1/2" Torque Wrench

[artbuc]

Need to torque my harmonic balancer bolt to 159 ft-lbs. My wrench goes to 150. Was thinking about buying another capable of going to 250 although I wonder if I will ever use it again. What brand will be accurate out of the box but still be relatively cheap considering how little it will be used. Thanks.

 

[Murphy4570]

Three rat-a-tat-tats with the impact and ship it.

In all seriousness, Proto makes adequate torque wrenches. Stanley's cheaper Blackhawk line may have one as well.

Cheap beam torque wrenches go up to that. Have you thought about using one of those?

 

[tvtaurus]

This tekton one is my recomendation for home/small shop use.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00C5ZL1NS/?tag=atomicindus08-20

My favorite is this one.

https://store.snapon.com/TechAngle-...que-Wrench-12-5-ndash-250-ft-lb--P760213.aspx

However the tekton one is great quality. And unless I was building engines every day I couldn't justify spending that much.

 

[b7labelle]

^^^

Just bought the 125 ft-lb Tekton torque wrench....I was pretty happy with it.

 

[Rustypigeon]

I don't know what your budget is, but for about $153 you can get a Precision Instruments PREC3FR250F. I reads from 50-250 ft/lbs.

Made in USA. They used to make torque wrenches for SnapOn. I have 4 Precision Instruments torque wrenches and I like them all.

 

[1982fxr]

Will a beam style fit in there? They don't need to be calibrated...

Western forge used to make cman until cman went china. I have a wf cman 3/8" I'm happy with. SK probably sells the same wf beam style but not sure up to how many pounds?

 

[georgiadave]

Just torque it to 150. Give it a little turn after that if you feel the need.

 

[tvtaurus]

Will a beam style fit in there? They don't need to be calibrated...

Western forge used to make cman until cman went china. I have a wf cman 3/8" I'm happy with. SK probably sells the same wf beam style but not sure up to how many pounds?

Don't need to be calibrated, but I will never use one.

 

[gdocktor3]

Just torque it to 150. Give it a little turn after that if you feel the need.

My exact thoughts as well. Why spend money on something you may never use again, especially considering there is usually a 3-6 ft lb +/- difference in actual torque. In other words, you set the wrench at 159 and it may actually be torquing to 153 ft lbs. Or 165 ft lbs. I'd torque it to 150, then give it a little extra 1/4 or 1/2 turn with a breaker bar. Done

 

[WhiffySpark]

Don't run that torque wrench up to the max setting. Not really a good idea. I would hit it with an impact. Trying to hold the crank and torque that by hand may be a *****

 

[dnschmidt]

I sell torque wrenches and I use an impact to put on balancer bolts. The three rat-tat-tats with the Aircat previously recommended seems about right. I've never seen a professional mechanic use a torque wrench on that bolt. (Don't tell, it's a trade secret.)

 

[1982fxr]

Don't need to be calibrated, but I will never use one.

Why?

 

[bbs lm-r]

If it's for a home/diy job try looking around local parts stores, they may have one available to borrow.

 

[Weird Tolkienish Figure]

Will 9 pounds of torque really make a difference? Can you even be sure of that exact torque even with a good one?

 

[CJM8515]

Impact gun, 3 hits and your done. Honestly most professional guys dont break out the torque wrench unless its a critical engine component like head bolts or something.

 

[Local]

Hit it with an impact, it won't come off and good luck trying to keep it from spinning tightening with a handtool. The engine will keep the bolt tight as it's running.

 

[Ktmrider83]

At that torque hitting it with an impact or maxing your wrench will be fine. I'm working on a 92 VW and the Crank pulley bolt calls for 66 ft lbs. If you hit that with an impact and it puts 250+ ft lbs you may run into issues..

 

[SMKS]

Set the torque wrench at 150, torque it and add a smidge if you want.

It's fine to use the torque wrench at its max setting.

 

[vga]

My 1/2 and 3/8 inch torque wrench are both made by Proto. I an very very happy with them.

 

[lightning02]

I don't know what your budget is, but for about $153 you can get a Precision Instruments PREC3FR250F. I reads from 50-250 ft/lbs.

Made in USA. They used to make torque wrenches for SnapOn. I have 4 Precision Instruments torque wrenches and I like them all.

little cheaper and free shipping

http://www.tooldiscounter.com/ItemDisplay.cfm?lookup=PREC3FR250F

 

[T45]

Don't run that torque wrench up to the max setting. Not really a good idea. I would hit it with an impact. Trying to hold the crank and torque that by hand may be a *****

A calibrated torque wrench is tested at 100% 5 times and it has to be within spec, and if its ISO certified production...is then good for 5000 clicks (according to their specs).

Of course if its a 10$ clicker of unknown origin its worth what you pay for it.

4% variance on 150 is already 6 ft pounds, so there is some logic to just using the torque instrument you have.

