Old timer at the shop told me to stop using impact guns on oil drain plugs after I saw him helicoil a pan for 2 hours.

I used to zing them on there with my Milwaukee until he pulled me aside and showed me the mangled threads on a Honda Accord from last Tuesday has anyone else had a teacher check your torque by feel like that?

2 comments

2 Comments

hannah_williams1d ago

Hear me out, I actually disagree a little bit here. I get why the old timer showed you that mangled Honda, but I've been using a torque wrench on drain plugs for years and still see shops zing them on with impacts without issues (depending on the car, you know?). The real problem isn't the tool, it's the person behind it not paying attention to the crush washer or the threads. I've watched a guy with a stubby 3/8 ratchet strip out a pan just by being careless, so it's more about feel and common sense than the impact gun itself.

jordancoleman1d ago

Yeah, that first line "the person behind it not paying attention" is exactly what I used to tell myself. I was one of those guys who swore by the impact gun and thought it was fine if you knew what you were doing. Then I had a Toyota Camry come back with a slow drip from the pan and found a hairline crack near the plug. I was real careful, real consistent, and it still happened. The old timer's lesson taught me that even when you're paying attention, torque specs exist for a reason. @hannah_williams I hear what you're saying about feel mattering more than the tool, but the impact gun made it too easy for me to overshoot without realizing it until something gave.