What is the true rear diff cover torque spec?

[Kevin Scarbel]

Torque all bolts until you click (step 1)
Then go another round on the bolts another 25 degrees (about half a flat) (step 2)

But speaking realistically - this isn’t carrying a load beyond the weight of the cover, it’s just gotta be tight enough to seal the gasket. So the torque isn’t super critical… and the bigger danger is in over torque rather than under…. If you are under, it drips and you just tighten a bit more…. If you are over, you risk stripping out the housing, breaking off bolts and/or damaging the reusable gasket.

Not something that requires being overthunk. The torque spec is just there because Ford and Dana have to say something other than “Well, tight enough to not leak but don’t break it”. Not surprised there are differing specs - it isn’t super critical

I just meant, when you're torquing a cylinder head, for example, you're finished when you hear the click.

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[Roger123]

"Good'n Tight" worked for me! Way more broken and stripped fasteners by "untrained" hands using torque wrenches than by not using them.

Most of the "I snapped a bolt off in my, "insert part here" threads on my motorcycle forum start with, "I was using a torque wrench............"

I'm also a big fan of 1/4" drive tools in these situations. These are not torque to yield cylinder head bolts, just snug them up folks and you'll be fine.

 

[Brian_B]

I just meant, when you're torquing a cylinder head, for example, you're finished when you hear the click.

Yeah and that’s a part of it.

the first stage you do exactly that - to get the cover snug and on level - the torque value is pretty low. The second stage is to cinch down on the gasket - that’s Fords way of saying “just a bit tighter but don’t Hulk out on it”

 

[Mad Max]

They're M8 bolts. Don't try to go to 29.5. That's enough to shear them. I found that out the hard way. After I got the sheared bolt out with an extractor I torqued to 18 ft-lbs and it's fine.

 

[big deal]

That makes zero sense.
It doesn't matter if the cover is heavier.
And I'll add it doesn't matter that it comes with longer bolts as they're the same size and extend the same distance into the axle housing (the clamping effect is the same).

its thicker so thread length comes into play

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