I still hand torque my spark plugs even though everyone says use a torque wrench

After snapping a plug in my old Civic back in 2018 using a torque wrench that wasn't calibrated right, I just went back to the old feel method. I know the pros swear by the tool for consistent pressure, but idk, I've done maybe 12 swaps since then with no issues. Am I the only one who trusts their wrist over a click-type wrench for this?

2 comments

2 Comments

the_rowan24d ago

That bit about "if your tool isn't perfect you're actually less accurate" is exactly what I read in some old Car Craft article years ago... they basically said the human hand is more consistent than a mistorqued wrench for small fasteners like plugs.

the_patricia25d ago

Same here with the trust your wrist thing." You mentioned "I've done maybe 12 swaps since then with no issues" and that's exactly my experience too. Once you've done it enough times on the same engine you just know when it stops turning that little bit more. I snapped a plug in my old Silverado because I got lazy and used a cheap beam style torque wrench that was way off. After that I went back to the hand method and never looked back. The pros can talk all they want about consistency but if your tool isn't perfect you're actually less accurate than just going by feel. Plus half the time those click wrenches need to be stored a certain way or they drift out of spec anyway.