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That old timer who insisted on torquing oil pan bolts by feel
Met a retired CAT mechanic in the break room at a truck stop in Oklahoma, and he swore torque wrenches were for people who didn't trust their own hands. He reached over, snugged my filter housing bolt with a half-inch ratchet, and said 'feel it click in your wrist, not your tool.' Any of you old school guys still skip the torque wrench on non-critical stuff?
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margaretw4121h ago
Feel it click in your wrist" is exactly how my granddaddy taught me to snug up valve covers on old flatheads, he'd say a torque wrench was just a crutch for folks who never learned the feel. I still skip the torque wrench on oil pans and valve covers because they're not holding anything that moves under serious stress, just keeping oil off the driveway is good enough. But I've got to admit I learned my lesson on main bearing caps after I got lazy one time and had to pull the whole thing apart again, so there's definitely a line you don't cross.
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