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Why does nobody talk about torque seal lying to you after a hot section
I keep seeing guys sign off a borescope and never look at the torque seal again until the next check. Last month on a King Air 200 out of Addison, I watched a guy button up a fuel line that had walked almost a quarter turn, seal still lined up because the paint had smeared over it. That little crack in the paint runs along the nut and looks fine from three feet away, and it only shows up when you put a wrench on it and feel it move. I started pushing on every sealed nut with my finger before I sign, takes ten seconds, and I caught two loose B-nuts on one bird in a single shift. If the seal is cracked or flaking, that nut has moved, no matter what the mark says. Any of you had a seal fool you on a hot section or a bleed line?
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angelamurphy4h ago
You ever notice how this same thing happens with a lot of "checks" in life? Like the check engine light that comes on, you jiggle the gas cap, light goes off, and you call it fixed. Or you look at your tire and it looks fine from the side but the inside edge is bald as a baby. The mark on a torque seal is just a picture of where the nut used to be, same as a sticker on a jar lid that says it was sealed. The wrench and your finger don't lie, a painted line will. Ten seconds of pushing on it beats trusting a smear of paint every time.
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margaretc424h ago
Push on every sealed nut before you sign, period. @angelamurphy nailed it, a painted line is just a picture of where the nut used to be. Your finger finds the truth in ten seconds flat.
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