jason_stone12•1mo agoProlific Poster

Just realized I've been torquing cylinder head bolts wrong for 5 years

I was working on a Lycoming O-360 at the hangar in Wichita last Tuesday when another mechanic walked over and asked why I was doing the bolts in a circular pattern instead of crisscross. I told him that's how I was trained back at my first job in 2018. He pulled out the manual and showed me I've been putting uneven stress on the gasket this whole time. No leaks or failures yet, but I felt like a real fool standing there with the torque wrench in my hand. How long did it take you to unlearn a bad habit you picked up early in your career?

2 comments

2 Comments

wren_rodriguez1mo ago

Did you at least use a torque wrench or just the ol' 'good n tight' method?

henderson.mila1mo ago

Did you read that article saying hand tight is fine for most engine work?