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From: gnosis@fluke.UUCP (Chris Villani)
Newsgroups: net.auto
Subject: Re: Sad Story about Torquing Wheel Bolts
Message-ID: <1492@vax3.fluke.UUCP>
Date: Tue, 8-Oct-85 17:59:03 EDT
Article-I.D.: vax3.1492
Posted: Tue Oct  8 17:59:03 1985
Date-Received: Fri, 11-Oct-85 06:52:34 EDT
References: <1484@vax3.fluke.UUCP> <4660@amdcad.UUCP>
Distribution: net
Organization: John Fluke Mfg. Co., Inc., Everett, WA
Lines: 31

In article <4660@amdcad.UUCP> phil@amdcad.UUCP (Phil Ngai) writes:
>In article <1484@vax3.fluke.UUCP> gnosis@fluke.UUCP (Chris Villani) writes:
>>newly hired 'mechanic' remounted the wheels (alloy rims by the
>>way).  Some where he got the notion that the wheel bolts needed
>>to be "torqued down".  He did so with all the force the shops
>>impact wrench could muster.  A job well done he thought.
>
>I said I use a torque wrench on my lug nuts. That means they get put
>on with a torque of exactly 45 foot-lbs. The reason I, and probably
>most mechanics, use a torque wrench is to AVOID over-tightening lug
>nuts. You don't need special equipment to act like a gorilla.
>
>Do I also have to explain that to tighten the nuts you turn clockwise
>and to loosen them you turn counter-clockwise? Cripes! 

My most humble apologies to Mr. Ngai.  In no way did I intend to
imply that he was in error when using his torque wrench as he had
described.  His article simply caused me to recall an incident in 
which a tightening procedure was done incorrectly with fatal results.
I posted the 'Sad Story' as a general note of caution to us all.
Also it was pointed out that I was in error when using the word
"torque" (and its derivatives) when referring to a "tightening"
procedure.  I did so incorrectly while capitalizing on the fact that
the two words are frequently used synonymously.  I should have been
more respectful of the net.auto subscribers level of technical discern-
ment.  In the future I will be more careful concerning the use of
'technical' terms.  Oh, by the way Mr. Ngai I appreciate the
lesson in rotational mechanics;  I've been having trouble getting the
lid off my peanutbutter jar.

Chris Villani