DAE remember being told to never torque dry, then a gray haired A&P in Wichita showed me why he does it on some bolts?

Aaron Gonzalez · 2026-10-17T10:30:04.948147+00:00

About 8 months back a senior mechanic named Ray at our hangar in Wichita told me he always puts a light coat of engine oil on the threads before torquing certain fasteners, and I flat out told him that was wrong because friction changes the clamp load. He didn't argue, he just handed me a torque wrench and said to test it myself on a scrap bracket. I ran 5 bolts dry and 5 oiled to the same 40 inch pound setting and the dry ones came in way under spec when we checked them with a Skidmore, while the oiled ones hit the number almost dead on. Turns out the manual for that airframe actually lists wet torque values and I had been reading the general section like it was gospel. I still torque most stuff dry like I was taught in school, but now I check the maintenance manual page first instead of going off habit. So what's the deal with wet versus dry at your shops, do your manuals spell it out or is it more of a tribal knowledge thing?

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DAE remember being told to never torque dry, then a gray haired A&P in Wichita showed me why he does it on some bolts? | Aircraft Mechanics - Opinions Matter