Problem with Precision Instruments split beam torque wrench

[Threadkiller]

Im having a problem with my 1/2" drive 40-250 ft/lb split beam torque wrench. It's basically brand new only used a few times within the past year. I used it to torque my lug nuts down on my car a couple months ago when I rotated my tires. The next day driving I heard a cycling noise with speed that sounded like a loose wheel. So I get out and check and the lug nuts weren't even finger tight on two of the wheels. So thinking it was me forgetting to torque those two wheels down I didn't think much of it. Fast forward to this morning after I rotated my tires again last night. Because of the last time I made sure I torqued each wheel down twice. So I know for a fact that all four were torqued. On my way into work this morning I heard the same cycling noise and thought to myself "it can't be" sure enough the lugs on one of the four wheels were barely finger tight and another wheel was pretty loose. It seems like the torque wrench isn't consistently accurate and off by a lot when it's not. This could have been a major problem, thankfully the wheel didn't come off on the highway. This is not only scary it's disheartening because I was under the impression that these are supposed to be super accurate torque wrenches and now I no longer trust the wrench. It also ***** because whether they take it back and fix it or give me a new one Ill always have that doubt in my mind.

This actually happened early last week and I emailed them and still have not gotten a response. My post is basically the email I sent with a couple changes for the thread. Anyone else have a similar problem with their products? I could not find anything but good things online. Guess I just got lucky

 

[rlitman]

Why are you blaming the torque wrench? The last time I had this issue it was the studs and lug nuts. Could also be the hub not seating right.

 

[Threadkiller]

Im blaming the torque wrench because this has only happened with this torque wrench. Ive rotated the tires on this car a bunch of times with my decade old $30 click type torque wrench and never had a problem. This is why I made the thread to get other perspectives being that the company hasn't emailed me back yet.

 

[gdocktor3]

That's pretty scary. I had a tire fall off once. It was a Mazda B3000 6" lift and 33" tires. It was a far drop and then the tire almost hit a motorcycle. What happened was the garage used their impact to tighten the lugs down, but they were acorn style lug nuts and the socket they used bottomed out on the rim before the actual lug did. A thin wall socket was necessary to correctly tighten them down. Not sure if this is relevant to your issue, but thought I'd throw it out there.

 

[B_Bimmer]

Something is not right here. Finger tight doesn't even begin to feel like the torque needed to hold a wheel on...

 

[camd64]

Something is not right here. Finger tight doesn't even begin to feel like the torque needed to hold a wheel on...

X2. You can even easily feel the difference between 50 and 100ft lb.

 

[T45]

Also, nothing tightens "finger tight" with a 2 ft long handle

 

[[memphis]]

Solution:

Put a bolt and nut in the vise and put 100lbs worth of lifting weights (or something equivalent) on the handle and see if it torques correctly to the specific weight since I'm assuming you don't want to sink $100 in a torque wrench you are unhappy with.

Studs could be stretched, rust on the hub?? Tapered lugs holes on the wheel could be wallowed out from over torquing! If the wheel is messed up that could be the entire problem especially if it's happened twice at finger tight.

Same wheel twice?

 

[jubilee]

They're probably still laughing. That's why they haven't got back to you. Yet to see the vehicle that came with a torque wrench instead of a lug wrench in the trunk. Most have a lug wrench that a 105 lb. person can remove and replace the lug nuts satisfactorily with directions in the car manual. Something else is wrong here. Torque wrench can easily be checked ( within 10% in my experience) with a vise, bolt, nut, socket, breaker bar, tape measure, calculator, and bathroom scale. Hint: you stand on scale.

 

[dnschmidt]

Have you no feel? When I tighten lug nuts I almost always get them within 10 ft-lb of the final torque using a breaker bar and feel. I love torque wrenches, I have about 30 of them, but there are no better instruments than the human brain and our six senses. Something seems really odd here. The easiest way to check a torque wrench is with a digital torque adapter.

 

[KnurledNut]

If the "decade old $30 click type torque wrench" still works, and it kept your lugs tight, check your new one against it.

 

[woody 73]

I am somewhat puzzled and confused, how about stopping into a HF store along with a 20% coupon and get their 1/2 tester and check it out.

If it fails send it back.

 

[JDon99]

Also, nothing tightens "finger tight" with a 2 ft long handle

My thoughts exactly.

 

[Threadkiller]

Something is not right here. Finger tight doesn't even begin to feel like the torque needed to hold a wheel on...

It wasn't finger tight after I torqued it, I'm not a complete idiot. Torqued it to 74ft/lbs and then the very next morning on the highway the wheel was loose. Idk if it didn't torque it to what I set it to and then the vibes and heat cycle of my hour long commute loosened it? I'm at a loss which is why I'm posting.

Also, nothing tightens "finger tight" with a 2 ft long handle

See above.

Solution:

Put a bolt and nut in the vise and put 100lbs worth of lifting weights (or something equivalent) on the handle and see if it torques correctly to the specific weight since I'm assuming you don't want to sink $100 in a torque wrench you are unhappy with.

