Torque Wrench?

Hey,
I'm in the market for a torque wrench, and I'm trying to decide on a couple of things. I will be using it occasionally on 4 13mm nuts that hold the cylinder and cylinder head onto my kart engine.

The one I am looking at is a 3/8" drive Mastercraft Maxiumum unit.



It falls right in my general operating range (175-200 in/lb) and is only about $100. Comes in a nice plastic case and with a lifetime warranty.

My question is, will this be okay for torquing cylinder head bolts every now and then on my 125cc 2-stroke kart engine? Or should I save up and get something from Snap-On or equivelent? Keep in mind I'm only 14, so I don't have a lot of money to spend on a torque wrench.

Thank-you in advance...

Octane,

If you are only using the Torque wrench for occasional use, and have budget considerations, consider a beam sytle torque wrench instead. They are very accurate (buy it new), and would likely be okay for head bolts. But they do not suit every application.

http://www.sears.com/sr/javasr/prod...l=TOOL&pid=00944978000&subcat=Torque+Wrenches

Clickers ones are nice, but you get what you pay for. Dealing with calibrations often when I was an Army mechanic, I found out that Snap on usually do not need adjusted as much as Craftsman ones. You get what you pay for when it comes to Torque wrenches. If you use it once every 3 months or so, a Craftsman clicker one will suit you fine. I have read that the Mastercraft are OK but have never personally used one.

For daily use, the more expensive ones do hold accuracy longer. If I were you I would buy a beam type. If you plan on turning wrenches on a regular basis upgrade to Snap on or MAC when you have the money.

-BWP

Those touque wrenchs go on sale for about 50 dollars, i bought one a while ago works great. The problem with a beam wrench is that they dont go up in small increment.

I've had a craftsman beam style torque wrench for 25 years. I've used it on all sorts of things over the years.
The nice thing is that they never need to be recalibrated. The only adjustment is to bend the pointer back to zero if it gets knocked off centre.

What are yours speced too? Mine is 14ft lbs


Beams can be a PITA, especially one raceday when your scrambling to get everything back together real fast. Trust me, I had one of those days today, but hopefully tommorow will be better. Ive got a new engine and I was breaking it in today so I had to pull the head a few times to make sure all is well (I can do that in a Can class). I use a proto 20-200in lb wrench I got for 109 from MSC. This is an awesome torque wrench, and its around 100$.

Cylinder head bolts are pretty important. The only thing more important would probably be the cylinder bolts or the case bolts. Kt100s have a head, a cylinder, and a 2 piece symetrically spit crank case.

Just some thoughts. What about your clutch bolts? I know I have some that need 90in lbs, but my main starter nut is 29ft lbs, so I need to carry 2 different torque wrenches. IDK what your motor calls for, check your manual. I know with rotax engines you cant even touch them, they are completly sealed. I dont know how it is up north.

Jim

That is an outdated picture... the new ones have gray and blue handles

I think it will be OK for what you are doing... not a fantastic tool but good value for the money, especially if you get one for 50-60 (they go on sale every other month or so)

Be weary of canadian market craftsman beam-type torque wrenches. They are made in china AFAIK. The mastercraft is made in taiwan by stanley, but it's reasonably accurate. I strongly suspect the craftsman torque wrenches sold in canada are made in the same plant. but they cost more!

I have to agree, the beam type is probably your best bet for ocassional use. As mentioned, if you don't abuse it and exceed the limits of the tool, there is no reason to ever expect it to go out of adjustment or calibration. Its just as accurate or more so than a cheap clicker.

Go to Sears and get their 3/8 drive or look on Ebay for a good 3/8 or 1/4 drive inch pound beam type in the range you need.

Charles

I already have a beam type torque wrench, and I hate it.

You're right, that is an outdated picture. The new Mastercraft Maximum ones have a nicer handle, and probably a better mechanisim inside.

The cylinder head and cylinder are held on by the same 4 nuts, same as the KT100 I believe.

The clutch can be torqued, but it is not usually necessary. I'm sure I will find other uses for it, though.

Thanks for the advice.