Vintage Volkswagen Bolt Torque Specifications

If you've been working on your vintage Volkswagen at all, more than once you've probably asked yourself; "how tight should that bolt really be?" Well we've gotcha covered! This table shows the correct factory recommended tightening torque specifications for most of the common nuts and bolts that you'll encounter on a classic VW. Getting critical bolts tightened correctly (not too loose - not too tight) really does matter. So buy, borrow or rent a high-quality torque wrench, analog or digital "click", and use the torque values listed below to set those bolts to the correct tightness.

Spark Plugs
25 ft. lbs.
Wheel Studs ("lug nuts")
80-90 ft. lbs.
Steering Wheel Nut (27mm)
20 ft. lbs.
Oil Drain Plug
25 ft. lbs.
Cap Nuts On Oil Strainer Cover
5 ft. lbs.
Generator Pulley Nut
45 ft. lbs. (32 ft. lbs. for 53 & 57hp)
Crank Pulley Bolt
29-36 ft. lbs.
Rear Wheel Axle Nut
217 ft. lbs.
Fan Nut Inside Engine Shroud
45 ft. lbs.
Flywheel Gland Nut (36mm)
217 ft. lbs.
Clutch to Flywheel Bolts
18 ft. lbs.
Cylinder Head Nuts
23 ft. lbs. (27 ft. lbs. for 36hp)
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Which VW model did your engine came out of? Check our Engine Case Letter Codes table here.
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