Studs could be stretched, rust on the hub?? Tapered lugs holes on the wheel could be wallowed out from over torquing! If the wheel is messed up that could be the entire problem especially if it's happened twice at finger tight.

Same wheel twice?

Thank you for the help, I'll have to look up how to check the torque with bolt and weight, never knew It was possible to check torque without an expensive machine. As far as the same wheel not sure. Didn't keep track as the first time it happened I thought I just forgot to torque the wheel

They're probably still laughing. That's why they haven't got back to you. Yet to see the vehicle that came with a torque wrench instead of a lug wrench in the trunk. Most have a lug wrench that a 105 lb. person can remove and replace the lug nuts satisfactorily with directions in the car manual. Something else is wrong here. Torque wrench can easily be checked ( within 10% in my experience) with a vise, bolt, nut, socket, breaker bar, tape measure, calculator, and bathroom scale. Hint: you stand on scale.

Why would they be laughing? I know the difference between a torque wrench and a lug wrench. I've been tinkering with cars for almost 20 years now and I'm not a mechanic but Im pretty decent with them. Im saying the torque wrench I had before this one never had a problem not that it came with the car. I needed a wrench that went up to 250ft lbs for my crank pulley on my camaro which is why I purchased this one. I still have my old one and it still works fine. This car came with a lug wrench that is short as could be. Probably because they don't want any ogres breaking wheel studs as they're only torqued to 74 ft/lbs

Have you no feel? When I tighten lug nuts I almost always get them within 10 ft-lb of the final torque using a breaker bar and feel. I love torque wrenches, I have about 30 of them, but there are no better instruments than the human brain and our six senses. Something seems really odd here. The easiest way to check a torque wrench is with a digital torque adapter.

Hahah I tend to over torque things which is why I always use a torque wrench.

If the "decade old $30 click type torque wrench" still works, and it kept your lugs tight, check your new one against it.

I actually did on two of the wheels and it seemed good, didn't check the other two and those were the ones that were loose after driving

 

[rlitman]

Im blaming the torque wrench because this has only happened with this torque wrench. Ive rotated the tires on this car a bunch of times with my decade old $30 click type torque wrench and never had a problem. This is why I made the thread to get other perspectives being that the company hasn't emailed me back yet.

Still not buying your argument.

On my previous car, I rotated the tires dozens of times (switching from snow to all-weather tires and back every year too). If I hand tightened the lugs with the wheel in the air (with the socket on a speeder wrench), then lowered the car and did final tightening with the torque wrench, then the front wheels would loosen EVERY time within the first few hundred miles, like clockwork.

It was just the way the hub seated. It needed more torque to pull all the way onto the rim, and once on the ground, the friction under the weight of the corner of the car prevented the rim from seating properly, even with the proper torque spec.

With torque sticks, I could spin the nuts on to approximately 80% of the torque value with the wheel up in the air, and finish the last quarter turn or so with a torque wrench with the wheel on the ground, and after I started doing that, I never had the issue again.

 

[txvwnut]

Did you set the car on the ground to torque the lugs?

If so are you sure the wheel(s) was seated against the hub fully before setting it on the ground to do the final torque.

I've found with aluminum wheels and steel hubs just a little bit of corrosion can cause the wheel to not fit against the hub correctly.

 

[Threadkiller]

Still not buying your argument.

On my previous car, I rotated the tires dozens of times (switching from snow to all-weather tires and back every year too). If I hand tightened the lugs with the wheel in the air (with the socket on a speeder wrench), then lowered the car and did final tightening with the torque wrench, then the front wheels would loosen EVERY time within the first few hundred miles, like clockwork.

It was just the way the hub seated. It needed more torque to pull all the way onto the rim, and once on the ground, the friction under the weight of the corner of the car prevented the rim from seating properly, even with the proper torque spec.

With torque sticks, I could spin the nuts on to approximately 80% of the torque value with the wheel up in the air, and finish the last quarter turn or so with a torque wrench with the wheel on the ground, and after I started doing that, I never had the issue again.

That's fine this is why I made the thread because there are a lot of guys on here with way more knowledge and experience than I have. Maybe that's the issue. I seat all the lugs with a 4 way wrench giving them a good hit while the car is up in the air, then I put just enough weight on the tire so it won't spin while I'm torquing. I've done this on every car I've owned and never had any issues, I've done it on this car in the past with no issues with my other torque wrench which is why I thought it was the wrench

Did you set the car on the ground to torque the lugs?

If so are you sure the wheel(s) was seated against the hub fully before setting it on the ground to do the final torque.

I've found with aluminum wheels and steel hubs just a little bit of corrosion can cause the wheel to not fit against the hub correctly.

yes the hubs are seated correctly and there was no corrosion aside from a little surface rust on the rotor hat

 

[arrowhead]

You had me nervous for a minute - I got one of those torque wenches for as a gift last year and have used it a couple of times with no problem. I'm pretty confident I won't have the problems your having.

