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Warning: A torn up lav panel in Phoenix made me stop trusting the torque wrench click
Two years back I was doing a lav service panel swap on a 737 in Phoenix during a 118 degree ramp day, and I snugged the fasteners down till the wrench clicked like I always do. Went to sign off the task, grabbed my flashlight for a final look, and two screws had already started to wallow the composite because the panel had been warped from the heat. I pulled the whole thing back apart, found the torque wrench had been sitting in a hot toolbox all week and the click was reading way light. Since then I refuse to trust a click alone on anything soft like composite or thin sheet, I go by feel first and use the wrench only to confirm the number. The old timers on my crew told me I was wasting time and to just trust the tool, but I've watched three panels crack since then on guys who do it their way. Torque values are a number, not a promise, especially when its 110 plus on the ramp and your hands are sweating through gloves. Anybody else here trust feel over the click on critical stuff, or am I the odd one out?
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