Help, I need to buy a torque wrench

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d100clubcab

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I want to be able to start torquing bolts to correct specs and my buddy with complete Sanp-On truck moved away so I need my own.

Checked out Sears and they have 3/8 clickable for $80 up to 1/2 digital for $250 or so.


Are clickables more accurate or reliable than manual/gauge ones?

I will be using this for head bolts and valve cover bolts.
Is 3/8 good for this work or is 1/2 better? All my sockets now are 3/8.

Thx
 
for a refence i work on helicopters for a living so we torque a sh*t load of things

the click ones are considered more accurate b/c the digital ones buzz/vibrate at torque while the old style one break away. people tend to over torque a lot with digital ones

old dial ones are kind of in the same boat.

also are rule is if you drop the old style one it needs to be calibrated again but a digital one doesn't.

and we have them calibrated yearly as it is



price wise. $80 seems reasonable just make sure the range is what your looking for and a general rule is the top of the range and bottom of the range are unusable by the % of accuracy
 
For head bolts, I would recommend 1/2". The 3/8" is usually inch pounds vs ft/lbs.


I'm getting ready to order a digital myself, I have been looking at some online. Amazon had a couple of good deals. I have heard, no experience, the the Craftsman aren't as accurate as they should be.
 
I worked in a Metrology lab for a short time. I'd advise an old beam style. If the pointer is on zero it is good to go. I can't tell you how many clicker torque wrenches we threw away because they were out of spec. Of course they were used all day every day. Another word of advise is to get more than one with different ranges, up to 150 ftlb, 120 inlb, etc. If doing smaller fasteners, use the inch pound torque wrench.
 
Bad Sport said:
For head bolts, I would recommend 1/2". The 3/8" is usually inch pounds vs ft/lbs.


I'm getting ready to order a digital myself, I have been looking at some online. Amazon had a couple of good deals. I have heard, no experience, the the Craftsman aren't as accurate as they should be.
Click to expand...


Sears does now make a "clicker" type wrench in 3/8 for foot pounds, but it cannot torque as high as the 1/2" drive one. I would go with the 1/2" drive.

I would buy a 3/8" drive wrench for the inch pounds, then a 1/2" drive wrench for the foot pounds, if you want to be "complete" then also buy the 3/8" foot pounds last.

The clicker type are the easiest to use. Be sure to pull slow and steady, not fast and jerky for more accurate results no matter which type of torque wrench you are using.

The beam type are also good and lI keep one 3/8" and 1/2" beam type as a back up just in case something happens to my clicker ones. The beam ones are not supposed to be calibrated as often as the clicker type.


It just depends on how complete you want your "Jedi training" to be.....

A torque wrench is to a mechanic as a light saber is to a Jedi.... Your results depend on how complete your Jedi training is.... LOL!

May the force be with you...

(get it - torque is force, so is "the force".... You must master the force of your torque wrench) :D
 
If you need to convert inch pounds to foot pounds, divide inch pounds by 12.

If you need to convert foot pounds to inch pounds, multiply foot pounds by 12.
 
shredxcam said:
also store them on the lowest setting when no in use
Click to expand...

Yes, very good point.

They are spring loaded, and if you keep the spring compressed for long periods, it can "relax" and throw off your calibration.

Always try to back off the torque wrench as far as you can after using it.
 
beam type.
CAN'T be adjusted (never needs it!!). Leave your clicker in the sun and the grease gets hot and melts out. It's off.

Drop it. It's off.

Leave it torqued up. It's off.

Let it age. It's off.

Use it. It's off.

The beam style uses the material property of the beam itself. Never wears, friction in the wrench doesn't matter, drive over it with your car and bend it back to zero its good to go.

Sturtevant. Look on ebay.
 
Bad Sport said:
For head bolts, I would recommend 1/2". The 3/8" is usually inch pounds vs ft/lbs.


I'm getting ready to order a digital myself, I have been looking at some online. Amazon had a couple of good deals. I have heard, no experience, the the Craftsman aren't as accurate as they should be.
Click to expand...

You make a good pt about ft lbs vs in lbs.
We rebuilt the engine on my sportster (he supervised me using his tools while he drank tallboys) and i constantly had to switch back and forth between torque wrenches because of this
 
jos51700 said:
... Sturtevant. Look on ebay.
Click to expand...

The Best.

Use the torque wrench with the max as close to your spec as possible. Don't try to tighten a 170 inch pound band adjuster with a 120 ftlb torque wrench at 14 ftlb. the + or - will put you over the strength if the bolt and you will break it. Ask me how I know.
 
