Torque wrench questions

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Finally biting the bullet and purchasing some torque wrenches, but I had a couple of questions.

1. I need an inexpensive torque wrench that measures in inch-lbs, but cannot find a model that doesn't begin at 20 inch-lbs. I need something that goes as low as 14 inch-lbs.

2. Looking for an ultra cheap wrench just for lug nuts on vehicles. Would the Harbor Freight Chinese knock-off one do a good enough job with its -/+ 4% error, or are these total junk to be avoided. They are very appealing at 20 bucks and isn't something I would use very often.
 
I know you're not looking to spend a bunch, but here's what I have (and I suppose my advice):

- A small, cheap, beam-type wrench for the small jobs (spark plugs, drain plugs). I've got a Craftsman 0-80 ft*lb 3/4" drive wrench.

- A bigger click type for lugs and suspension parts. I have a Husky 50-200 ft*lb 1/2" drive.

My first torque wrench was a cheap autozone Great Neck brand 20-100 ft*lb or something click type. It worked great right up until the ratchet mechanism broke when torquing my lug nuts to 80 ft*lbs. I got about a year of use out of it I think (and it's not like I was using it every weekend or anything).

The advantage to the beam wrenches is that they're cheap, durable, don't require calibration, and are accurate down to 0 ft*lbs. The advantage to the clickers is that they're not a PITA to use.

I'd save up some money and do both, with decent quality wrenches if I were you. Sears in particular has sales all the time. Note that the Craftsman lifetime warranty doesn't apply to the clicker wrenches, but does to the beams, IIRC.
 
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For a cheap 1/2" one i've had a "Performance Tool" clicker for about 7 years now that still works quite well. Bought it at an O'Reilly store IIRC.

HF ones are OK and look almost the same but I did have a 3/8" clicker from there become inaccurate and begin over torquing after suprisingly little use.
 
The Kobalt torque wrench in Lowe's is better than the Craftsman. It is made by the same manufacturer as Craftsman (Danaher Tools) and better made because the torque adjuster ring is metal instead of plastic I believe. Also, the Kobalt has a lifetime warranty. Costs about $78 for the 3/8". It is 10-100 ft-lbs and it seems durable. I bought one myself, but haven't used it yet.
 
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I have both the HT torque wrenches ,ft and in #, and both work well. I use the Ft. TW all the time for my lug nuts.
 
I used to have a kobalt, but lost it... bought a husky and didnt like it as much. Id look at kobalts first.

For the big one, consistency is likely more important than being exactly on the spot torque-wise. You dont want big differences between lugs on one wheel.

For the small one, there are plenty for bicycles and specialty electronics and equipment which need low torque. You may need to pay a bit more, but it is probably worth it...
 
I think the beam type is the only way to go for most DIY work. They are cheap, rugged, stay in calibration, and last forever. I am still using the 0-150 Craftsman I bought in 1966. The lower range ones are surprisingly hard to find. I needed one a year ago and finally found a 0-600 inch pounds at JC whitney. That is still too big to give good accuracy on things such as spark plugs, but much better than my old one.

Beam types are more difficult to use. I sometimes put a little piece of tape at the value I want. Rigging up calibrating a clicker is no fun either.
 
Nothing in the car needs 20 inch-lb! You probably meant 20 ft-lb.
None of the torque wrenches should be used in the first 1/5 of its range. It is very inaccurate in that range.

I believe you are looking for 13 ft-lb torque wrench for spark plug. If so, you need to find something which tops at 240 inch-lb 1/4 drive wrench. They can be found on Amazon but very hard to find at local Autozone type of stores.

- Vikas
 
Originally Posted By: benjamming
Precision Instruments M1R50H is 10-50 in-lb. Ignore the list price on the factory website as they are half or less at online tool stores.

Precision Instruments Split-Beam doesn't have a spring so that it has to be zeroed out after every use. It is more durable in that regards than a clicker.


Thanks for the links. I knew there had to be a wrench that went down to 14 inch pounds as that is what my automatic tranny pan bolts are spec'd for when you tighten them on the new gasket.

Thanks!
 
Originally Posted By: Saturn_Fan
Thanks for the links. I knew there had to be a wrench that went down to 14 inch pounds as that is what my automatic tranny pan bolts are spec'd for when you tighten them on the new gasket. Thanks!


Please re-check your torque specs! Your number is just hair over 1 ft. lb.. Most pan gaskets are around 8 to 12 ft. lbs..
 
Originally Posted By: Vikas
Nothing in the car needs 20 inch-lb! You probably meant 20 ft-lb.
- Vikas


Try doing a transmission valve body sometimes.
 
