't need torque wrenches if you know the feel" and it got me thinking

I was working on a CRJ-200 line swap last Thursday and this older guy next to me said it to his trainee. I use torque wrenches on everything critical but I wonder how many guys actually skip them on less important stuff. Has anyone ever had a bolt come loose or snap from going by feel alone?

15

richardharris•1d ago

Why do people keep torqueing spark plugs dry on turbine engines

I pulled six plugs out of a PT6 last week that were so seized I had to helicoil two holes. Stop using anti-seize on turbine plugs, the torque spec already accounts for a dry thread. Has anyone else seen this cause more damage than it prevents?

28

skyler_craig•2d ago

Stop using that worn out 12-point socket on landing gear bolts

I see guys in the hangar all the time grabbing a 12-point socket off the rack for torquing down landing gear hardware. That should be a 6-point socket every single time. The 12-point has less contact area against the flat of the bolt head and it'll round off corners way faster, especially on those old fatigued bolts from a 737 that's been flying since the 90s. I learned this the hard way 4 years ago when I slipped on a main gear trunnion bolt and spent 3 hours extracting a seized stud. Grabbed a proper 6-point set from Snap-on after that and haven't had a single slip since. Anybody else's lead mechanic yell at them for grabbing the wrong socket on critical hardware like this?

7

wyattbennett•2d ago

Took me 4 years to figure out I was torquing spark plugs wrong on radial engines

I always went by feel and never used a torque wrench on those big old spark plugs until one seized in the cylinder at a job in Burbank and the senior guy showed me the proper spec was way tighter than I thought. Has anyone else learned a basic trick way later than they should have?

25

wyattbennett•2d ago

Why do I keep finding random cotter pins in my toolbox that don't match anything I own?

Cleaned out my garage last week and found a bag of 16 cotter pins from a job I did on a Cessna 172 back in 2019. None of them fit any of the hardware I've got now. Am I the only one who ends up with mystery parts that just hang around forever?

21

matthew_baker•3d ago

PSA: The way younger mechanics torque spark plugs has shifted fast

I remember when I first started 12 years ago at a small shop in Austin, every old timer I worked with would crank down spark plugs until they felt tight and call it done. No torque wrench, no second thought. Fast forward to about 3 years ago, I noticed the new guys coming out of A&P school were all using torque wrenches for every single plug install. At first I thought it was overkill, but after seeing three different engines with cracked plug threads come through our bay, I started to get it. The aluminum heads on newer planes just don't handle the old gorilla arm method. Now I see torque specs being checked even on the little Lycoming putt-putt planes. Has anyone else noticed this shift in how the younger crowd handles small fasteners compared to the old school guys?

19

grayt46•6d ago

Heard a stat about engine teardowns that got me thinking

Was talking to a senior mechanic at a shop in Phoenix last month. He said over 60% of premature engine removals come from oil system contamination. Not metal fatigue or pilot error. That surprised me. I clean houses so I get the dirt angle, but in a jet engine? Does that match what you guys see on the line or is that blown out of proportion?

0

hunt.jana•7d ago

Picked up a marking trick from an old timer on a DC-9 last week

I was fighting with scribing panels on a Gulfstream for like 4 hours and getting nowhere, this guy walks over and shows me to use a dental pick dipped in layout dye instead of a regular scribe. The pick glides through the dye without tearing the metal and leaves a line you can actually see. Anyone else got a weird tool swap that saved your ass on a job?

8

mason209•8d ago

That $700 digital torque adapter was a waste

Everyone on here loves those digital torque adapters. I bought the CDI one for around $700. Worked fine for a month. Then it started giving random readings on a 737 flap actuator. Could have over-torqued something critical. Swapped back to my old beam-style Snap-On that cost $150. Never had a problem since. Has anyone else had bad luck with the digital stuff on critical fasteners?

25

fionarodriguez•8d ago

Debate: handcranking a fan blade to check clearance vs trusting the manual measurements alone after my incident on a CRJ in Denver

I was doing a borescope on a CF34 engine at the hangar in Denver last Tuesday and handcranked a fan blade to check tip clearance which saved me from missing a bent stator vane, but my lead says that's unnecessary because the manual gives you the exact specs so which side are you on, have you ever caught something by feel that the numbers wouldn't have shown?

18

angela_park•8d ago

Had to choose between a used Snap-On box and a new US General one last month

I was looking to upgrade from my old beat up Craftsman box and had about $1500 to spend. Found a guy selling a used Snap-On KRA series box on Facebook Marketplace for $1400 in Littleton, but it had some rust on the bottom drawer and one of the slides was sticky. Then I went to Harbor Freight and the new US General 56 inch box was on sale for $1300 with full warranty. I went with the new US General because the Snap-On guy wouldn't budge on price and I didn't want to deal with fixing that slide. So far the box has been solid for 6 weeks now, drawers are smooth and it held up fine when I loaded my heavy tools in. The only thing I miss is the Snap-On name when the lead mechanic walks by and gives me a look. Has anyone else had to make this call and regret the budget choice later?

3

karen_sanchez10•9d ago

Rant: That 767 brake job gone wrong in Phoenix

I was out on the line in Phoenix last Tuesday and had a 767 come in with a brake wear pin showing past the limit. No big deal right, just a wheel and brake change. But one of the lug nuts was seized so bad I snapped my 3/4 inch drive breaker bar trying to break it loose. Then I grab the impact gun and it won't even budge. I ended up having to use a torch to heat it up for about 5 minutes and then beat a socket on with a hammer. Took me over 3 hours to finish a job that should have been maybe 90 minutes, and I was sweating my tail off in the Arizona sun. Who else has had a simple job turn into a nightmare because of one rusted fastener?

