My old lead at Piedmont told me to stop using anti-seize on spark plugs and he was right

Back in 2021 at Piedmont, my lead Frank told me to stop putting anti-seize on spark plugs in the Lycoming engines. I argued with him for like 10 minutes saying it prevents galling and every mechanic I knew used it. He made me torque one dry right in front of him and then we pulled it 50 hours later to check, no issues at all. I learned the hard way that anti-seize messes with your torque readings and can lead to over-torquing in aluminum heads. Has anyone else had a senior tech change their mind on something basic like this?

2 comments

2 Comments

quinn_fox18h agoTop Commenter

Man, I was the exact same way! I used anti-seize on everything for years until an old timer at my last shop showed me the torque spec difference with a dry plug. Totally opened my eyes, now I only use it on steel bolts going into aluminum where the manual actually calls for it.

the_jennifer18h ago

Read a study once that said anti-seize can throw off torque by up to 30 percent on plugs.