There has been some interesting discussion on this forum about torque specs relative to lubricated vs dry threads. The Repair Manual gives a "hint" on reassembly of the front strut. It says to oil the threads of the bolts which connect the strut to the steering knuckle. It then gives a torque spec of 156 ft-lbs. This is the only application I can remember where the Repair Manual says to lube threads before torqueing.

I must admit that I have had the RH strut disconnected before and reassembled it without oiling the threads. My torque wrench only goes to 150 ft-lbs. Since 156 ft-lbs lubed is tighter than 150 ft-lbs dry, should I correct this?

Yes, you are suppose to oil the threads to get the proper torque applied to the bolt.
The fact is, allot of mechanics don't bother with it. They usually zap it tight with an air impact gun and call it good (I'm guilty of this on occasion).
I don't recommend that anyone does that, but after 30 years of working in the field, you get a feel for certain things.
Even though I let the cat out of the bag, my recommendation for you is to follow the manuals instructions, and get a proper torque wrench for the job at hand.
If you continue doing that sort of work on your car, or anyone else's car, the money spent on the torque wrench will pay itself off eventually.

I found this post on another forum. Very interesting! I'm going to research it further. If this is right, all threads should be lubed to reduce variability.


"According to data collected and analyzed by Shigley and Mischke, there is not a correlation to an average difference in torque to tension of dry vs. lubricated fasteners. What the data indicated was that lubed fasteners acheive a desired preload at a much more consistent torque value. Applied torques on "Dry" fasteners on average yield roughly the same preload, but there is a much greater deviation from that mean or average value from dry fastener to dry fastener vs. lubed fastener to lubed fastener. If you are looking to control preload in fasteners to a tighter range, then lubricating them prior to torque will give more predictable results, not higher values compared to dry conditions - according to Shigley and Mischke"

Actually, you are supposed to lube all bolts that thread into aluminum with antisieze compound. It is not oil, but it is a lubricant nonetheless. Also, how many mechanics take the time to clean off oily bolts before they are reused? Dry bolts and dry bolt holes are very rare.

All of the information you both provided is correct.........in a perfect world.
Using anti-seize compound for a bolt into aluminum is a given. All the "good" mechanics I know use it, including myself.
What we are talking about is the large bolts that attach the strut to the steering knuckle. These bolts rarely get oiled and torqued to spec. As I said before, they are usually zapped tight with an Impact gun.
Now I'm not saying we do this with all bolts, just certain one's.
An experienced mechanic knows which bolts to use, or not use, an impact on.
Myself, I'm certainly not going to use an impact on head bolts, wheel lugs, or something that absolutely requires to be torqued to spec.
Body mount bolts, engine mount bolts, k-member bolts, and the like will get tightened with an impact. I do double check the tightness of the bolts with a pry bar though.
Anyway, my point is, if a mechanic is rebuilding an engine ,trans, or anything of that nature, they will torque everything to spec.
If they are reinstalling a K-member/cross member after a clutch job, replacing a motor mount, attaching a strut to a steering knuckle, or anything of that nature, I would bet that they use an impact on the bolts.

Let the flaming begin.

There are exceptions to every rule - including the need for a torque wrench. Hoever, it is too tempting for any mechanic to fall in love with his impact gun and use it on more and more fasteners. There are so very few good mechanics, that until I have seen their work and had them do something more complex than change a tire, I don't trust any of them to know when and when not to use an impact gun to tighten bolts. If you ask them, each one to a man will tell you that they are great mechanics and know when they can and when they can not to use an impact gun. Right....

I may agree with you on the use of an impact gun on those specific bolts you mentioned, but don't expect me to believe that the idiot mechanics I've had the displeasure to meet know to limit themselves to just these bolts. Let me catch you at your own risk.