Old mechanic at Delta told me to stop using anti-seize on spark plugs

I was changing plugs on a CRJ-200 at Atlanta last month and this 30-year veteran walks over and says I'm making a mistake. He said in his experience anti-seize throws off the torque readings and can actually cause the plug to back out in flight. I didn't believe him at first but then I checked the Champion manual and it says the same thing. Anyone else ever get told this or has the old school method always worked for you?

2 comments

2 Comments

wesley_hart20d ago

Wait, you ran into an old Delta mechanic who said the same thing? I had a United guy at ORD tell me that years ago and I brushed it off, but then I ruined a set of plugs on a 172 by over-torquing them with anti-seize. I showed up the next day with dry plugs and torqued them dry, and they've been coming out clean ever since.

blakefox20d ago

Read something from a guy who used to build engines for crop dusters years ago. He said anti-seize changes the torque reading because it lubricates the threads and makes you over tighten without realizing it. @wesley_hart I bet your dry torque method is the way to go since the factory specs were figured out with clean dry threads. A lot of mechanics just throw anti-seize on everything without thinking about it.

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