My old boss in Dayton told me to stop using a torque wrench on drain plugs, and I still think about it

Phoenix Baker · 2026-09-29T15:20:03.275162+00:00

Was shooting the breeze with my first shop foreman, Ray, who ran a Firestone in Dayton for 23 years, and he said he never used a torque wrench on oil drain plugs, just snugged them by feel. I've been doing it by the book at 18 ft-lbs for a decade, and hearing that from a guy who saw way more stripped pans than me kind of shook something loose. Now I'm wondering if I've been overthinking half the stuff I do. Any of you old timers actually go by feel on stuff like that or is Ray just lucky?

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My old boss in Dayton told me to stop using a torque wrench on drain plugs, and I still think about it | Auto Mechanics - Pinecone Attack