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Newbie: Torque Wrench (First post. Be gentle)

A

atwnsw

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Jul 15, 2013
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81
Hi there,

I am working on my car and have a need for a 7.0 ft-lb torque and do not own a torque wrench. It will rarely be used.

Today's research showed me that there are 2 kinds:

Almost all of the torque wrenches I found online start at 10lb or 20lb.

A) Uses a beam/dial which requires constant vision of the dial which may not always be possible.

or

B) Micro clicker which is the best type but significantly more expensive.

Can you point me in the right direction of where to buy an inexpensive micro clicker that has a 7lb setting?

Thanks in advance.

Anthony
 
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APEowner

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You may be able to rent or borrow a torque wrench from your local autoparts store. Also, what are you torquing? It may not be as critical as you think.
 
OP
A

atwnsw

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Jul 15, 2013
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I removed the cup holders which hang above the glove compartment of my Porsche Boxster. After posting on the Boxster forums, I was told that I needed a 7 ft/lb torque
to re-attach without stripping the screws....

This world of DIY is new to me but I am enjoying it thoroughly and tackling projects around the house that I never would have touched earlier in my life.

Is the nashbar a good generic tool for general stuff?

Slowly acquiring an inventory of tools in time....
 
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rlitman

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6

6-Speed

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If you have never used a clicker torque wrench before make sure you try it out on a heavily torqued fastener (such as a lug nut) so you have a good awareness of the tactile and audible indications it creates once the set torque is reached so you know when to stop cranking. My experience with the 1/4" HF TW is that the click is very subtle. Clickers don't offer their specified accuracy at the lower end of their torque range. Specified accuracy is had over a range between the minimum and maximum setting ... typically from 20% to 100% of the maximum torque setting.
 
F

fasteddie313

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northern michigan
atwnsw said:
I removed the cup holders which hang above the glove compartment of my Porsche Boxster. After posting on the Boxster forums, I was told that I needed a 7 ft/lb torque
to re-attach without stripping the screws....

This world of DIY is new to me but I am enjoying it thoroughly and tackling projects around the house that I never would have touched earlier in my life.

Is the nashbar a good generic tool for general stuff?

Slowly acquiring an inventory of tools in time....
Click to expand...

NON-critical..

Just get yourself a wrench a foot long or less, and pull on it with less than 7 lbs of force..


Did they tell you to go buy a torque wrench for a cupholder or just give you an idea of about 7ftlbs?
 
M

MrBreeze

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Sep 1, 2014
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Scottsdale, AZ
Agree. Save your money. 7ft pounds can be snug it up by hand. No need to buy/rent a torque wrench for this application.
 
Z

Zeke

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Aug 13, 2009
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Location
Long Beach CA, the sewer by the sea.
atwnsw said:
I removed the cup holders which hang above the glove compartment of my Porsche Boxster. After posting on the Boxster forums, I was told that I needed a 7 ft/lb torque
to re-attach without stripping the screws....

This world of DIY is new to me but I am enjoying it thoroughly and tackling projects around the house that I never would have touched earlier in my life.

Is the nashbar a good generic tool for general stuff?

Slowly acquiring an inventory of tools in time....
Click to expand...
I have been around Porsches for many, many years. I left off at 29,*** posts over on the Bird. I have a Boxster (my wife has a Boxster, I just paid for it. ;)). Getting **** about trim screws and torque is silly. NO one at a repair shop would drag out a TW for interior screws. There are a few areas on Porsches that require a gentle touch like the valve covers. Those are tightened by the inch pound and it's fairly important that you do it correctly or have leaks. Just bring the screw to firm and leave it. You don't have to go gorilla on these things. Think of putting a wall plate on your electrical outlet. Firm is enough.

Trim screws either go into a clip nut, which is a type of speed nut, or plastic. Have no fear, it you do strip one just find a fastener that is a bit larger and fit it in.
 
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Codyyy

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Feb 15, 2015
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I got my first torque wrenches from H-F. As suggested, get the 1/4" in. lb. torque wrench. They are pretty accurate too, as they should be. Keep it "unloaded" when storing it (loose, not set to a specific rating).
 
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RedneckWelder

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I had a low torque requirement of 7 ft-lbs a couple of months ago for some shuttle valves. . I borrowed one of the dial type ones from a coworker but the tight space I was working in and the direction of the valve I was working on made it very hard to use.

I wound up with the Gearwrench 3/8 drive 25-250 in/lb torque wrench and it works very well for my uses.

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B000TD8QCW/?tag=atomicindus08-20
 
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J

JR 42

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I'm a hack diy type who's never owned a Porsche, but I wouldn't buy a torque wrench for interior screws.

I use a torque wrench on engine parts, stuff attached to engine parts, (like exhaust stuff, but not drain plugs), and lug nuts. Everything else gets snugged up by feel.

If you don't have some experience tightening bolts, it would be worthwhile to pick up 1/4"- and 3/8" - drive cheapo HF torque wrenches to help you gain a feel for what you're doing. I have them, they seem to work fine.

Though, I think until you've clumsily sheared off a bunch of butter bolts in non-critical spots you should be wary of snugging down random Porsche bits if you don't have much experience with mechanical stuff.

JR
 
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F

fasteddie313

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Jul 11, 2014
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Location
northern michigan
I'm a hack diy type who owns a Porsche, and my torque wrench has never touched it yet..

Despite my custom FMIC install and running over double OEM boost and many mods including a hybrid turbo, no torque wrench yet..

And I have had the interior ALL the way out and back in..



Directly after, 2+ years ago, couple things have changed since then.. Like that passengers side carpet is up where its supposed to be, lol. + gauges n stuff you know the story..



There is a fire extinguisher behind this window now, had to get a Stahlwille vinyl..


These last 2 pics are quite recent, its always in progress,,




MMMMMMMMMMMmmmmmmm My baby...

Almost every day its Porsche VS the Stahlwilles..
 
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B

bdelmar2

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Apr 5, 2013
Messages
276
If someone says you need a torque wrench to put on a cup holder, I'd be looking somewhere else for advice.
 
S

SMKS

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Feb 14, 2010
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USA, planet Earth
I personally use a torque wrench on almost every fastener where I can find a torque spec.

But even I wouldn't use my torque wrench on a cup holder.
 
G

GTO

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NJ,FL
Why,after telling us this is for screws holding a cup holder,would anyone still be posting about a torque wrench for this application......omg..

Like every other post stated....just put the damn screw back in,please....
 
T

Tim37

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Dec 11, 2014
Messages
560
He has stated that he hasnt done a lot of work like this 7lbs isn't much for folks that where playing in there dads tool box at 2 years old this might be a ridiculous question. Over the years I have met a lot of people who didn't grow up around tools and would find the "that's tight enough" method hard to do.


My advise go with a cheap inch lbs for now pay attention to how tight you make your screws after a whild you won't need it.
 
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