Affordable Torque sticks
- Thread starter sprkt01
- Start date
For the love of all that's holy, don't use an impact gun to put your oil plug back in.
greasemonkey44
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airbuff101
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I'd be strongly inclined to think that a good quality 1/2" torque wrench would be the best bet for your purposes.
airbuff
HandyManny
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Don't even bother using an impact on an oil drain plug, just use a long pattern box-end wrench for that. That's what I always do and I have all the tools from the days I used to wrench. You don't need any specific torque for tightening an oil pan drain plug, just make sure it's tight, but not over-tight. I've tightened those by hand all my life and never had one losening on me or damaged one from overtight.
For rotating tires - just thread them by hand to get em started then run em in with the impact until you begin to feel them seat then stop. Finish with a torque wrench for final tight down.
If you were working the pit on a crew at Indy 500 I can see having a need for torque sticks, but even the guys at the tire shops don't usually use torque sticks on their impacts.
For rotating tires - just thread them by hand to get em started then run em in with the impact until you begin to feel them seat then stop. Finish with a torque wrench for final tight down.
If you were working the pit on a crew at Indy 500 I can see having a need for torque sticks, but even the guys at the tire shops don't usually use torque sticks on their impacts.
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Buckgnarly
Well-known member
I used to not believe in torque sticks (yes, I am a simple "DIYer")....my buddy swore by them. Finally picked up a good deal on some Blue Points on CL. I will NEVER go back to the torque wrench. Yeah, I only do our cars/trucks and some friends but it's SO much easier than torqueing each nut.
Get a good set and you will NEVER go back!
Get a good set and you will NEVER go back!
Muffduster
Well-known member
Oil drain plug? ROTFLMFAO. That has to be an April fools joke, right?
Buckgnarly
Well-known member
Um, I think the OP means for the tires while doing and oil change AND tire rotation.....as in, both at the same time.
HandyManny
Well-known member
Um, I think the OP means for the tires while doing and oil change AND tire rotation.....as in, both at the same time.
Yeah probably, because nobody (Pro or DIYer) uses torque wrenches on an oil drain plug. No need.
Catalyze
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I always use a torque wrench on my C6 Corvette drain plug. I have 6 torque wrenches....I have lots of time.....
Craig
Craig
idoitproject
Well-known member
Every bolt does have a torque spec, even oil drain bolts. I have seen 10 stripped bolts on one ****** pan, guess someone used an impact gun but after stripping the first or second one you think they would stop.
jjjrmx5
Well-known member
I used to not believe in torque sticks (yes, I am a simple "DIYer")....my buddy swore by them. Finally picked up a good deal on some Blue Points on CL. I will NEVER go back to the torque wrench. Yeah, I only do our cars/trucks and some friends but it's SO much easier than torqueing each nut.
Get a good set and you will NEVER go back!
And I assume then that you have a nice little spread sheet in your box that matches each stick to the corresponding switch # setting on your impact gun to achieve the correct torque # ? Sticks are not plug and play and need to matched to the gun and it's o/a torque rating that they will be used with.
Buckgnarly
Well-known member
And I assume then that you have a nice little spread sheet in your box that matches each stick to the corresponding switch # setting on your impact gun to achieve the correct torque # ? Sticks are not plug and play and need to matched to the gun and it's o/a torque rating that they will be used with.
I actually have a dedicated IR231 that only does torque stick duty, so yes I do...
And I assume then that you have a nice little spread sheet in your box that matches each stick to the corresponding switch # setting on your impact gun to achieve the correct torque # ? Sticks are not plug and play and need to matched to the gun and it's o/a torque rating that they will be used with.
Torque sticks are supposed to flex under blows from the impact gun when they reach their designed torque. Overtorque should not be a problem. The only issue I have ever heard of is undertorque. I've heard of lugnuts coming loose because a guy used a cheap impact gun that could not drive the torque stick to the designed torque.
http://www.ktoolinternational.com/PDFs/AccuTorq.pdf
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scott37300
Well-known member
And I assume then that you have a nice little spread sheet in your box that matches each stick to the corresponding switch # setting on your impact gun to achieve the correct torque # ? Sticks are not plug and play and need to matched to the gun and it's o/a torque rating that they will be used with.
The gun setting and also the air pressure come into play when using torque sticks. But for a DIYer the air pressure can usually be easily set correctly and the gun setting is just a matter of checking, which most DIYers can take the time to do.
I am just a DIYer and have a set of torque sticks and find them to be really nice. Are they needed, NO. They are a luxury like to DIYers like many other specialty tools are. Just a toy more or less. I do the maintenance on a bunch of my family's and friend's vehicles so torque sticks have paid off for me with all the tires I rotate. If I only had one vehicle and only rotated the tires once or twice a year than not sure it would be worth it. But even 2 vehicles can be over 100 lug nuts to put on in a year, so it doesn't take long to make it a decent investment. Also not sure what they cost if you buy them individually but if they aren't to pricey that might be the way for a DIYer to go.
