Gorilla Fist Wrenching

[xroad]

I always had a problem with over tightening fasteners. I never know if I am getting too tight or not tight enough. Is there any general rule of thumb on tightening fasteners? Some one told me a while ago .....

o hand tight the bolt,
o then use the wrench to turn it until it "seats" ... eh, "mildly snug",
o then turn the wrench 1/8 turn or 1/4 turn, or something like that.

Is that a good guideline? I have been doing it 1/8 turn but I am paranoid that it'll come loose with the vibration. If my motorcycle breaks down in the middle of no where, I won't have a torque wrench with me.

 

[sigtauenus]

Are you not using a torque wrench now or is this a hypothetical for the event of breakdown away from home? If you're bike breaks down and you have to fix it using the tightening you described, I don't see how they would back off in the time it takes you to get home and check with the torque wrench?

 

[Stinger]

If the bolt is less than 1/4", grab the wrench/rachet right at the bolt head so you are twisting your arm to tighten it, not using the length of the tool to over torque it.

 

[xroad]

Are you not using a torque wrench now or is this a hypothetical for the event of breakdown away from home? If you're bike breaks down and you have to fix it using the tightening you described, I don't see how they would back off in the time it takes you to get home and check with the torque wrench?

Actually, I won't have torque wrench with me on the road and don't have one at home either. I really should get one.

 

[MotoDave]

Blue Loctite is your friend when working on motorcycles

I think being able to feel bolt tightness is a learned skill, over time you get a good idea of what's too loose, what's too tight, and when the head twists off the bolt

 

[xroad]

If the bolt is less than 1/4", grab the wrench/rachet right at the bolt head so you are twisting your arm to tighten it, not using the length of the tool to over torque it.

I have learned to get rid of my super long wrench for tightening. I strip less threads now than before.

 

[Chris Adams]

Buy a cheap Harbor Freight 3/8 torque wrench and just practice with it. Only way to learn the right torque is by doing it, and finding how much torque you need.

A torque wrench costs less than fixing one busted bolt or stripped case.

 

[Mike83]

Using a torque wrench to practice only makes you good at tightening with something that long.

My rule of thumb is to use the smallest ratchet first and move up if needed. Also, typically wrenches are designed for the applied torque normally required for that size. So if you get it pretty tight without leaning your body weight on the wrench you should be ok.

 

[Tantara]

Tighten till it breaks and back off 1/4 turn.

Brad

 

[WSMC633]

Blue Loctite is your friend when working on motorcycles

I think being able to feel bolt tightness is a learned skill, over time you get a good idea of what's too loose, what's too tight, and when the head twists off the bolt

+100

Invest in some blue Loctite. for the most part on my bike, if it's not Safety Wired, it's got Blue Loctite.

"Feel" is certainly a learned skill. The more you do it, the more you get a feel for it. There is not much on a Bike that needs to be Superman tight.

 

[hetkind]

I haven't used Locktite in years...but my torque wrenches get plenty of use...get a good torque wrench, the ones from Craftman are a good balance of cost and utility. I have a series of three going from a little 1/4" drive model to a 1/2" drive long handled Snap-on. There is no way you can set cylinder head bolts, differential bearings and motorcycle front end components without them.

I haven't broken too many bolts in recent years, nor had many come lose.

Howard

 

[WSMC633]

In all fairness, I don't think the OP is worried about doing head work on the side of the road.

Of course you'd use a torque wrench for the things you mentioned. But there are plenty of other fasteners on a bike that are prone to vibration and loosening. Proper torque or not. Through my Experience, Loctite helps solve many of those problems.

 

[FatFndr]

A steady "pull" is better than several continuous "jerks". Using a steady "pull" it will be easier to realize when you should stop. A torque wrench is preferred. You can practice by tightening a bolt to a "guesstimate" torque setting using a bench vise to hold the nut, then put the torque wrench on it to see how close you are. Practice, practice, practice and then you will develop a "feel" for it.

 

[Alowes2837]

Tighten till it breaks and back off 1/4 turn.

Brad

That's what I normally use or sometimes untill I say click click

 

[Joe69]

Proper tightening definitely takes years to master. Most people overtighten fasteners.

Joe

 

[xroad]

Read somewhere if there are Locktite on the thread, the torque wrench will not register correctly. So, it is an either or with the T wrench and the Locktite, right?

 

[Falcon67]

Tighten till it breaks and back off 1/4 turn.

Brad

Like my answer to the "how high can I rev my engine" questions I get - run it up till the rods come out, then back off about 100 RPM.

 

[Poncho Villa]

Tighten till it breaks and back off 1/4 turn.

Brad

 

[buening]

A tip for tightening smaller fasteners (like transmission pan bolts): only use nut drivers instead of a ratchet to prevent overtightening. This assumes you don't have a torque wrench handy

 

[MotoDave]

Read somewhere if there are Locktite on the thread, the torque wrench will not register correctly. So, it is an either or with the T wrench and the Locktite, right?

Torque is a crude indicator of the tension in the bolt, which is really what we'd prefer to measure. The finish of the fastener (chromed, zinc plated, bare), quality of threads, class of threads, and whether it is lubricated has an effect on how tightening torque translates to bolt tension.

 

[W_KY]

My dad always said "1/4 turn BEFORE it breaks"

 

[bluesman2a]

If you don't have a Mark I Calibrated Elbow, you can use the "fingers" rule.

Based on the size of the fastener, you determine how many fingers you use on the stem of the wrench/drive. Say for instance on a 1/4-20 fastener in aluminum, I would use two fingers on the base of a 1/4" drive. For a 5/16 in steel, I would use three fingers. For a 3/8 in steel, I would use 4 fingers.

Not too terribly precise, but it'll prevent you from breaking fasteners by main force.

Also, when you feel it get tight then start to slip/turn more, STOP, that is the fastener stripping/breaking.