That old timer at the shop told me to trust my torque wrench over my feel

Back in 2018 I was working on a Ford 5.4 and the head bolts just felt loose when I was doing them by hand. This guy Phil who had been turning wrenches since the 70s told me to stop guessing and just set the wrench to factory spec. I second guessed him because the bolts went in so easy but I followed his advice anyway. 60,000 miles later that engine is still running smooth with no leaks. Has anyone else had a gut feeling fight against the specs and the specs won out?

2 comments

2 Comments

christopherwilliams24d ago

That bit about the head bolts on the 5.4 really hit home. I had a similar moment years ago on an old Chevy 350 where the intake bolts felt way too easy, but I set the wrench to the manual and just went with it. Engine's still kicking with no issues, so I guess Phil was onto something.

elizabetht5624d ago

Yeah, that trust-but-verify feeling, I once torqued a valve cover so gently the gasket still squished out sideways.