Can cordless drill be used to torque pan bolts???

[Kaboomba]

I have a cordless drill with 20+ clutch settings and lots of torque available.

At work I have access to a calibration tool that can cal to 100 in-lbf.

I am curious whether I could calibrate and verify repeatability at the various clutch settings and then use it to drive and torque the transmission pan bolts on my dad's cars.

I envision starting the bolts with a low clutch setting, then progressively working back around the pattern and up in torque to get to the spec torque on all the bolts.

Has anyone tried this? Dumb idea?

Best

 

[IndyIan]

I wouldn't, set the clutch torque way way low, and use the drill to zip the bolts in, then torque them with a real torque wrench.
My drills torque settings vary quite a bit with drill speed, ie you can slowly turn the drill and the clutch won't slip as early compared to a medium speed. WO also applys more torque I find.

 

[bullwinkle]

Haven't tried it, but if your cordless repeatedly gives the same torque on the same setting over & over again-probably would work OK. I know in factory assembly lines where fasteners are torqued over & over the assemblers use calibrated air wrenches in the same way.

 

[L_Sludger]

I've used a torque-limiting cordless drill on trans pan bolts with a squishy rubber gasket.

it, um, doesn't leak so i'm happy

 

[Kaboomba]

Originally Posted By: IndyIan
I wouldn't, set the clutch torque way way low, and use the drill to zip the bolts in, then torque them with a real torque wrench.
My drills torque settings vary quite a bit with drill speed, ie you can slowly turn the drill and the clutch won't slip as early compared to a medium speed. WO also applys more torque I find.


You make a good point about speed. I can check repeatability.

Also, the cal tool allows virtually no rotation. When torquing the pan bolts there would be virtually no rotation as well.

So, maybe if I "squirt" the drill with WOT to hit the clutch setting, maybe I could get good repeatability.

 

[cchase]

As long as you can confirm repeatability of torque it seems like a sure thing.

But, as IndyIan mentioned usually those clutches engage differently depending on how fast the drill is spinning prior to clutch engagement... for example if the screw is very easy to turn the drill might be turning at 3000 rpm and lock up at significantly more torque than if it is spinning 1000 rpm prior to lockup.

 

[JHZR2]

How do you verify repeatability? Ive found fairly big error margin in click-type wrenches, like where an initial torque at 18 ft-lb then also clicks when I change the wrench to 22 ft-lb.

I use a cordless when I have to tighten a lot of accessible bolts, but I only take them to barely snug (low speed but it sure saves my wrist, Im not keen on saving 20 seconds by rocketing everything shut). Itis all about minimizing effort, Im keen on torquing correctly as needed, after the fact.

Ive also done more or less wrist tight and have had no issues, without torquing, so a cordless then a ratchet on it could work.

 

[Captain_Klink]

not a good plan.

 

[JimPghPA]

I would be sure the drill is fully charged.

Years ago (about 30) I interviewed at Rockwell for a teck job that involved working with a new tool they were developing for new transmission assembly. It was designed for putting the pan screws in without stripping them. The manufacturer was having a high reject rate because some holes had small metal shavings in the threads. The tool actually compensated for that and drastically lowered the rejection rate.

So, be sure all the threads on holes and bolts are clean, it is real important.

 

[Kaboomba]

Originally Posted By: JHZR2
How do you verify repeatability? I've found fairly big error margin in click-type wrenches, like where an initial torque at 18 ft-lb then also clicks when I change the wrench to 22 ft-lb.


You make good points. I have seen a lot of variability in click-type wrenches, too. I have also used the "fingers" or "wrist" method on pans, with no problems. My thought is: even if the wrench is 100% repeatable, the individual bolts and holes are not. That makes me think that if the drill clutch can be repeatable within +/-8% or so, it would be a good option.

I would be doing basic Gage R&R on the drill clutches, using the torque cal tool.

 

[Gary Allan]

I would be interested in how the clutches vary in performance at speed. Seeing how it worked at slow vs. WOT would be informative.

 

[Kaboomba]

If I have the presence of mind tomorrow morning, I'll get out there and at least try the first couple of clutch settings.

 

[daman]

No!

 

[FL_Rob]

I've done it with great results, you're not going for max torque on those anyway,just a snug-up,then put a TQ wrench on it if you're not satisfied.I start at setting 2 then ,using correct sequence ,gradually increase .done.

 

[eljefino]

Just using my cordless drill for hanging sheetrock etc I've noticed a lot of mass/inertia in the chuck side of things, on the unpowered side of the clickly clutch. IOW a drywall screw won't self-countersink if I take it slow but will if I gun it at full speed. This may be the behavior mentioned above.

I do think it's clever using a cordless drill to spin a lot of stuff together. My air wrench is bulky, the hose akward, and the compressor startling when it kicks in. When doing major work like a FWD transmission you get all these air intake chunks, battery trays etc where perfect torque isn't necessary and it's great to be able to finish the job before ADD or an achey wrist sidelines you.

 

[getnpsi]

Removal yes to trust on assembly never. Like those posted above I see no problem zipping fastners snug then going thru with a tq wrench. Aviation industry would fire and fine you over it (no power anything allowed) but we are talking personal ground vehicles

 

[IndyIan]

Originally Posted By: eljefino
Just using my cordless drill for hanging sheetrock etc I've noticed a lot of mass/inertia in the chuck side of things, on the unpowered side of the clickly clutch. IOW a drywall screw won't self-countersink if I take it slow but will if I gun it at full speed. This may be the behavior mentioned above.

I do think it's clever using a cordless drill to spin a lot of stuff together. My air wrench is bulky, the hose akward, and the compressor startling when it kicks in. When doing major work like a FWD transmission you get all these air intake chunks, battery trays etc where perfect torque isn't necessary and it's great to be able to finish the job before ADD or an achey wrist sidelines you.

Hanging sheet rock was where I played with the clutch settings too, and came to the rapid conclusion that the clutch wasn't accurate enough for that job. I always have a cordless hammer drill too so it has even more mass spooled up in front of the clutch.
With many cordless drills having over 45ft.lbs of torque these days they are pretty useful for alot of things.

 

[Scott_Tucker]

Torque is pretty irrelevant for tightening transmission pan bolts. Even at the specified torque you can squeeze the gasket out. You can run them down with the drill and then they should be hand tightened. You should use a little contact adhesive such as gaskacinch on the gasket to prevent it from shifting. Then you tighten the bolts till you see the gasket just barely squeezing out.

 

[mechtech2]

If nothing else, you can run them down much faster with your tool.
Still use a sequence, and make the final tightning by hand.

 

[sciphi]

I used my cordless to zip the pan bolts back down after hand-threading them first on my Buick's 4T65 when the pan was dropped. Then the bolts were hand-torqued down. It saved a good 10 minutes compared to doing it all by hand. No leaks so far, and that was a year ago.