Other option is a torque adapter which adds 2 inches to your wrench will also correct this issue with a little math (look it up, but on an 18 inch wrench it would add 2 inches to 20, so about 11% headroom it adds, bringing a 150 up to 167)...double check all of the figures as it matters how long your lever is...etc.

But you should get the point you don't need to do anything like spend 300 dollars on this unless you want to... or there is an extraordinary situation. Hitting it with an impact not sure why that would be the go-to approach if you actually need the spec. Lots of other ways to approximate the spec that are cheap and quick.

 

[Banshee365]

Go to your local Home Depot and look at the Husky 1/2" torque wrenches. See if there are any USA made ones. Those are excellent. If there is one, buy that. Done.

 

[1cargarage]

Other option is a torque adapter which adds 2 inches to your wrench will also correct this issue with a little math (look it up, but on an 18 inch wrench it would add 2 inches to 20, so about 11% headroom it adds, bringing a 150 up to 167)...double check all of the figures as it matters how long your lever is...etc.

+1

If you don't want to buy a new torque wrench, like 45 said, there are numerous ways to get accurate torque with little additional expense in your situation.

If you're like some GJ members and would like to use this "the-manual-calls-for-XXXX-torque" moment to 'justify' getting a shiny new torque wrench but don't want to shell out truck tool prices, I would look at the Norbar and CDI options. Norbar is a UK company and their torque wrenches are made in England. Their tools are fantastic and don't cost big money. I have a low torque 1/4" click wrench from them and love it. CDI is owned by Snap On. The CDI and Snap On branded torque wrenches are made in the same facility in City of Industry, CA. With that, the CDI torque wrenches are a fraction of the price of the Snap On wrenches. I have a 3/4" CDI beam style torque wrench and it's great. You can't really go wrong with either.

Those two companies' torque wrenches are middle of the road in terms of price, but not in quality. I have very little experience with the Asian imported torque tools so I can't give an honest opinion on any of them.

Good luck.

 

[artbuc]

Don't run that torque wrench up to the max setting. Not really a good idea. I would hit it with an impact. Trying to hold the crank and torque that by hand may be a *****

I fabbed a holder out of some scrap mild steel. I have an old impact which tops out at 130 ft-lbs.

 

[artbuc]

Hit it with an impact, it won't come off and good luck trying to keep it from spinning tightening with a handtool. The engine will keep the bolt tight as it's running.

Actually, I believe the engine rotation is trying to loosen the bolt.

 

[bixxjs]

I use torque wrenches pretty much everyday,I own 3.
But if you haven't got one then I agree with
the other guys and use an air impact wrench
on the balance bolt.

 

[MushCreek]

All of the harmonic balancers I've dealt with are keyed, so engine rotation isn't (or shouldn't be) a factor. I've always just tightened them 'enough'; never had one fall off.

 

[Local]

Actually, I believe the engine rotation is trying to loosen the bolt.

Majority of engines rotate clockwise which helps keep a right hand thread bolt tight in theory.

 

[artbuc]

Majority of engines rotate clockwise which helps keep a right hand thread bolt tight in theory.

Guess that is where I am confused. I would think the engine clockwise rotation would try to loosen bolt, akin to how I loosen bolt by bumping starter. I think the effect is insignificant, but the mass of the bolt wants to keep it in position when the engine spins clockwise. However, the clamping force on the bolt, even at much lower torque than 159 ft-lbs, would easily hold it in place. I have read reports of harmonic balancer bolts coming loose with disastrous results but I am not sure how this could happen unless bolt was installed finger-tight.

 

[Rustypigeon]

Guess that is where I am confused. I would think the engine clockwise rotation would try to loosen bolt, akin to how I loosen bolt by bumping starter. I think the effect is insignificant, but the mass of the bolt wants to keep it in position when the engine spins clockwise. However, the clamping force on the bolt, even at much lower torque than 159 ft-lbs, would easily hold it in place. I have read reports of harmonic balancer bolts coming loose with disastrous results but I am not sure how this could happen unless bolt was installed finger-tight.

You are correct Artbuc. Clockwise rotation will attempt to loosen a right hand thread bolt. This is why many engine fans that screw on with a single center thread have left hand threads. If they didn't, the mass of the fan would attempt to loosen the thread, especially during engine starting. Bolts don't need reverse threads since they don't have a lot of mass that must be overcome during engine starting. They just need to be tight.

 

[artbuc]

Thanks to all for your help. I torqued her to 150 with my old wrench and will call it a day.

 

[toolaholic]

At that torque hitting it with an impact or maxing your wrench will be fine. I'm working on a 92 VW and the Crank pulley bolt calls for 66 ft lbs. If you hit that with an impact and it puts 250+ ft lbs you may run into issues..

Good point! My daughters lumina 3.1 v6 called for 76lb ft. I hit it with a makita corded impact driver rated at 88 lb ft and called it good.