What's with the strong arm?

Why is it that some people don't seem to know what "tight enough" means? I was assembling 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 chassis. 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 disassembly, not reassembly.

 

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 shit the damn thing wouldn't come off so I grabbed a pair of pliers and tried to get it off then the fucking 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 tranny 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 scrap salvage yard anyway), and cutting the tranny mount bracket the same way.
After I got it out and pulled the tranny from the engine, I realized the tranny had been rebuilt/replaced explaining why I couldn't get those bolts out.