Torque wrenches

[cowie165]

SAUers,

Does everyone here use a torque wrench? I've been meaning to buy one, but have just been doing either 'finger tight' or 'tool tight' based on my best guess of how tight something should be.

I priced a few and they vary from $50 at Supercheap to $175 (trade price, retail is around $250!) for a kickass 1/2" Repco wrench.

The workshop manual states torque range from around 5Nm to 70Nm, which works out to be a 1/4" drive wrench (the 3/8 and 1/2 apply 40-150Nm). I like the 1/2" drive but need to be able to set a torque much lower than 40Nm.

Any ideas/suggestions? Bite the bullet and fork out for a decent Repco one or just keep fudging it?

Thanks

Mark

[Yorik]

Never fudge it on your car... I ahvea 1/2inch and borrow a mates 1/4inch for hte finer wokr, he only has the 1/4 so he uses my 1/2 inch for certain jobs

[Duncan]

I got a Warren and Brown one, 1/2 inch drive, 10-160nm.

http://home.clear.net.nz/pages/national.to...enBrown/WB.html

I think its worth having, but don't buy a cheap one....and make sure you get it calibrated. No point having it and not be able to trust it.

[cowie165]

Thanks for the link Duncan. I like the one you've bought, looks like a quality item and has the range I'm after.

JustTools.com.au has it for sale at $220. Is that about right? If I could find somewhere happy to offer it at trade price I'd buy it right now.

There is also a Kinchrome one, with a micrometer style sleeve. Are the sleeved ones worthwhile? They seem to dominate the sub-$100 market, which probably tells me all I need to know....?

Mark

PS Who does tool calibration? Look up 'calibrators' in the yellow pages?? Sounds noddy, but I've never had it done before.

[Duncan]

Yeah thats about the price I paid for it too.

Please don't get the wrong impression, I'm not some sort of torque wrench guru. I went with this becuase it had the right adjustment range, 1/2" drive so I can fit some big arse sockets, and the deflection beam style is apparently very accurate compared to some of the spring based ones.

I think they are at the expensive end of the market, but I don't see the point in having a tool like this that might not be accurate.

[Abo Bob]

Do you guys think I'll need one of these to put my turbo back on or should I worry more with internal engine work?

[Beer Baron]

Abo, theoretically everything you bolt on should be torqued to the manufacturers specs. however, you will find some things are impossible to get a torque wrench on, so then it's just practice.

I've used both the handle adjustment type one and the deflection beam style one and on feel the beam type seems more acurate. also, as you correctly observed mark the kingchrome ones and other cheapies are all handle adjustable... I have had a cheap torque wrench (sleeve type) and it had to be re-calibrated 3 times (under warranty) now I just don't bother using it anymore cause it's more trouble than it's worth.

[predator]

when torquing important items such as the head, do these allow you enough leverage to be able to successfully apply the required torque?

I have to buy one at some stage as well, so some useful info here

[PHATR32]

i only ever use a tourque wrench when bolting down heads.

otherwise i take a guess, have a bit of experiance with stripping threads etc so you sort of learn when enuff is enuff.

although i gotta admit on the first engine i built, i tourqued down every single bolt exactly as stated in the shop manual!!

steve

[cowie165]

Hrmmm. I think I'll have to get one, but set aside enough to buy a worthwhile one.

Richard: Thanks for your input, as much as I want to get out as cheaply as possible, I'll steer clear of the sleeve type ones now....

Abo Bob: As a guess I'd say yes. The reason I think it'd be a good idea is because you'd be cross if the gasket started to leak from non-uniform tightness (IMO it could be a hassle, but feel free to correct/comment).

Any info on who does calibrations please?

Mark

[blind_elk]

Pay for a quality one, don't skimp. I use mine (I think its a W&B, that I bought nearly 20 years ago) to do wheel nuts (65 ft/lb) and spark plugs (NGK recommend approx 20 ft/lb cold). As well as head bolts etc when necessary, of course.