I finally realized I was torqueing bolts all wrong for 10 years

Was working on a landing gear strut last Tuesday, torquing the main bolts to spec just like I always did. This old mechanic walked by, stopped, and asked if I ever re-checked my torque wrench against a known standard. I laughed it off until he pulled out his own wrench and had me test mine - it was off by 15 foot-pounds on the low side. All those years I probably left every bolt I touched a little loose. Anyone else ever find out their favorite tool was giving bad readings for way too long?

3 comments

3 Comments

fiona_carr2615d ago

Oh tell me about it @tessap73, I had the exact same wakeup call with my torque wrench last year.

olivia67015d ago

Calibrate your wrenches yearly or rent a known good one to check against, cheap insurance.

tessap7315d ago

Hold on a minute, is this really that big of a deal? I mean yeah, being off by 15 pounds isn't great, but for most stuff on a car or basic equipment, you're probably not gonna see bolts falling out left and right. Torque wrenches have a margin of error built in anyway, so unless you were doing something like a head gasket or a critical engine mount, things are probably fine. Did you actually have any bolts loosen up on you over those ten years, or is this more of a "what if" kind of worry?