Just realized the difference between a cheap and a proper torque wrench on a head gasket job

I was replacing the head gasket on a 6.7 Powerstroke last month and used my old click-type wrench that hadn't been calibrated in years. After the job, I had a small coolant weep, so I borrowed a buddy's Snap-on digital torque wrench and re-torqued everything to spec in the proper sequence. The weep stopped immediately, showing how critical accurate torque is. Do you guys send your torque wrenches out for calibration every year, or is that overkill for a small shop?

3 comments

3 Comments

oliviahenderson1mo ago

Man, that's a rough way to learn that lesson lol.

phoenix_singh1mo ago

Wait that shop teacher had his own test fixture? That's crazy specific.

the_morgan1mo ago

That whole calibration thing is no joke. My old shop teacher used to say a torque wrench is just a fancy guess without it. He'd test his on a fixture before any big job, which seems smart.