I have a Harbor Freight 1/4" drive Click style and It works fine. I wrench for a living and have for 30 years and only a couple times a year I need an inch pound wrench so it does not make sense to spend a lot on a touque wrench. You can have all 3 for less than half of what I spent on my 3/8 drive Snap-On. I would go by use. If you are doing your own wrenching, Harbor Freight is fine. If you wrench for a living spend the big bucks and buy a good torque wrench
Inch pound is 1/4" drive
10-80 ft pounds 3/8" drive
50-150 ft pounds 1/2 drive.
http://www.harborfreight.com/catalogsearch/result/index/?q=torque+wrench
You can use adapters on torque wrenches [3/8 to 1/4, 1/2 to 3/8 etc] and be fine. You won't hurt them
You do need a set of 1/2" deep well sockets any way.
 
Treat cheap torque wrenches like glass, store in cases, DO NOT DROP THEM, and store in a safe spot where they don't get the crap beat out of them.
 
http://www.sears.com/craftsman-micr...p-00931425000P?prdNo=1&blockNo=1&blockType=G1

I have this torque wrench. I just finished testing the calibration of the wrench. I was using 35 lb and a 25 lb plate weights from a weight set. I was coming up with about 9-10% off to the heavy side assuming the weights are accurate. Set at 90lbs, it would give 98-99lbs. I just tested mine because I am changing out a head gasket and wondered if it might be on the light side. Torque is not a true accurate measurement of tension in a bolt, but I am still considering buying a new torque wrench with more accuracy. After reading all the reviews, it looks like it is a matter of time before it breaks.
 
No, in fact the click type can be much more easily knocked out of spec, especially those on the Craftsman level. I would trust a good beam type torque wrench any day of the week. Not a thing wrong with them, except they can be a little hard to read while pulling.
 
You just have to wonder. If the specs call for 65 foot pounds is 60 or 70 unacceptable? Everything else in the engineering world has tolerances that they need to stay inside of. Usually +/- 5% give or take. Should torque wrenches be any different?
 
Good point leaded one. Actually, I went to an engineering seminar years ago that discussed that. The general consensus was that the overall torque is not what's critical. Getting all of one type fastener to the same or very close value is. I've built so many engines through the years and not once have I ever used a torque sequence chart.......EXCEPT where stretch to yield head bolts were concerned. On conventional head bolts I simply begin at the center and work my way out in 3 steps. Never had a problem.
 
jos51700 said:
beam type.
CAN'T be adjusted (never needs it!!). Leave your clicker in the sun and the grease gets hot and melts out. It's off.

The beam style uses the material property of the beam itself. Never wears, friction in the wrench doesn't matter, drive over it with your car and bend it back to zero its good to go.
Click to expand...


I already have this one but never used it
Didnt know how accurate it would be...

http://www.sears.com/craftsman-1-2-...p-00903300000P?prdNo=9&blockNo=9&blockType=G9
 
Very good points guys! The old beam wrenches are only as accurate as the user. The same with the dial wrenches. They are the most accurite but you have to be looking straight at the dial when you pull. For engine assembly I prefer the clicker type. They are accurate to usually 2-3% which amounts to a couple ft/lb when torquing at 100#. The micrometer style clickers (the ones you have to screw the handle to adjust the torque) are more accurate than the split beam wrenches by a percent or two. (The old Snap On wrenches made by Precision Instruments that adjust with a flip lever and a adjustable knob on the side) THe big difference in the two clickers is the micrometer wrenches will loose their calibration easier and should be backed off when not used. The split beam wrenches use a tuning fork design and don't need to be backed off and seem to stay calibrated longer.
The new digital wrenches seem to be the best of both worlds but there again are only as accurate as the user. Different size wrenches are for the torque values you require. Engine builders usually have at least a 3/8" drive ft/lb. that torques in the 10-80# range and a 1/2'' drive that goes up to 150# Most new car engines require you to have a in/lb. wrench for small fasteners and they are usually 1/4" drive. A dial wrench can be used to check things like rolling torque on pinion bearings when setting up rear ends and the like. I can't help but think that the more expensive wrenches will be a better product but it's hard to justify the price if you are just using it once or once a year. I hope this helps.
toolmanmike
 
That's why I like the dial type with the light like the Snap On Torq O Meter I have. It's nice. Just set the dial and when you reach the set torque, it lights up.
 
Also, if you have to use a crows foot, place it so its at a 90* angle, otherwise you throw the torque off.
 
HF 12 buck 1/2 drive clicker. Seriously, ±3-5 % and can be adjusted if you take the end cap off to show the allen screw and lock nut. Chuck it against a beam style and set to 100. Torque it until it clicks and look at beam scale. ypull probably need a helper to watch it. Factor in deviation and your set. I used one and a Snap-on and they read the same torque on a head bolt. A guy tested 10 clickers and beams on a weighted jig and all were within 5 at 100 and within 2 at 80. Not bad. Aerospace needs yearly certs, $$$. Snap on told me 50 to calibrate theirs, 70 if i needed a certification. Ouch. Store all relaxed and loosen slowly.

http://m.instructables.com/id/Fixing-and-Calibrating-a-Clicky-style-Torque-Wrenc/?ALLSTEPS
 
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