Heard a junior mechanic say torque doesn't matter on small bolts

Was helping a guy from the C-check team change a bracket on a 737 flap track last Wednesday and he said he didn't bother torquing the 1/4 inchers because they're not critical. I told him about a cracked flange I saw back in 2019 at a regional carrier in Boise that traced right back to undertorqued mounting screws. Has anyone else run into this idea that smaller fasteners don't need a torque wrench?

3 comments

3 Comments

the_mary8d ago

Not critical" until the bracket falls off... I learned that one the hard way on my own car once.

taylor.reese8d ago

oh man, I gotta ask - did the whole thing just let go at once or did you have warning signs before it actually snapped? because I've seen some brackets hold on for way longer than they should with just a little corrosion, and others fail out of nowhere. my buddy had his exhaust drooping for like two weeks before he finally got it fixed, and I was terrified it was gonna rip off completely on the highway lol. was yours one of those sneaky ones where the noise slowly gets worse or did it just go from fine to dragging?

hugoj127d ago

Bet on the noise getting worse gradually myself and still ended up surprised when it finally let go.