Buckgnarly
Well-known member
I should also add my Jeep has 33" MTRs, the truck has BFG ATs, and I RELIGOUSLY rotate them every 3k. MTRs get LOUD if you don't.......I can almost tell when it's time to rotate by the sound of those things.
Sticks make my task much faster and easier.
Sticks make my task much faster and easier.
Moose-LandTran
Well-known member
Agreed. Whatever type you buy, get a quality one. New, you don't know the history of a used one.
I do. Same for spark plugs, oil filters/oil filter housing caps, anything that has a spec. This is the reason i have 7 torque wrenches.
HandyManny
Well-known member
Yes that's true, just saying that if you know what your doing you can easily and correctly tighten down a drain plug by feel with pretty good accuracy. Torque is more critical on lug nuts, cylinder head bolts, sparkplugs, oil pan bolts, ****** pan bolts, ect. I've seen more drain plugs stripped and ruined by impact guns than anything else.
HandyManny
Well-known member
I do. Same for spark plugs, oil filters/oil filter housing caps, anything that has a spec. This is the reason i have 7 torque wrenches.
Filter housing caps are plastic these days and typically 25 N/M, that's about wrist tight of the average adult male. I just seat them by wrist then tug them less than 1/16th of a turn. Typical drain plug is about 15 ft/lbs to 20 ft/lbs of torque depending on the size. Any experienced wrencher can seat that by feel and a box-end wrench without any damage. I've done it for years and never had one single problem. But people can do as they think they should.
Spark plugs? Well yes, I agree, always good to use a torque wrench there.
By the way, to get back to the original question - I sure would not be using an impact gun, even if it had a torque stick on it, on an oil pan drain plug. If you really need to have the exact torque on it then tighten it by hand first then finish with a torque wrench.
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shampoop
Well-known member
My harbor freight torque sticks are great so far.
But no matter what anyone says, don't trust your torque stick. They are designed to get you very close to the desired torque so that when you do the final torquing with your torque wrench, you barely have to move it instead of using a lot of ratcheting action.
just to be super clear...
THEY ARE MEANT TO BE USED IN CONJUNCTION WITH A TORQUE WRENCH ONLY!
But no matter what anyone says, don't trust your torque stick. They are designed to get you very close to the desired torque so that when you do the final torquing with your torque wrench, you barely have to move it instead of using a lot of ratcheting action.
just to be super clear...
THEY ARE MEANT TO BE USED IN CONJUNCTION WITH A TORQUE WRENCH ONLY!
richfinn
Well-known member
I cant see the point, I can zip the lugs with my cordless gun and final torque all 4 wheels with a clicker wrench in the same time you spend rattling away with those ****** things, wearing out your Impact wrench and compressor generating enough pressure to get somewhere close
whilst your buddy 3 bays down needs the air pressure to bust a crank bolt loose
After all that your still going to set the torque wrench and give them a nip, wheres the pay off.
No Offence, just not for me
caper
Well-known member
After having lost a wheel to a faulty torque stick 10 yrs ago I haven't used one since. The feeling you get when you see a new Lincoln coming back in your bay on a flatbed with no front wheel and no front fender will make you swear off these inaccurate pieces of **** for a lifetime.Buy yourself a decent torque wrench and take an extra minute to properly torque the lugs.The secure feeling of knowing you did a proper job and are not going to have a wheel off incident kill someone is worth every penny the wrench costs.
Rusty_H
Active member
You from Cape Breton, Nova Scotia?
I bought an 80 lb torque stick,just so the wheels never get put down without being centred properly, but I always click them to whatever seems right for the vehicle, (higher torque for trucks, etc. is what I mean)
I cant see the point, I can zip the lugs with my cordless gun and final torque all 4 wheels with a clicker wrench in the same time you spend rattling away with those ****** things, wearing out your Impact wrench and compressor generating enough pressure to get somewhere close
After all that your still going to set the torque wrench and give them a nip, wheres the pay off.
No Offence, just not for me
I found the pay off to be never setting the wheels down on studs, and keeping the torque pretty well the same, as well, chances are you probably had your impact and socket at the wheel anyway, so it doesnt take much longer.
BTW, mine is a torque limiting extension, so I can use it with any impact socket I need to, I found this handier than having to chose from a set. And it is powerfist brand (From Princess Auto, Canada's Harbour Freight), so yes, I wouldn't sue it for the only wheel torque.
