Rant: Why do we still argue about torque specs on aluminum oil pans?

I did a 2014 Ford Focus last week and used the factory 18 ft-lbs, but the pan still warped a hair. Do you think manufacturer specs are just too tight, or are we all afraid to back them off a bit? Anyone else had a pan seal fail after following the book?

2 comments

2 Comments

adam_anderson616d ago

Funny you mention that, I did a 2.0 EcoBoost once and the spec said 15 ft-lbs but I went to 12 just to be safe, still got a tiny seep at the back corner. Been wondering if these aluminum pans are just too thin from the factory.

blair_green8616d ago

Man, that back corner always gets you, @adam_anderson6. I swear those pans are made of tinfoil and dreams. They probably spec it at 15 just to sell more gasket sets.