Had the worst oil change day of my life last Saturday

Snapped two drain plugs in a row on a 2004 Civic and a 2010 Camry because I forgot to use my torque wrench, has anyone else had a streak of bad luck like that?

2 comments

2 Comments

charlie26928d ago

I mean, a torque wrench on a drain plug? Overkill. 2004 and 2010 Hondas and Toyotas are pretty forgiving with hand-tight plus a quarter turn if you know the feel. Maybe it's just me but if you're snapping two in a row you're probably overthinking it and cranking way too hard by hand before even touching the torque wrench.

mila39528d ago

Shoot, I used to be exactly like that. Thought I had the "feel" down after doing it for years and never bothered with a torque wrench on drain plugs. But after I stripped the threads on a perfectly good oil pan last year, I finally caved and bought one. Now I won't touch a drain plug without it, even on old Toyotas. It's too easy to get distracted or just have a bad day and muscle it too far. You snapping two in a row is exactly the kind of thing that convinced me it's not worth the risk for the $20 tool. Better safe than sorry, that's where I'm at now.