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HandyManny
Well-known member
To me torque sticks are for jobs that require fast in/out work. For the pit crews working on a race team at Indy for example. Personally I don't fiddle or bother with them. Never did like them. Always felt better snugging down a nut, bolt, or lug then finishing it with a clicker in a step down pattern. Even with lug nuts and an impact wrench I'd always thread them a few turnes by hand first. Can't tell you how many studs and lugnuts I've seen stripped and damaged because someone thought the impact wrench was the answer to common sense. Don't get me wrong, impacts are great and invaluable, but little skill, coordination, and brains need to be applied when using such a tool.
nissan_crawler
Well-known member
I have yet to see one stuck on a gun, and go to the torque it's supposed to. I've checked them with a dial torque wrench after, and the difference in torque to break them free has been unreal.
I thread them on a bit by hand, snug them with the impact, and then torque them. If they don't move to reach torque, I back them off and redo it.
I thread them on a bit by hand, snug them with the impact, and then torque them. If they don't move to reach torque, I back them off and redo it.
ourkid2000
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richfinn
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shampoop
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My harbor freight ones are extremely accurate. Breakaway force is irrelevant.
Lets say i'm using my 80 ft/lb torque stick. How do I know it's accurate? When I use a deep socket with it and torque it afterwards with my torque wrench, the handle moves a few inches before it clicks at 80 ft/lbs. When I use it with a shallow socket, it barely moves at all before it reaches 80 ft/lbs. And it is extremely consistent. I do not at all doubt though that over time, the sticks wear out they will probably gradually start under torquing the fasteners, but as long as you use them in conjunction with a torque wrench you would be able to notice that as you would have to start turning the torque wrench further and further to reach the desired torque over time.
When I use my own impact gun instead of the shops guns,
i actually prefer just using the lowest power setting out of 3 when doing lugs on an asian car. It ends up being just below 80 ft/lbs. Being that IR has always made the best guns on the market, I'm guessing that it's not a coincidence either.
jjjrmx5
Well-known member
You know it's "accurate" when you test each torque stick with YOUR impact gun and either dial it up or dial it down with the gun adjuster knob to meet the stick spec per a torque wrench. Each stick may require its own knob setting to meet the desired window.
Mess with the compressor/shop air psi and start all over again.
IR or not , it requires a calibration process...except for those too daft or too apathetic to know how to use them.
Edmonton Mechanic
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- Apr 5, 2011
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- 6
I personally think Torque sticks get a bad rap. I pull wrenches and I always use a combination of a torque stick and a torque wrench when doing tires. The trick with a torque stick is it will never torque to what it claims to. The reason is so that when you check your torque if the fastener moves a minor amount (minor meaning a sixteenth of a turn to 1/8 of a turn) then the torque stick is functioning properly. Also never ever lossen a fastener with one. If you do it will no longer function properly.
As long as you check your torque I find I save time with them because you dont have to worry about over tightening the lug nuts as often as you do if you just straight impact the fastener.
As long as you check your torque I find I save time with them because you dont have to worry about over tightening the lug nuts as often as you do if you just straight impact the fastener.
shampoop
Well-known member
? I test it with my torque wrench, not my impact gun. knob setting doesn't really matter because it limits the amount of power transferred. I always do it on high. The amount of air really doesn't matter. As long as it's enough for your gun to do 80 ft/lbs or more, it will be at 80. And if it ever was off, you would be able to tell when you use your torque wrench afterwards like you always should every single time.
My method of using the low setting on the gun however is completely dependant on the shop air you have going into the gun, but then again, it doesn't matter much because you still always use a torque wrench afterwards for final torquing.
Edmonton Mechanic
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Adjusting and memorizing how your torque sticks work with each setting of your impact wrench is important. If it works perfectly on high then stick to high. I know my impact bounces my torque sticks weird. If I have my gun on high it will over-tourque them. So I tossed it down to my mid range setting and I'm hitting it everytime now. And yes I know it's my gun. I've tested the other guys's torque sticks that I work with and I have the same outcome to roughly the same numbers. And the other guys don't have the same problem I do so it's not the air pressure in the shop.
shampoop
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sounds like your holding the gun on for too long. I see guys do it all the time.
fordbroncodave
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http://www.tiretoolsonline.com/LTI1...s-Tools-Kit-Lock-Technology-1550_p_27569.html
absolute best ones you can buy. these are the ones snap on prints bluepoint on. this is also the best price around by far!!!
absolute best ones you can buy. these are the ones snap on prints bluepoint on. this is also the best price around by far!!!
shampoop
Well-known member
Great price especially if they're what snapon uses. The one thing i dislike about my HF set is that there are too many. I bought mine a long time ago before i had much experience. If i were to do it all over again knowing what i now know, i would not buy them again ONLY because of the fact that buying 2x as many as you'll ever use is a waste.You really only need 3 or 4 different torque sticks. No quality complaints so far, but haven't used them a ton yet.
I'd buy this style though so you could use thin wall sockets as many wheel designs these days require them. Especially aftermarket wheels. http://www.tiretoolsonline.com/LTI1...s-Tools-Kit-Lock-Technology-1450_p_27565.html
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