Snap on torqometer needle isn't on zero, can I fix it?

[signcrafter]

I started looking at a dial type torque wrench a couple weeks ago to do pinion preload measurements, wanted something a little nicer then my cheap beam type I have used in the past. Have a pinion seal to do coming up so figured it was an excuse to get one, I don't like counting the turns like many do. I want to be able to see a measurement when tightening the pinion nut. After talking to Mike(ZMotorsports) I started looking for proto or snap on dial torque wrenches with the 0-75 in/lbs scale with marks for each inch.

Found a used one on ebay that looked in good condition and got a little excited so shot a couple best offers back and forth and the seller accepted. When looking at the pictures it looks to be in good shape with clear lens on the scale and the scale is what I was looking for. But wasn't until after I won it that I noticed the needle was not resting at 0 on the dial. Guess I got too excited I had found what I was looking for and overlooked that part.

Is there a way to reset or recalibrate it so the needle is resting at zero? Or would it have to be sent in to snap on or precision instruments who made these for snap on? It looks like the needle is held on by a screw, is it as simple as loosening that screw and adjusting the needle so when resting it's at zero on the dial? I'd like to do whatever I can myself before I would have to send it in since this is a tool I may use once or twice a year at the most. But also need it to be accurate. Anyone ever adjust their torqometer before? I was googling and saw a bunch of info about calibrating it by taking the back cover off and adjusting a nut on the rod going from the head to the dial. But my limited knowledge thinks that the needle being off isn't a calibration issue. When resting zero is zero and should be able to just adjust the needle to rest at zero. Calibration would be for accuracy as you apply torque turning the nut. But I may be wrong on that. I may end up sending it in anyway because if the pointer is off while resting I'm not sure I would trust it to be accurate. Anyone ever send one of these off to be calibrated before? I'll have to contact snap on and precision and see how much it would cost to get it calibrated.

Depending on price to calibrate I probably should have just bought new but it is what it is now. Don't worry I'm not going to start a rant thread about getting scammed on ebay and amazon because I tried to get a deal!

 

[Beerhippie]

Rotate the knurled bezel ring? That's how my APCO Mossberg works.

 

[KnurledNut]

Anyone ever adjust their torqometer before?

Yes.
Mine are older than yours and have a different stem, but I can adjust the pointer by turning the dial until the pin bears against it and then turning/pushing it roughly a quarter turn past the desired setting and then backing it off until it stops moving to see where it lands. It may take a few times to work it up to where you want it. If you go too far, just reverse the procedure.
Maybe someone else can confirm the models like yours still work this way.

 

[Superdavey]

I don’t have experience with these meters but if the bezel comes off easily , you could probably pull the arm out and reinsert it at the zero mark

 

[signcrafter]

Rotate the knurled bezel ring? That's how my APCO Mossberg works.

I have dial indicators that work like that but from all the other torqometers I saw the zero is lined up with the head and the pointer also lines up pointing straight to the end of the head. So don't think the bezel is meant to be adjusted to the needle like that.

Yes.
Mine are older than yours and have a different stem, but I can adjust the pointer by turning the dial until the pin bears against it and then turning/pushing it roughly a quarter turn past the desired setting and then backing it off until it stops moving to see where it lands. It may take a few times to work it up to where you want it. If you go too far, just reverse the procedure.
Maybe someone else can confirm the models like yours still work this way.

Looking at my picture more it almost looks like the pointer is just held onto the stem by spring friction, it has that fancy shape with a little cut out. So I'm guessing I need to do like you said and the pointer should just rotate on the stem. I'll play around with it when I get it and see. Thanks.

Any way to check accuracy at home? I wouldn't mind spending a few hundred dollars on something if it can do all my torque wrenches. Be nice to have peace of mind by testing them every so often.

 

[1320]

You can rotate the bezel and use the pin inside to drag the pointer back to the front if you wish. Or you can move the bezel to where zero is where the needle points at rest. Or you can move it to whatever reading you'd like and "torque to zero" if that is preferable to you.

