What's with the strong arm?

Why is it that some people don't seem to know what "tight enough" means? I was ***embling the engine/trans for my project today, and after putting the 4 speed behind the engine, I figured I'd fill it with gear oil prior to dropping it in the ch***is. Good thing I did because some gorilla tightened the fill plug so tight that the wrench rounded off the square shoulders on the plug trying to turn it!
I decided to put some heat to it, and then put a 18" pipe wrench on it to break it free, but still wouldn't give! I finally broke out the grinder and welder, and ground the head round, pounded a 5/8" nut on it, and welded it in place. After that it still took a 3' breaker bar to get it loose!
Some people shouldn't be left alone with tools around cars! Can't imagine what they were thinking when they tightened that plug?

 

I bet it didn't leak

 

I'm sure it didn't, but might explain why it was completely rebuilt when I got it. I'm guessing nobody ever was able to check the oil level, and maybe that's why it needed rebuilding!

 

Mmmmm have you taken a look inside?

 

Someone used TAYCP torque specs.

 

It's experience to know how much to tighten things. Some people just don't know. But I agree with what your saying slot of people do this with drain plugs on cars.


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Hey, I over tighten stuff. The last thing you want is something coming loose when you're driving down the road! I think I might have strongarmedness syndrome...

 

When I was a 15 yr old kid working for an old German mechanic he told me 90 % of the time a 3/8" drive is adequate before using a torque wrench. Lots of damage has been done by overtightening. He insisted I learn the torque rating of the different rated bolts and nuts. Now especially true with all the aluminum components.

 

As I mentioned, it's a completely rebuilt Super T10. Of course I looked at it with the cover off before purchasing it.

 

When I was a young apprentice mechanic at the local Cadillac dealer, I was taught to tighten everything down with a 3/8" speed handle, and then finish things off to the proper torque. Most the oldtimers used impacts for dis***embly, not re***embly.

 

Pretty sure those are tapered pipe threads on those plugs, lucky that Neanderthal didn't split the case by over-tightening the thing.

 

Righty tighty .....Lefty loosey

 

Yes! I was thinking the same thing when I finally got it out. It's an all aluminum case and I was surprised it didn't damage it.

 

Part of the problem may also have been the bond that occurs between aluminum and steel due to galvanic corrosion. A 3/4 inch pipe plug that was installed "tight enough" will be a whole lot tighter after several years of that bond not being broken.

 

I grew up in farm country. I'm thinking the previous owner must have been a farmer, they over tighten everything. The old saying goes something like "tighten it until it snaps, then go another quarter turn"

 

I have helped numerous people with their cars through the years and watched others wrench as well; the less they know the tighter they crank it.

 

I supervise a group of machinists that set up & run CNC lathes & single spindle & multi-spindle screw machines. Our machine repairmen know who the strong arms are. Seen many a tool turret damaged by men & women that don't know what too tight is. Some have been caught using cheater bars to make sure they are tightening the fastener down securely.
I have had many "discussions" with inexperienced "machinists" instructing them to loose their strong arm mindset.

 

When I got the 292 I'm putting In my A I wanted to tune it up and change the oil. The oil filter took 1+ hours to get off. I could t get it with a filter wrench so I tried the hole with a screw driver trick with no success so I had to use a 3ft pipe on the end of the filter wrench. I was so damn pissed when I was done. The same truck that the engine came out of had a flat tire so I went to take the valve cap off and sure as **** the damn thing wouldn't come off so I grabbed a pair of pliers and tried to get it off then the ****ing valve stew broke off before the cap came off.


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Have to use anti seize or pipe dope on those to prevent them from locking up.

 

I like when people tighten the O-ring type fittings where you can't get them loose. They don't realize that when the O-ring seats, it's sealed.

 

we call him...super torque.

 

I was helping a friend do an engine swap in a 60 Starliner, he kept accusing me of not tighting bolts enough even thou I wrench for a living and don't have things fall off.
When we fire it up the oil sender was seeping a little, I grabbed a wrench to give it a slight turn more to get it to stop. My buddy took the wrench a said "I'll do it wimp" and promply snapped the sender off. I just smiled and handed him an easy out and said have fun!

 

Worked 40+ yrs fixing cars & watched till the day I retired people over tighten things. That included people that were in the business as long as I was. Acted like something was going to "fall off". Wheels seemed to be the biggest target.

 

90ft lbs for wheels....

 

Here is a good way to remove pipe plugs from trans and diffs without rounding off. If they are the kind with a square head.

Use a 12 point socket. Turn it around and drive the square part over the end of the plug. Then put your ratchet or breaker bar in the socket. Since I started doing this I have never rounded off a pipe plug. It even works on plugs that are already slightly rounded from being worked on with open end wrenches.

PS this is too obvious but you have to pick a socket that fits your breaker bar. An 8 point is better than a 12 point but who has 8 point sockets.

 

And that's part of the problem too. They never actually "seat"...so the less experienced just keep on tightening.

 

I have taken 2 old 1/2" sockets and welded them together, it sits in my socket drawer. Same idea as Rusty OTool

 

Now that's a great idea! I'm going to find a couple that fit inside each other and weld them together for removing pipe plugs!

 

with ya man....they laugh at me because I never pick up the "air tools" prefer to just use the feel.....excepting for the motor work....

 

This thread hit home. Just recently I was stripping down a '95 Lincoln Markviii for an OT engine swap. No problems with loosening anything, even the front clip until I got to the ****** mounts and the driveshaft. I never did get the driveshaft bolts out, ended up spending an hour cutting an ear off the differential (the car was going to s**** salvage yard anyway), and cutting the ****** mount bracket the same way.
After I got it out and pulled the ****** from the engine, I realized the ****** had been rebuilt/replaced explaining why I couldn't get those bolts out.