Warning: I almost ruined my engine by skipping the torque specs on a water pump swap last Sunday

Over-tightened two bolts until they snapped, which cost me $40 for a helicoil kit and an extra 4 hours of cussing in my driveway. That one mistake convinced me to never wing it on torque values again, even for 'simple' jobs. Anybody else learned this lesson the hard way or got tips for extracting broken bolts?

2 comments

2 Comments

jade_hunt4820d ago

That 'simple jobs' part got me. I snapped a bolt on my alternator bracket once because I figured it was just a 10mm and didn't need the wrench. Took me a whole Saturday to drill it out and I ended up replacing the whole bracket anyway. Now I grab the torque wrench for anything that has a gasket or a bolt smaller than my thumb.

ruby49420d ago

My dad taught me that lesson with a lawnmower bolt, he still brings up the snapped head at every BBQ.