Torque Wrench necessity

[4 Ever-Fish N]

I don't do a lot of mechanic work any longer but I do some. When do you guys think it's a necessity to use a torque wrench. If I was taking the heads off and putting them on a vehicle, I'd say definitely. What about oil drain plug or lug nuts, things like this?

 

[SRU1436]

I say yes

 

[Lwel9226]

Lugnuts, absolutely.... oil drain, maybe....

LynnW

 

[FSrepair&fabrication]

If youve been turning wrenches long enough youll develop a “feel” for torque. Only on critical fasteners would I use a torque wrench. Lug nuts, not neccesary. Use a 2ft bar and tighten them down youll be fine. Only the **** retentive and those without proper tools to remove an overtightened lug nut want properly torqued wheels. Everywhere else in the world tight is good enough.

But this is garage journal and you know you want a torque wrench anyway, so why not?

 

[M6erfan]

Use a 2ft bar and tighten them down youll be fine. Only the **** retentive and those without proper tools to remove an overtightened lug nut want properly torqued wheels. Everywhere else in the world tight is good enough.

But this is garage journal and you know you want a torque wrench anyway, so why not?

Exactly why one would use a torque wrench. I have the tools to remove fasteners that were improperly tightened, and it pisses me off every time I have to use them...

 

[Wamsutta]

Torque wrenches are a necessity when the fasteners are going though a silicone grommet that never gets tight. 3800 rocker arm cover bolts. 89 inch pounds is the spec.

 

[scissorman]

If youve been turning wrenches long enough youll develop a “feel” for torque. Only on critical fasteners would I use a torque wrench. Lug nuts, not neccesary. Use a 2ft bar and tighten them down youll be fine. Only the **** retentive and those without proper tools to remove an overtightened lug nut want properly torqued wheels. Everywhere else in the world tight is good enough.

But this is garage journal and you know you want a torque wrench anyway, so why not?

Apparently you don't understand that over tightening a wheel can cause a brake rotor to distort enough to cause brake pulsation and also can stress the stud enough to cause it to sheer off.

 

[ddawg16]

Good thing no one mentioned PVC airlines.......

Torque wrench.....no way I'd bolt a head up without one.

But, lug nuts? I'm willing to bet I can get pretty f'ing close to the desired torque spec....without a torque wrench.

 

[californiaHank]

When I was a kid working on my car, I seldom wore gloves and I used torque wrenches in a lot of places.

Now, I wear gloves a lot more, and use torque wrenches a lot less.

 

[GirlnAgarage]

Yes for lug nuts. Drain plugs sure.
Transmission pan bolts after fluid/filter changes. Diff cover bolts. Brake caliper mounting bolts. Shock mount bolts. Axle nuts.

I got other machines to maintain too. Those important parts get torqued properly.

 

[Stooge]

Torque wrench every time for lug nuts, its generally pretty close but im never in that much of a rush not to. trans and oil pans, diff covers and anything that seals, axle nuts, heads/ internal engine, and usually anything that attaches to something that sees regular movement and has the chance to wiggle loose, all get torqued whether I think my calibrated arms feel like its close or not. Plenty of other stuff is just by feel though.

 

[b7labelle]

On anything power train related, I will use a torque wrench. I’ve learned that lesson the expensive way. I use the Tekton 1/2” and 3/8” torque wrenches

 

[pbon]

For the OP, a $10 on sale HF is fine. The 1/2 drive version tested by Grassroots Motorsports was more accurate than wrenches costing 10 times as much. If building motors or doing work that you aren’t familiar with and that must be done perfectly, but a fancy wrench. I have fancy wrenches, but use the $10 ones for lug nuts. Occasionally, I will test one against a fancy wrench. Never had an issue.

 

[zendriver]

If youve been turning wrenches long enough youll develop a “feel” for torque. Only on critical fasteners would I use a torque wrench. Lug nuts, not neccesary. Use a 2ft bar and tighten them down youll be fine. Only the **** retentive and those without proper tools to remove an overtightened lug nut want properly torqued wheels. Everywhere else in the world tight is good enough.



But this is garage journal and you know you want a torque wrench anyway, so why not?

Over tightened Lug nuts can warp brake rotors.

It's not that much more work to do it right.


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[Jazz1]

Lug nuts on aluminum rims is critical, more so if you are in a stinking cold climate. I had to replace CV on wife's car, 220 ft lbs on nut. Hard to guess that torque with a breaker bar. I suggest a torque that goes to 250 ft lbs

 

[BarryWells]

Oil pan torqued right will NEVER leak. I'd say most are over tightened by triple, or more. Same with auto ****** pans. It only takes a second. Thats why I use beam wrenches. No screwing around dialing numbers. Exact is not the name of the game( except rods and mains). EVEN is the trick.
OH. Please. When you torque rod bolts put a damn feeler gauge between the rods

 

[jsmeece]

Oil pan torqued right will NEVER leak. I'd say most are over tightened by triple, or more. Same with auto ****** pans. When you torque rod bolts put a damn feeler gauge between the rods

 

[gatlibs]

I tend to not use a torque wrench on brakes because I used to only have beams which didn't always allow sufficient access. K think that brakes are sufficiently important to safety to change that now that I have clicking ones. I always use a torque wrench on lug nuts because I want them to be very close to the low side of safe. I don't know about all of you, but I believe that tires can have problems that require sudden changes while driving. An impact get make changing on the road or high impossible. Over-tightening can mean that the woman in your life cannot perform this task by herself. That creates an additional issue of safety... These thoughts creat my perception on when I apply a torque wrench or not.

