Took me 3 tries to realize I was torquing spark plugs dry

Honestly, I've been working on GA engines for about 5 years and always torqued spark plugs straight out of the box. Last month I had a Continental that kept backing out after 20 hours, and an old-timer at the hangar in Tulsa asked if I was using anti-seize. Ngl, I didn't even know you were supposed to, and he showed me the torque chart difference, 20% less with the compound. Now I log it on every plug install, but has anyone else found that some shops skip this on purpose?

2 comments

2 Comments

finley_smith1d ago

Man, that old timer saved you a headache for sure. But here's the thing nobody mentions, the torque spec change is only half the story. The real issue is corrosion between the steel plug and aluminum head. Dry plugs can seize up bad on the next removal, and then you're helicoiling a case deck at 3am. Honestly, I've seen shops skip anti-seize just because they're scared of over-torquing with the compound. They think they're being careful, but they're just trading one problem for another. Better to follow the chart every time and keep the threads clean.

milalewis22h ago

Ugh, and don't even get me started on the 3am part. Last time I was up that late I used a pipe wrench on a sensor. Bad plan.