Old timer told me to stop using Teflon tape on hydraulic fittings

Kevin, a guy who's been doing this since the 80s at the regional base in Memphis, kept yelling at me every time he saw me wrap tape on a B-nut. I ignored him for like 6 months because that's how I was taught at school. Then last week I had a 737 skid valve fitting start weeping on the ramp after a pressure check. Kevin just walked over, cleaned it off, and the dry flare held perfectly. He showed me how a tiny piece of tape can get cut off and contaminate the whole system. Now I only use tape on pipe threads like NPT fittings. Anyone else have an old timer call you out on something you thought was standard?

2 comments

2 Comments

anthony12711d ago

Back in 05 I was working on a Lear 35 and put anti-seize on the spark plugs like my instructor said. Old mechanic named Pete saw me and just shook his head. He pulled one out after a run and showed me how the compound had cooked into a hard crust. He said just a dry torque is what those plugs need. I still think about that whenever I reach for a tube of anything.

verab2811d ago

Isn't it funny how the lessons that stick with us are always the ones that challenge what we thought we knew? I've noticed that pattern everywhere, not just in aviation but in cooking too. Like when everyone says you need to grease the pan for pancakes, but my grandmother showed me that a dry, well-seasoned cast iron gives them that perfect golden crust every time. Same with gardening - we all think more fertilizer means bigger tomatoes, but all it does is make the plant leafy and weak. It makes me wonder how much of what we call "best practices" is just habit dressed up as wisdom.