06RAM2500

Check and see if your oil pan bolts are torqued to 22 ft/lbs. I did mine last night, and 60% of them were NOT!! Lucky if they were half of what they were suppose to be. Re-torqued em all to 25 to be safe.

Reason was, it looked as if my front crank seal was going out. The front 6 bolts were part of the 60%.

infidel

22 ft/lbs seems awfully tight to me.
Sure it wasn't 22 inch/lbs?
Overtightening warps the pan and it will leak even worse.

kreynolds

My FSM calls for 18 ft-lbs. on the oil pan bolts. I know we have different trucks but I don't see there being that big of a difference in the torque specs.

madhat

From the 04 FSM:

INSTALLATION
(1) Fill the T-joint between the pan rail/gear housing
and pan rail/rear seal retainer with sealant. Use
Mopart Silicone Rubber Adhesive Sealant or equivalent.
(2) Place suction tube in oil pan and guide them
into place. Using a new tube to block gasket, install
and tighten the suction tube bolts by hand. Starting
with the oil pump inlet bolts, tighten the bolts to 24
N·m (18 ft. lbs.) torque. Tighten the remaining tube
brace bolts to 43 N·m (32 ft. lbs.) torque.
(3) Starting in the center and working outward,
tighten the oil pan bolts to 28 N·m (21 ft. lbs.)
torque.
(4) Install the flywheel housing assembly with the
starter motor attached and tighten bolts to 77 N·m
(57 ft. lbs.) torque.
(5) Connect starter motor cables.
(6) Install the flywheel or flexplate. Torque to 137
N·m (101 ft. lbs.).
(7) Install transmission and transfer case (if
equipped).
(8) Lower vehicle.
(9) Remove the engine support fixture # 8534.
(10) Install battery negative cables.
(11) Fill the crankcase with new engine oil.
(12) Start engine and check for leaks. Stop engine,
check oil level, and adjust, if necessary.

madhat

I would not recommend going over the torque spec.

06RAM2500

I'm hoping 4 ft/lbs won't shorten the life. Still need to clean all around the pan, see if quit seeping. I'm sure it did, but want to make darn sure.

Lary Ellis (Top)

As long as they did not strip when you were tightening them, I would not worry about it.....most likely 95% of the Torque wrenches owned by us collectively are out of calibration by 4 lbs anyway....you could be closer to the correct torque than you know

madhat

I think 4% is an accepted tolerance.

06RAM2500

It was a cheap Pittsburgh from Harbor Freight.

madhat

I had mine tested at my Cal lab on base, it was less than 4%. Not too bad, I don't use it every day and I release the tension after I'm done with it.

06RAM2500

Same here. Especially my $90 inch pound.

infidel

I test my wrenches with a double female square socket.
Turn one torque wrench against the other and see if they read the same.
Chances are high if they read the same that the reading is correct.
Very low probability that they would both read wrong by the same amount.

Iron Mike

4 lbs is almost 14% overtorque. I would not recommend it. Overtorquing can often cause distortion and gaskets to leak even if it doesn't strip the bolts.
As one who tends to tighten something until it almost strips, I am a firm believer in using the recommended torque if it is available to you.
Just my .03
I always loved working on EMD's because they gave the torque value for every single bolt on the engine. They also had the best engine manuels I have ever used.

ChrisJohnson

My $.02. If you know the specs, don't overtorque. You can always come back a day or two later, or 100 miles later, next oil change later, ect, and re-check your torques. I also think madhat is right on releasing or backing off your torque wrench when your done with it. Here's another thought, something we do in the aviation industry. Safety wire the bolts to each other in such a way that they can't come loose, because they are attached to the bolt next to them. Small hole drilled through the head, so that a small wire can be slipped through it, and then twisted and then run through the hole of the next bolt, in such a direction that if one bolt loosens, it is stopped by the wire that is attached to the other bolt. If done correctly, if one bolt loosens, the one it is attached to can only tighten, thus stopping the other bolt from coming loose. And vice-versa. I knew guys that had old Harleys, and could never keep certain bolts tight, because of vibration, and when they did this, it solved all there "bolt backing off problems".

madhat

Yes Sir! I don't have scientific proof, but leaving a spring under tension tends to weaken it. I'm just sayin.
While I do agree with this, and I am in the Marine Corps aviation business for both 18's and AV8-B's, used to be a KC-130 guy... most industry bolts will not stand for even a correct hole to be drilled in them for safety wire. If you want a safety wire bolt, you have to buy one.

Correctly torqued bolts with correctly calibrated tools, using loc-tite (if called for) and gaskets that are not out of spec will fix these problems. If you can't stop a leak with the OEM spec, then you have another problem. (warped deck/crack/break).

Just MY