A senior tech told me to stop using impact guns on injector hold-down bolts

I used to zip those things in with my impact like it was nothing. Then a guy with 30 years on me pulled me aside and said I was crushing the copper washers unevenly every time. He showed me the torque spread after I did one with a ratchet versus the impact. Made me buy a beam-style torque wrench for the small stuff. Anyone else get called out for something that felt minor but actually mattered a lot?

3 comments

3 Comments

bennett.mason2mo ago

The real issue isn't torque but vibration loosening the injector's internal parts over time.

logan2362mo ago

Yeah but @fiona_murphy made a good point about the copper washer crushing unevenly - wouldn't that cause way more issues than vibration over time? Like isn't the real problem usually a bad seal rather than stuff rattling loose inside?

fiona_murphy2mo ago

Actually that's not quite how injectors work... the internal parts are all pressed together and the vibration usually isn't enough to shake them loose if they're torqued right. The bigger problem is the copper washer crushing unevenly and causing a leakpath.