Originally Posted By: doitmyself
Originally Posted By: Saturn_Fan
Thanks for the links. I knew there had to be a wrench that went down to 14 inch pounds as that is what my automatic tranny pan bolts are spec'd for when you tighten them on the new gasket. Thanks!


Please re-check your torque specs! Your number is just hair over 1 ft. lb.. Most pan gaskets are around 8 to 12 ft. lbs..


I re-checked the number and is 48 inch pounds. I had the 14 number in my head from another project.
LOL.gif
 
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Originally Posted By: benjamming
4 ft-lb is still low. Be sure to clean those threads!


You bet I will. I found a nice write up from a guy on Toyota Nation who did his 9th gen Corolla. He was telling me the pan dropping/putting new gasket on/retorquing the 18 bolts was a breeze. Didn't even have to scrape off old gasket material. I'll be cleaning everything with CRC Brake Cleaner and wipe off the magnets real well.
 
You'd be better off torquing the pan gaskets so the gasket just starts to squeeze out rather than using a torque wrench. In my experience for that type of application a visual/feel method is better than the engineered solution.

If you really do need a torque wrench that small I think you're going to spend a little money for it, inlbs are getting pretty precise. If you figure that HF torque wrench in +/- 4 ftlbs at 100 ftlbs, that's +/- 48 inlbs; more than the entire range of a in-lb torque wrench.
 
Originally Posted By: tom slick
You'd be better off torquing the pan gaskets so the gasket just starts to squeeze out rather than using a torque wrench. In my experience for that type of application a visual/feel method is better than the engineered solution.

If you really do need a torque wrench that small I think you're going to spend a little money for it, inlbs are getting pretty precise. If you figure that HF torque wrench in +/- 4 ftlbs at 100 ftlbs, that's +/- 48 inlbs; more than the entire range of a in-lb torque wrench.


Hi Tom,

Thanks for the reply. I think I have myself a little freaked out thinking I need a torque wrench from that application because of a previous blunder where I believe I ruined a perfectly good set of rotors and pads on my car because I didn't use a torque wrench and evenly tighten the lug nuts.
 
I'll agree with you that you need a torque wrench for lug nuts, but a pan gasket isn't nearly as critical. I've seen people overtorqued items like pan gaskets because they didn't realize the wrench had softly clicked.
 
Originally Posted By: punisher
Originally Posted By: Vikas
Nothing in the car needs 20 inch-lb! You probably meant 20 ft-lb.
- Vikas


Try doing a transmission valve body sometimes.


I did not think Saturn_Fan was planning on taking apart his transmission! What is the torque spec on a transmission valve body? Is it 1 ft-lb or 2 ft-lb?

OK, I am game for snarky comments!

Here are some examples from Honda Odyssey 1999 4-speed transmission valve overhaul pages

STOP BOLT
6 x 1.0mm
12 N·m (1.2 kgf·m, 8.7 lbf·ft)

Here is another one

6 x 1.0 mm
9.8 N·m (1.0 kgf·m, 7.2 lbf·ft)

I see no torque spec in the 20 lb.in

- Vikas
 
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I tend to trust beam torque wrenches more than clickers....even very expensive clickers since beam torque wrenches are based on the 800 year old concept of a cantilevered beam acts as a spring (F=kx) for small angles of deflection (when you torque even a high torque bolt, the beam bends, less than a couple degrees so this assumption is VERY accurate). Plus they are dead easy to calibrate...as long as that arrow is pointing at the 0 you are good to go.

I milled out a piece of 1" aluminum square tube (1/8" side walls) with a slot with graduations that I attached to a rig I made with a weighted arm and a nut welded onto a rod with a key on it. I've used it to test many a torque wrench and the beam ones are always dead on. The cheaper clickers from HF are usually pretty good in the top 60-50% of their overall range. Not as accurate in the lower part of the range so the 20-220 inlb one is good for spark plugs etc...things in the 120+ inlb range, but not as good for 20inlb situations where I've find that they UNDERtorque by as must as 10% or overtorque 10% and this is the same model 20-220 HF wrench but two different instances. So this says you think you set it to 3 lbft but it could be 2.7 or 3.3 which isn't horrible but not good for super sensitive bolts like in an auto tranny.

The 1/2" drive HF ones are very precise (ie repeatable) for lug nuts (70+ range) but the accuracy is not as great. Meaning you set it for 80 lbft and you torque all 4 (or 5) nuts....all of them will be the same torque setting but may not be 80...maybe 78 maybe 84, but they will be the same, which is good....and being in the 75-85 range is fine with me as long as all 4(5) are consistent.

The main benefit of clickers (despite the potential inaccuracy) is the ease of use and not having to be looking straight on when torquing (try using a beam wrench on a flat 4 spark plug :) ). However if you can look straight on, then I'd save the money and get a beam wrench.
 
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