A customer pointed out I was over-tightening oil drain plugs for years

Had a guy in a 2015 F-150 come back three times last month with a slow leak from his oil pan. I kept blaming the gasket, swapping it out each time. On the third visit he asked if I was using a torque wrench. I wasn't, I just did it by feel like most guys I know. He showed me the spec in his manual, 18 ft-lbs, which is way less than I was cranking on. I went out and bought a decent torque wrench that afternoon. Now I check the spec on every car I touch. It's wild how much difference that little change makes, no more comebacks on drain plugs. Has anyone else found a simple habit change that stopped leaks like that?

2 comments

2 Comments

oliver_anderson7d ago

That "by feel" method is exactly how I ruined a valve cover gasket on my old Subaru. Took me three tries and a trip to YouTube to realize I was basically crushing the thing.

sageallen7d ago

Man I feel that pain. The big one for me was learning to actually clean the mating surface before slapping a new gasket on. I used to just wipe it with a rag and call it good. Now I hit it with brake clean and a plastic scraper every single time. Makes a huge difference on oil pans and valve covers. Also, your story just reminded me to check the torque on my own truck. I've been doing it by feel for years too and I bet I'm way over.