Old timer told me to stop using impact guns on injectors back in '09

Guy must have been 70, saw me zipping down a set of injectors on a 5.9 and just said 'you're gonna be back in here next month, son' - sure enough, that truck came back with a snapped hold-down bolt on cylinder 3. Has anyone else had to unlearn bad habits from the early days of the trade?

3 comments

3 Comments

ivanross25d ago

Tbh that old timer knew exactly what he was talking about. I learned the hard way too - back in like 2012 I was doing a set of injectors on a 6.0, zipped 'em all down with my impact, felt like I was saving so much time. Next week the customer comes back with a misfire and sure enough I'd snapped the hold-down on cylinder 5. Had to drill it out and retap it, took me like three hours just to fix my own mistake. Ngl I still catch myself reaching for the impact gun on injectors sometimes but that memory always stops me.

harpery4725d agoTop Commenter

Yeah I used to be the same way honestly. Thought impact guns were the move for everything, time is money and all that. But reading stories like this changes your whole outlook. Now I just take the extra minute to hand tighten stuff like that. Way less headache later.

mila_campbell2524d ago

Old timers have that crystal ball, don't they? They see your future full of broken bolts and cuss words from a mile away. I swear the guy who told you that probably snapped a hold-down himself back when gasoline was a nickel and learned his lesson real quick. My uncle was the same way, told me to stop using my impact on anything smaller than a lug nut after I twisted a valve cover bolt clean in half on a customer's Cummins. Figured I was saving thirty seconds, ended up spending a whole afternoon with a reverse drill bit and an easy-out instead.