Early catch on a hydraulic line prevented a messy failure

I saw fluid gathering in the pit during a check. The leak was at a fitting that had worked loose over time. How tight do you make those connections?

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3 Comments

the_taylor6mo ago

Tight is good, but crank it too much and you wreck the fitting or strip the threads. Seen it happen. The crush washer or seal needs to be seated, not flattened into paste. A lot of guys go straight for the biggest wrench and heave on it. Better to follow the torque spec if there is one. Snug it up, check for leaks after pressure cycles, then maybe a tiny extra turn.

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the_elizabeth6mo ago

Remember seeing a guy at the shop totally strip the threads on an oil drain plug because he went at it with a breaker bar. That crush washer looked like crumpled aluminum foil afterward. Tbh, it's why I always check the service manual for torque specs now, even on small stuff.

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the_anthony6mo ago

Yeah that "crumpled foil" look is way too familiar. @the_taylor is right about snug, not crushed. You can actually feel the crush washer give that last little bit, then just stop.

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