Hot take: most guys are over-torquing their oil drain plugs

I see a lot of stripped pans come into my shop in Tacoma, and nine times out of ten it's from someone cranking the plug down to 40 foot-pounds when the spec is usually around 18. I keep a little chart with common specs taped to my toolbox. Anyone else have a good trick for keeping torque specs straight on the fly?

2 comments

2 Comments

adams.barbara6d ago

Your chart idea is SMART, I just keep a cheap torque wrench in my oil change kit. It forces you to do it right every single time. Saves so many headaches down the road.

the_derek6d ago

Honestly that chart seems like extra work for no real gain. Tbh a torque wrench on an oil drain plug is overkill if you just know how to feel it. Ngl, you can get it plenty tight with a regular ratchet and not strip anything. Seen too many people crank those cheap click wrenches way past the click anyway. Just my two cents.