Question about crossmember torque

[Frankd1]

When you check the crossmember bolts at each oil change, do you loosen them a touch and then re-torque to 40ft/lbs.
Or, are you setting your wrench to 40ft/lbs and if it clicks right from the start you're good? This telling you that you are already at 40 (or possibly higher if this is your first time checking since purchasing the car).

Reason I ask is that I've had the car about 3 weeks now and will be checking for the first time..

[vandor]

> do you loosen them a touch and then re-torque to 40ft/lbs.

That's asking for trouble if the studs are no longer welded inside the box section.
I'd just make sure they are tight.

[Frankd1]

Thanks for the heads up, I'll just check to make sure they are tight.

[DieselSpider]

If they're tight then there is nothing really to do however if they're loose you may find they might take a full turn or more the first time you check them.

On mine the front tires were worn horribly on the inside when I first got it and they only had a few thousand miles on them since Tire Kingdom installed them and aligned the car for the previous owner (it was their third attempt to align it I later found out). When I checked them some of the fasteners required more than a full turn to set them back to spec. I then had Firestone lifetime align the car providing them the torque/alignment specs and started checking the torques at the oil changes and only have had them creak from time to time. The tires at about 10,000 miles still look like the day they were installed.

I live in Florida so there is no road salt to freeze things up which probably makes it easier for me then some members in the norther salt belt areas. The diesel conversion and liberties that were taken squeezing that longer engine up front and the way they hacked up the electrical system doing it presents enough challenges.

[Frankd1]

I checked the crossmember torque and everything is tight....the 2 nuts on each end from under the car as well as the horizontal nut from inside the engine bay.

The bottom ones were a little tricky to get to, I needed a couple of swivel sockets but once on they didn't budge when I applied force with the ratchet.

All good for now!