0

johnson.adam•9d ago

Decided between a pneumatic rivet gun and a cordless one last week

Had to pick a new rivet gun for some sheet metal work on a Cessna 172. I went back and forth for a few days, thinking the cordless would be easier since I hate dragging air hoses around the hangar. Ended up getting a pneumatic one from a guy retiring at the shop for $80, figured it would hold up better over time. First job with it was on a wing panel, and the old timer was right - that consistent pressure makes a huge difference when you're doing a long row. Has anyone else tried the battery ones on aluminum and seen them bog down or is that just my luck?

16

lily574•9d ago

TIL that old timer at the hangar was right about safety wire

Guy named Eddie with 40 years at Delta told me I was twisting my safety wire too tight. Said it needs to be snug but not guitar string tight or it'll break under vibration. Sure enough, three weeks later I had to redo a whole engine cowling because four of my wires snapped during a run-up test at KBHM. Anyone else get schooled by a crusty old mechanic who ended up being spot on?

16

ryanrodriguez•11d ago

Old timer told me I was 'yanking the head' wrong

Guy with 30 years at Delta watched me torque a cylinder on a Lycoming and said I was pulling the wrench at an angle. He showed me to line up my shoulder with the bolt and pull straight. Torque readings are way more consistent now. Anyone else get a basic wrenching habit corrected way later than they should have?

9

the_jesse•12d ago

Rant: Everyone swears by torque wrenches for spark plugs, but I had one snap off in a Continental engine

I was changing spark plugs on a Cessna 172 at KAPA last Tuesday. Used the proper torque wrench set to 30 ft-lbs like the manual says. Third plug in, it snapped the top right off the ceramic. Had to spend 45 minutes with an extractor kit on the ramp in 90 degree heat. I think the plug was already weak from a previous install. Anyone else had better luck just going by feel on older engines?

11

the_karen•13d ago

Just passed 10,000 rivets set without a single miss!

Was double-checking my logbook and realized I hit exactly 10,331 rivets installed on this C-130 wing job without any rework or rejections. Has anyone else tracked a specific milestone that surprised you in your work?

23

theagarcia•15d ago

That stat about how many parts come from a single supplier got me thinking

I was reading a trade report last week and saw 70% of certain engine components come from just one company, which honestly blew my mind considering how we used to swap parts from three different brands back in the 90s. Has anyone else noticed the supply chain getting narrower like that, or is it just me?

9

the_amy•15d ago

Switched from logs to digital tracking 6 months ago, never going back

I used to scribble every inspection result on paper clipboards and type them up later. That process cost me 3 hours a week just on data entry until I finally switched to a tablet with a maintenance app. Has anyone else made the jump and found hidden time sinks you didn't expect?

4

ninam76•16d ago

Had to redo the same torque check 3 times before I caught the pattern

I spent about 6 months torquing wheel bolts on 737 main gear the same way my trainer showed me. Tighten in sequence, go around twice, done. Then a senior mechanic watched me one day and pointed out I was pulling my wrench too fast on the last pass. He said I was basically clicking past the real torque value on the final bolts because of momentum. He made me slow down and do it at a steady hand speed and the difference on the dial was like 15 foot-pounds. Felt pretty dumb but now I check my cadence on every torque job. Anybody else had a simple habit that was throwing off their readings without realizing it?

21

eric_price•16d ago

Talked to a retired mechanic who made me rethink how I do sheet metal repairs

Had a coffee with an old timer named Frank last weekend at the hangar. He worked on DC-3s back in the 70s and said they used to buck rivets by feel alone, no torque wrenches or fancy measuring tools. He watched me repair a belly panel on a Cessna 172 and pointed out I was overthinking the dimple depth. Told me to just trust the feel of the tool instead of staring at the micrometer every five seconds. It hit different because I spent two years in A&P school learning all the exact numbers, but he fixed planes for 40 years without them. I ended up redoing the whole panel his way and it came out smoother than any job I've done before. Has anyone else had an old mechanic change how you approach a basic repair?

18

parkerrodriguez•17d ago

Heard a boss say 'just use speed tape' for everything and it bugged me

I was working in a hangar in Dallas last month and overheard a lead tell a new guy to just slap speed tape on a loose fairing. Said it would hold fine for six months. I got it, it's quick, but that stuff peels off fast on hot tarmac and leaves a mess. Has anyone else had a job where speed tape caused more problems than it fixed?

10

brianellis•19d ago

Picked a pneumatic rivet gun over a battery powered one in the shop today

Honestly, I've been debating between getting a pneumatic and a battery powered rivet gun for months. I went with pneumatic because the old guys swore it lasted longer and had more pulling force, and after running it through 30 rivets on a panel repair, it felt way smoother than I expected. Anyone else stick with air tools over battery for heavy jobs?

10

mason209•19d ago

Had to choose between a torque wrench and a coffee pot in the hangar today

Picked the coffee pot because our morning huddle was getting ugly without caffeine. Now I'm torquing wheel nuts by feel and hoping my arm calibration is better than my judgment.

30

fionarodriguez•21d ago

Wasted 8 hours on a timing issue that was just a bad ground strap

Spent my whole Saturday chasing a timing fluctuation on a 737. Swapped sensors, checked the ECU, even pulled the harness. After all that, it was a corroded ground strap between the engine and the airframe. Cost me nothing to fix but lost a whole day of labor. Anyone else get burned by something stupid simple like that?