How Much Torque Do I Use?
No, we’re not talking about how many foot pounds you’re putting to the ground, we’re talking about how
force to tighten bolts with. There are certain things in an automotive application where a recommended
torque value is pretty important, i.e. head bolts or connecting rod cap bolts. But when it comes to an accessory drive it’s much less vital.
Now, there is a huge difference between tight and what we in Minnesota refer to as "farmer tight." Tight is seating the bolt firmly with a normal tool like a box end wrench or 3/8" drive socket. "Farmer tight" is brute force with the same tools plus the additional of a final pass with a 3ft pipe inserted on the tool as seen above.
So what is Important?
Originally vehicles had cast iron blocks and steel brackets with not much give in them. Nowadays it can be a mix of materials with most being aluminum. With aluminum being a softer metal you want to make sure that you don't pull threads but that bolts seat properly. The biggest danger in an accessory drive system is too much torque and snapping the bolt off inside of the block or head. That being said you still don't want it too loose or you get rattles or leaks, but at least those are easily fixed compared to getting out the easy-outs. Since we here at CVF Racing use Fastenal hardware, we opt to recommend the same torque values that they do.
