Vent: Found out I was over-tightening compressor bolts for 6 years

I had a compressor rattle loose on a 5-year-old Frigidaire last week, and when I went to torque it down, I noticed the tab on the mounting bracket had a stress crack. It hit me that my old Snap-on torque wrench was never calibrated, and I was probably putting 20 ft-lbs on a spec that calls for 8. Has anyone else had a tool give them bad habits without realizing it?

2 comments

2 Comments

joseph52922d ago

The 2006 Dodge Grand Caravan I had taught me that lesson. I tightened the water pump bolts until they squeaked for three years before I got a real torque wrench. Never had a leak though, just cracked the timing cover eventually.

cole_walker2622d ago

Did you ever check if the torque wrench was actually off or just assume it was? I had a similar thing with brake caliper bolts on my old truck, torqued them to what felt right for like four years. Turned out my Harbor Freight wrench was reading 10 pounds high the whole time. What fixed it for me was buying a beam-style torque wrench as a backup, they don't drift the way click types do. Now I check my click wrench against the beam one every few months, cost me like 30 bucks and saved me from cracking another bracket.