Ooops... I broke it again.
- Thread starter pcb
- Start date
Things were coming along nicely when I ran into this....
I went to my local store to find out a torque wrench was $90 (plus tax) so I weighed myself and did this...
I figure 177 lbs. at 10.5" should be just about perfect (assuming it's a linear relation... I forget)
So things are looking pretty good...
I went to my local store to find out a torque wrench was $90 (plus tax) so I weighed myself and did this...
I figure 177 lbs. at 10.5" should be just about perfect (assuming it's a linear relation... I forget)
So things are looking pretty good...
Things were coming along nicely when I ran into this....
I went to my local store to find out a torque wrench was $90 (plus tax) so I weighed myself and did this...
I figure 177 lbs. at 10.5" should be just about perfect (assuming it's a linear relation... I forget)
So things are looking pretty good...
Ouch.. O'Reillys and Autozone have them for 20 bucks here.
Yea, and that's the sale price... It's regular $144.
I've got a little one but it runs out at 100 ft/lbs.
- :
- protege5
Most Autozone locations offer "loaner tool" programs where you can get basically any tool you need. You just pay a deposit (usually about the cost of the tool) and get the full deposit returned to you when you return the tool. For something like this that you may only use once or twice, it's a great program to save you from spending money on a tool you likely will never use again.
If you do find yourself in the need to purchase one, i would recommend staying away from the $20 special. There's a reason torque wrenches are pricey... They're a calibrated instrument. The cheaper tools will lose calibration more quickly. ANSI standard on a torque wrench is about 4% or 5% if i remember correctly, meaning it can be up to 5% inaccurate and still pass "standards". The more expensive torque wrenches will greatly exceed this standard to +/- 1% or better. The cheap ones at harbor freight are inconsistent due to quality standards not being as tight as Snap-on or Matco during the manufacturing process. And while you may get one that is within the +/- 5% spec, the one on the rack right behind it may not. And neither of them will HOLD the calibration as well as the better tool.
If you decide to purchase one, i'm not saying flag down your local snap-on truck and drop $400 on a new wrench for light/occasional use. for professionals that use them regularly, there's no other alternative. However for personal/light use, you're still much better off spending a little more and picking up a Kobalt or Craftsman one for $60-80. For a couple bucks more the digital ones are a lot better than the "clicker" type wrenches and require less maintenance. If you don't reset the "clicker" type to 0 after each use, the spring will lose tension and it will lose it's accuracy much more quickly, even on nicer brand-name tools.
If you do find yourself in the need to purchase one, i would recommend staying away from the $20 special. There's a reason torque wrenches are pricey... They're a calibrated instrument. The cheaper tools will lose calibration more quickly. ANSI standard on a torque wrench is about 4% or 5% if i remember correctly, meaning it can be up to 5% inaccurate and still pass "standards". The more expensive torque wrenches will greatly exceed this standard to +/- 1% or better. The cheap ones at harbor freight are inconsistent due to quality standards not being as tight as Snap-on or Matco during the manufacturing process. And while you may get one that is within the +/- 5% spec, the one on the rack right behind it may not. And neither of them will HOLD the calibration as well as the better tool.
If you decide to purchase one, i'm not saying flag down your local snap-on truck and drop $400 on a new wrench for light/occasional use. for professionals that use them regularly, there's no other alternative. However for personal/light use, you're still much better off spending a little more and picking up a Kobalt or Craftsman one for $60-80. For a couple bucks more the digital ones are a lot better than the "clicker" type wrenches and require less maintenance. If you don't reset the "clicker" type to 0 after each use, the spring will lose tension and it will lose it's accuracy much more quickly, even on nicer brand-name tools.
Our local Canadian Tire cancelled the loan a tool program so I was out of luck with that.
I will consider spending a bit more for better quality.
I didn't know that... It makes sense... I'll go unwind mine now...
So would my lug nuts be overtightened or under tightened with my stretched spring???
I will consider spending a bit more for better quality.
I didn't know that... It makes sense... I'll go unwind mine now...
So would my lug nuts be overtightened or under tightened with my stretched spring???
- :
- protege5
They would be under tightened. Loss of tension on the spring will make it "click" easier. Doing it a couple times on a newer wrench wouldn't make for a major difference. However time will obviously exacerbate the condition.
I set it to 85lb/lbs so I should still be good...
I will get a new torque wrench...
Last edited:
Just a bit of an update...
I noticed my handbrake had increased from 7 clicks to 13 probably because of those rusty rotors with different pads (used and rusty too but more pad material).
So I tried holding the brake pedal hard (engine off) and pulling the handbrake a bunch of times with the button pushed... It worked great !!
I'm back to seven clicks now and I know my self-adjusters work.
I figure I didn't apply the p-brake often enough to keep up with the pads seating into the grooved rotors.
I noticed my handbrake had increased from 7 clicks to 13 probably because of those rusty rotors with different pads (used and rusty too but more pad material).
So I tried holding the brake pedal hard (engine off) and pulling the handbrake a bunch of times with the button pushed... It worked great !!
I'm back to seven clicks now and I know my self-adjusters work.
I figure I didn't apply the p-brake often enough to keep up with the pads seating into the grooved rotors.