The user manual talks about how this all works, and, having taken them apart before, the resting location of the needle isnt an indicator that something is wrong.

https://torqwrench.com/content/user_manual/dial/IN1202-PI.pdf

 

[KnurledNut]

I have dial indicators that work like that but from all the other torqometers I saw the zero is lined up with the head and the pointer also lines up pointing straight to the end of the head. So don't think the bezel is meant to be adjusted to the needle like that.

Looking at my picture more it almost looks like the pointer is just held onto the stem by spring friction, it has that fancy shape with a little cut out. So I'm guessing I need to do like you said and the pointer should just rotate on the stem. I'll play around with it when I get it and see. Thanks.

Any way to check accuracy at home? I wouldn't mind spending a few hundred dollars on something if it can do all my torque wrenches. Be nice to have peace of mind by testing them every so often.

It is but it has greater resistance than the clutch. It won't slip until it exceeds that quarter turn past. This allows the user to torque to full capacity and bounce off the pin without it adjusting the pointer setting.

 

[redwrench60]

Yup. As others have said that bezel rotates to allow a zeroed out setting or you dial up the desired torque and pull to zero from either direction of rotation.

This is handy in measurement of pinion bearing preload where you have to read the dial while maintaining smooth slow rotation. It’s a lot easier to see zero under rotation than it is to see 25-35 in lb.

 

[signcrafter]

Yup. As others have said that bezel rotates to allow a zeroed out setting or you dial up the desired torque and pull to zero from either direction of rotation.

This is handy in measurement of pinion bearing preload where you have to read the dial while maintaining smooth slow rotation. It’s a lot easier to see zero under rotation than it is to see 25-35 in lb.

Thanks for the tip. This will be used exclusively for pinion preload so I will try using it how you said. I can't really think of any other places where this dial torque wrench would be better then using my other click type 1/4" torque wrench.

 

[redwrench60]

Thanks for the tip. This will be used exclusively for pinion preload so I will try using it how you said. I can't really think of any other places where this dial torque wrench would be better than using my other click type 1/4" torque wrench.

That one will be perfect. It has the correct graduations and scale for the work you are going to do with it.

Mine has built untold numbers of diffs, but I also use it for gun stuff like optics, dots and other precision hardware. It reads perfectly accurate at the very low settings where a clicker has increased error.

 

[Chipm]

Any way to check accuracy at home?

Do they work like a regular torque wrench? You are measuring inch-pounds. Set the wrench up parallel to the ground and hang a weight of "x" pounds from a point on the handle (ideally the center of where you would pull if your hand were on the handle) that is "y" inches from the point of rotation. Multiply x times y and compare the result to what the dial shows.

 

[dnschmidt]

You can do exactly the same thing using a digital torque wrench with a track function. Just read the display as you rotate whatever it is you're rotating. No need to go old school.

 

[Chipm]

You can do exactly the same thing using a digital torque wrench with a track function. Just read the display as you rotate whatever it is you're rotating. No need to go old school.

Sometimes old school is just more fun. Plus, the batteries don't go dead on old school stuff. My Milwaukee M 18 impact is great on the mobile van, but it lacks soul. I just picked up an old Ingersoll rand air impact that is a lot more fun to use when I am working on cars for the fun of it

Style matters. Nobody is going to look at a digital torque wrench as anything other than an appliance. But that Snapon dial torque wrench is a classic piece of industrial design. Even the name is cool: Torq-O-meter!

 

[Jarhead0408]

Can these be serviced/calibrated by places like Angle Repair in Beckley, W.Virginia?

 

[signcrafter]

You can do exactly the same thing using a digital torque wrench with a track function. Just read the display as you rotate whatever it is you're rotating. No need to go old school.

My only digital torque wrench is a bigger 1/2" and to be honest not sure if it only does ft/lbs or if it can do in/lbs also because I've never needed to torque anything that low with it. Have wanted a 3/8" digital for a while but this torqometer will work nicely for pinion preload measurements.

Got it the other day and was able to rotate the bezel like suggested and get everything back to center. Thanks

 

[Schurkey]

Can these be serviced/calibrated by places like Angle Repair in Beckley, W.Virginia?

