Treachery
Moderator
I'm a big believer in torque wrenches. I have three, all of which I trust the calibration on...except maybe the one that goes down to inch pounds (or low Nm). When I was learning to turn my own wrenches, I learned (by breaking things) to turn wrenches left handed to keep from over-tightening.
As I posted in my oil change early thread, and in one other, I mentioned to be careful with the oil filter cover. The torque spec on those two screws is only 8 Nm (5 ft lb). But when I went to torque the OE screws, it just felt way too tight. So, I put the torque wrench down, backed them out and tightened them up "snug." Today, I was doing a second change. I had cut the torque figure for the big drain plug and the smaller one, just on principle. Actually, I did it on the smaller screen/plug, because the O-ring got mangled when I installed it last time. That's a different subject. So, I was going to install the oil filter cover. I double checked the torque figure and the setting on the wrench, but it immediately seemed to be going on too tight. So, I backed it off, and with a quarter inch ratchet, holding it at the head of the ratchet, I went to snug it up...and the head of one of the screws broke off.
Completely out of character, there was no profanity.
I was ready to head to the store for a reverse drill bit and an EZ-out, but before I left, I looked to see if there was any way to back the screw out. I was able to snag the end with a small screwdriver, back it out far enough to grab it with a pair of needle-nose, then the rest of the way by hand. I still went to the store, but for new screws and washers (the OE screws have a shoulder, so a washer is needed). I paid no attention to the torque spec..."snug" suits me just fine, thank you very much.
Take home: It's not my place to tell you to ignore KTM's instructions. But if my experience is any guide, replace the screws at your next change, and don't use the OE torque spec. 8Nm ain't jack, but if you pull the threads out of the cases, you'll have bigger heartache than I had by a wide margin.
HTH; Good Night, and Good Luck.
As I posted in my oil change early thread, and in one other, I mentioned to be careful with the oil filter cover. The torque spec on those two screws is only 8 Nm (5 ft lb). But when I went to torque the OE screws, it just felt way too tight. So, I put the torque wrench down, backed them out and tightened them up "snug." Today, I was doing a second change. I had cut the torque figure for the big drain plug and the smaller one, just on principle. Actually, I did it on the smaller screen/plug, because the O-ring got mangled when I installed it last time. That's a different subject. So, I was going to install the oil filter cover. I double checked the torque figure and the setting on the wrench, but it immediately seemed to be going on too tight. So, I backed it off, and with a quarter inch ratchet, holding it at the head of the ratchet, I went to snug it up...and the head of one of the screws broke off.
Completely out of character, there was no profanity.I was ready to head to the store for a reverse drill bit and an EZ-out, but before I left, I looked to see if there was any way to back the screw out. I was able to snag the end with a small screwdriver, back it out far enough to grab it with a pair of needle-nose, then the rest of the way by hand. I still went to the store, but for new screws and washers (the OE screws have a shoulder, so a washer is needed). I paid no attention to the torque spec..."snug" suits me just fine, thank you very much.
Take home: It's not my place to tell you to ignore KTM's instructions. But if my experience is any guide, replace the screws at your next change, and don't use the OE torque spec. 8Nm ain't jack, but if you pull the threads out of the cases, you'll have bigger heartache than I had by a wide margin.
HTH; Good Night, and Good Luck.
