Old shop foreman told me to stop using impact guns on oil drain plugs, I thought he was nuts but he was right

Been using impacts for 10 years until he showed me 3 stripped pans in one week from guys cranking them down. Switched to hand tightening with a torque wrench set at 18 ft-lbs and haven't had a single comeback since. Anyone else ditch the air tools for oil changes?

2 comments

2 Comments

mary46218d ago

Did you ever notice how those impact guns just keep tightening even after the plug bottoms out? I had the same wake up call when a customer brought in a pan that was cracked from over tightening. Now I use a simple beam style torque wrench that clicks at 20 ft lbs, and I always put a fresh crush washer on every change. It takes maybe 30 extra seconds, but that little bit of care saves everyone a headache.

reese_lane2917d ago

Right? That extra second or two beats a cracked pan every time.