I was going to suggest them, along with Team Torque. I've done business with both, although most recently Team Torque via their mobile service.

Home - Angle Repair

WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME YOU HAD YOUR TORQUE WRENCH CALIBRATED? TORQUE MULTIPLIERS CAN GIVE YOU A LOT OF POWER THEY MUST ONLY BE USEDWITH TORQUE WRENCHES HAVE YOU CHECKED YOUR CERTIFICATION? CERTIFICATIONS ARE ONLY GOOD FOR ONE YEAR. WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME YOU HAD YOUR TORQUE WRENCH CALIBRATED...

anglerepair.com

Team Torque Inc.

Team Torque provides repair and calibration services for torque wrenches, multipliers, testers, and more. Use our professional-quality services today!!

www.teamtorque.com

I bought a used torque wrench, once. A Snap-On 1/4"-drive body, but with a 3/8" drive square. Should have been really handy. Turns out it failed calibration, and there's no parts available, which is probably why the owner was getting rid of it. Buying a used torque wrench and NOT having the calibration verified and corrected (as needed) is crazy. My "bargain" torque wrench is, essentially, scrapmetal.

 

[redwrench60]

I was going to suggest them, along with Team Torque. I've done business with both, although most recently Team Torque via their mobile service.

Home - Angle Repair

WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME YOU HAD YOUR TORQUE WRENCH CALIBRATED? TORQUE MULTIPLIERS CAN GIVE YOU A LOT OF POWER THEY MUST ONLY BE USEDWITH TORQUE WRENCHES HAVE YOU CHECKED YOUR CERTIFICATION? CERTIFICATIONS ARE ONLY GOOD FOR ONE YEAR. WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME YOU HAD YOUR TORQUE WRENCH CALIBRATED...

anglerepair.com

Team Torque Inc.

Team Torque provides repair and calibration services for torque wrenches, multipliers, testers, and more. Use our professional-quality services today!!

www.teamtorque.com

I bought a used torque wrench, once. A Snap-On 1/4"-drive body, but with a 3/8" drive square. Should have been really handy. Turns out it failed calibration, and there's no parts available, which is probably why the owner was getting rid of it. Buying a used torque wrench and NOT having the calibration verified and corrected (as needed) is crazy. My "bargain" torque wrench is, essentially, scrapmetal.

I’m not surprised an old used torque wrench needed calibration, but unless it’s obviously damaged or broken internally they usually just need adjustment and recertification. What was broken that was no longer available? Not doubting or being argumentative, just genuinely curious.

I’ve sent in a ton of Snap-on torque wrenches over the years and never had trouble getting them corrected.

 

[redwrench60]

And……just for S&G’s here’s my old in-lb Torq-Meter. Made a lot of grocery money with it over the years….

 

[Schurkey]

I’m not surprised an old used torque wrench needed calibration, but unless it’s obviously damaged or broken internally they usually just need adjustment and recertification. What was broken that was no longer available? Not doubting or being argumentative, just genuinely curious.

I’ve sent in a ton of Snap-on torque wrenches over the years and never had trouble getting them corrected.

I sent it to Team Torque in...2017, I think. They "couldn't" repair it due to "lack of parts" by which I think they meant the main spring. Perhaps there were other problems.

By 2018-ish, I was talking to my Snappy dealer and happened to mention this torque wrench. He sent it to Snap-On, and they said the same thing--not repairable.

I suspect that the reason this was in the Pawn Shop, was because the previous owner knew it was a "dead stick".

 

[redwrench60]

Wow, that *****. Never heard of one even Snap-on wasn’t sitting on parts for. Besides the whole 3/8” drive in a 1/4” drive body thing, I wonder if there was something rare or non standard about it that they couldn’t fix it.

 

[Cruzan80]

I have a 1/4" SO click that was also not available for repair when I asked about it. The knurled ring that "locks" the torque setting wouldn't lock (picked it up super cheap knowing this). If I hold it correctly, it will "break" at the specific torque it is set for, but easy to change when pulling if you aren't careful.

Figured worst case, I got a SO 1/4" (longer) ratchet for cheap.