People who use impact guns on oil drain plugs need to stop

Was at a shop in Phoenix last week and watched some kid zing a drain plug back in with an impact wrench. Stripped the pan within seconds. I see this at least twice a month and it's always some backyard mechanic who thinks torque specs are just suggestions. A drain plug needs maybe 30 ft-lbs max, not 300. Why do people refuse to just use a damn torque wrench for something this basic?

3 comments

3 Comments

mila_perry132mo ago

You see this kinda thing a lot at those self service garages? My buddy TJ bought a house from an old guy who clearly did all his own car work. The first time TJ tried to change the oil on his F150, he spent an hour trying to break loose the drain plug with a breaker bar. He finally had to use a torch on it. The old guy had obviously hit it with an impact and then never changed the oil again, because what came out was basically black sludge with glitter in it. TJ had to drop the pan and replace it anyway.

nina_johnson862mo ago

Cringe every time I see a drain plug that's been gorilla torqued on there. Had a similar thing happen with my old Civic, previous owner must have used a breaker bar on the oil filter housing. Spent a full afternoon with a strap wrench and some penetrating oil just to get the damn thing off. The sludge with glitter part gets me though, that's basically the engine telling you it's done. At least TJ learned the hard way that sometimes you gotta just drop the pan and start fresh.

johnson.jesse15d ago

Holy crap that glitter sludge story is gnarly. @mila_perry13, your buddy TJ basically found out the hard way that some people have zero respect for easy maintenance. I've seen a few pans that looked like they were welded to the bolt from heat damage alone. That old guy must have put that plug in with a 1 inch drive impact just to be sure it never came back out. Having to drop the whole pan for a simple oil change is the kind of lesson that sticks with you forever.