 

[anndel]

Perhaps the lug socket got wedged in there that it locked and emulated being torqued down when it wasn't. Try using the clicker then the split beam to verify 70+ lb-ft on your wheels while awaiting Precision Instruments' response or you could buy a digital torque adapter to verify torque. Good luck

 

[Roberts210]

This is strange indeed. Are the lug nuts factory lug nuts? Or aftermarket? Reason I ask is it takes some exacting engineering to get threads to perform as they should. Case in point I bought an aftermarket magnetic drain plug for my Dodge/Cummins truck from a reputable vendor and after a few thousand miles I got a notice from the vendor that all this brand were being recalled. I checked and sure enough mine was starting to loosen. It hadn't fallen out yet, but was loose. That said, I'd also check the torque wrench.

 

[Hiball]

Keep a Close Eye on the Beneficiary to any and all of your Property/Life Insurance policies. Lol... In all Seriousness, it's probably not the TW, it wouldn't hurt to simply double check with your clicker. If your wheel got loose enough to hear/feel while driving, I would put eyes on studs/lugs for any damage that would prevent them from torquing down properly.

 

[PelicanPines]

I only saw something like that happen when the wheels were torqued fully on the ground. The wheel wasn't properly seated and as soon as it spun during driving... it broke free and the lug nuts were suddenly no longer tight... the "not even finger tight" was exactly the symptom / description used.

 

[rlitman]

Perhaps the lug socket got wedged in there that it locked and emulated being torqued down when it wasn't. Try using the clicker then the split beam to verify 70+ lb-ft on your wheels while awaiting Precision Instruments' response or you could buy a digital torque adapter to verify torque. Good luck

That's an interesting point. On my Wrangler, the tapered hole in the lug sockets is tight enough that one brand of impact socket I own has thick enough walls to bind up in the hole if you keep it fully seated. Two other brands of impact sockets have walls just slightly thinner that this doesn't happen. It would be possible to have the torque wrench apply torque to the socket, which doesn't make it to the lug, because of this.

 

[Threadkiller]

Perhaps the lug socket got wedged in there that it locked and emulated being torqued down when it wasn't. Try using the clicker then the split beam to verify 70+ lb-ft on your wheels while awaiting Precision Instruments' response or you could buy a digital torque adapter to verify torque. Good luck

Thank you I'll have to check that out

This is strange indeed. Are the lug nuts factory lug nuts? Or aftermarket? Reason I ask is it takes some exacting engineering to get threads to perform as they should. Case in point I bought an aftermarket magnetic drain plug for my Dodge/Cummins truck from a reputable vendor and after a few thousand miles I got a notice from the vendor that all this brand were being recalled. I checked and sure enough mine was starting to loosen. It hadn't fallen out yet, but was loose. That said, I'd also check the torque wrench.

Unfortunately they are stock lol

 

[Threadkiller]

Damn a lot to think about. Thank you guys for all the informative responses. LOL to the beneficiary comment

 

[dnschmidt]

Conversely, use a torque stick and an impact. That's never failed me. Just be sure you're not using a monster impact as this can put the torque stick into a weird vibration mode (believe me you'll know it when it happens). I use an I-R 231 exclusively for torque sticks. My Aircat's are too powerful.

 

[rlitman]

Conversely, use a torque stick and an impact. That's never failed me. Just be sure you're not using a monster impact as this can put the torque stick into a weird vibration mode (believe me you'll know it when it happens). I use an I-R 231 exclusively for torque sticks. My Aircat's are too powerful.

My experiences have made me a huge fan of torque sticks.
I'll use the stick itself as a handle to spin the lugnut on by hand until it bottoms out. Then put it on the gun and work around the pattern.

What I like to do is use the stick that's one torque range lower than called for. Then put the car down and finish with the torque wrench. If each one turns around the same amount before clicking, then I know I'm doing everything right. Though in all honesty, the acceptable torque range for lugnuts is such that just using the correct stick by itself in the air is probably better than using just the torque wrench on the ground.

 

[clintonroy]

Solution:

Put a bolt and nut in the vise and put 100lbs worth of lifting weights (or something equivalent) on the handle and see if it torques correctly to the specific weight since I'm assuming you don't want to sink $100 in a torque wrench you are unhappy with.

Studs could be stretched, rust on the hub?? Tapered lugs holes on the wheel could be wallowed out from over torquing! If the wheel is messed up that could be the entire problem especially if it's happened twice at finger tight.

Same wheel twice?

For this to work the weight would have to be 12" from the center of the bolt.

Hanging the weight off one end of a double box end wrench, that is 12" from the center to center of the box ends, would probably be a good way to see if your torque wrench is close to accurate. Remember though, that the wrench would have to stop perfectly horizontal from the nut with the weight hanging from it.

 

[redwrench60]

If it's been stated already I didn't see it but what year, make and model? What is the actual published wheel torque spec? I know you said you torqued it to 74 ft. lbs. but some cars have specs much higher than that.

Something still doesn't add up here. It's pretty easy to feel what it's like to make a 75 or 100 ft lb pull on a nut/bolt. You wouldn't be anywhere near this feeling with the lugs being loose enough to back off and make the wheel loose. Did the torque event "feel" normal or was something "off" about it?