Showerthought: I've been using the wrong torque sequence on cylinder heads for years and only figured it out when a head gasket blew on a 6.7 Powerstroke.

4 comments

4 Comments

Man, that's a brutal way to learn! Was it just one corner that wasn't sealing right? I totally get what @the_leo is saying about habits, I did the same thing with lug nuts for ages, just going in a circle instead of a star pattern. It's scary how long you can do something wrong before it catches up with you.

craig.alex8d ago

Remember my buddy who torqued his head bolts in a circle and warped the block?

nelson.vera13d ago

My old Civic had a slow leak from the rear passenger side tire for months. I kept adding air until I finally took the wheel off and found a tiny piece of gravel stuck in the bead. The seal looked perfect until you really looked at it. Now I spray soapy water on the bead after I mount a tire, even if it seems fine. You can see every single bubble from the smallest leak.

the_leo13d ago

Tell you what, that exact thing is why I double check the manual every single time now. It feels like half the stuff we "know" is just stuff we picked up once and never questioned. Happens with cooking, happens with basic home repair, definitely happens with cars. You cruise along fine until that one time it all goes wrong, and you realize you've been doing it the hard way or the wrong way for a decade. It's a weird mix of embarrassment and relief when you finally find the right info.