Anti-seize and those who have no idea on when to use it....

[Jim Goose]

Just thought about ranting here about mechanics or back yarders who do ignorant things to their cars...

Late last year I bought a AUII which was very low mileage and had its service history attached. Today I decided to finally see what the plugs were like (I did an oil filter change as soon as I got the car home from Brissy).

Well bugger me... Number 1 plug was solid.
I mean I had to get a ratchet and extension to move the bloody thing.

Each few mm I would stop as the screaching of grinding metal had me thinking the thread was disintergrating.

After a few minutes the first plug was out (and thread intact). Now each plug I removed was the same. So tight that they musta used a 1foot bar to do them up. None of these plugs had anti-seize on them.

Now this is my 3rd (FORD) daily driver in which I have found the plugs to be over tightened and not one bit of anti-seize.

Are apprentices not taught to use the stuff in trade school? Alloy heads, over torqued plugs do not mix. Or are Mechanics these days getting sloppy?

(the plugs actually were Iridiums and were so worn away that they had nearly a 4mm gap!)

An EA i stupidly bought many years ago had all the wheel nuts so tight I had to borrow a 6ft steel pipe in order to get more leverage. I ended jumping up and down on it to get the wheel nuts orf.

I even had a sump plug so tight that it had stretched the threads in the plug. (Again a lot of leverage was needed)


Has anyone else come across this stupidiy when they buy a car??

Working on aircraft engines for 10yrs (piston, not turbine) I found the major engine manufaturers do not recommend, but actually say you MUST use anti-seize on the plugs.