 

[CafeTools]

I have seen people screw a car up before using a beloved torque wrench.

They were using a torque wrench to tighten thier spark plugs on a Acura. They somehow overtightened the plug to the point the plugs threads stripped out. He would have been better not using the torque wrench.

 

[vavet]

Lug nuts - yes, or at a minimum I use a torque stick. I know that'll start another debate. My experiments tell me as long as I'm consistent with how long I leave the impact gun on at a given air pressure and setting on the gun itself, the torque will be consistent.
Oil drain plugs? No.
Oil pans/transmission pans? yes
spark plugs? Yes
Brake work? No. The caliper bracket to spindle needs to be tight - about 80 ft-lb usually, but it's not critical.
Suspension components? yes, as long as I have reasonable access. I don't get crazy with extension if I can't get on it readily with a torque wrench.

 

[javyLSU]

For the OP, a $10 on sale HF is fine. The 1/2 drive version tested by Grassroots Motorsports was more accurate than wrenches costing 10 times as much. If building motors or doing work that you aren’t familiar with and that must be done perfectly, but a fancy wrench. I have fancy wrenches, but use the $10 ones for lug nuts. Occasionally, I will test one against a fancy wrench. Never had an issue.

I was going to post the same thing before I saw your comment. Just spend $10 get the HF torque wrench. Great for home use, and you can't beat the price. Here's the coupon if you need it:

 

[Nineeightyone]

For $10, I think a basic torque wrench from HF is worthwhile. It was an early purchase of mine, once I learned the effects of a lug nut either too tight or too lose.

I've admittedly done plenty of "guesstimate" torque specs, but I don't think it's a tool I'd go without if I could avoid it.

 

[eyeball]

I wonder why engineers and manufacturers would go to all the trouble of documenting torque values if they are not important?

I am pretty rigid on maintaining proper torque values on fasteners. I actually get a sense of satisfaction knowing the job was done right done and that attention was paid to the details. As a reward or side benefit, my Jeep doesn’t leak or rattle apart off road.

 

[Handyfarmer]

I wonder why engineers and manufacturers would go to all the trouble of documenting torque values if they are not important?

one must first understand what torque is, and how it play out in a bolt,

first metal stretches,

so the trick is via it design, bolts are used to clamp something together,

if things move or have stress on them, then the bolt gets stretched, if the bolt gets stretched more than it is tighten to, the nut may become loose,

by torquing the bolt, the person torquing the nut is putting a predetermined load or stretch on the bolt,

if designed correctly this is greater than the loads it will face and less then the breaking point of the steel in the bolt,

so the nut being turned is stretching or loading the stud or bolt to a given point, less than it breaking or fatigue point, but more than it working load, thus making an effective clamp

a properly torque fastener, does not need a lock washer or system, normally if a locking washer is used it is on fasteners that are "under torqued", (I realize this is not always the case but it is on most but the most critical situations that are usaly above and beyond the normal of the home shop).


hope that makes sense,

 

[jd_1138]

I wouldn't use one for an oil drain plug. I'd just snug it up with a ratchet (though I have used a torque wrench before on a drain plug).

I would use one for lug nuts and for rebuilding an engine. About the only thing I don't use a torque wrench on, car-wise, is the oil drain plug.

 

[dnschmidt]

They're so cheap, why not. Get yourself a HF coupon and blow $10.00. They **** in fit and feel but apparently from numerous tests in multiple magazines are fairly accurate. This question is like should I buy a tube of Pringles? Does your world collapse either way?

That stated I've got at least 20 of them (along with spray guns and routers I really like torque wrenches) and I use them to both tighten my oil filter (13 N-m) and my oil drain plug (37 N-m) SO THERE!

 

[tonyciambrone]

Broke: Brake rotors warp because of heat
Woke: Brake rotors warp because of corrosion build up on the back side of the wheel and one lug nut being torqued to 180ft-lbs and the rest at 85, 95, 120 and 115.

Also I torque anything I consider life-threatening. Like brakes, suspension, steering, lug nuts etc. I can't send peoples vehicles out wondering. Also I don't do it for a living so the extra time spent doesn't bother me at all.

 

[CloseEnough]

I'm an advocate for torquing everything. Especially on cars where the manufacturer provides you with a specific torque each fastener. There are many reasons why you would want to torque a fastener;

-To make sure a bolt is enough
-To make sure a bolt isn't too tight
-To make sure a pattern of bolts is tightened uniformly

This is just a few reasons.

Having said this here is a video that I made called "Why bolt torquing *****" that offers a slightly different perspective:

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/NOGfxnUn6nU" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>

 

[Yarpo]

Apparently you don't understand that over tightening a wheel can cause a brake rotor to distort enough to cause brake pulsation and also can stress the stud enough to cause it to sheer off.

and under tightening a wheel can cause it to fall off, now you'll be driving a 4,000 pound vehicle down the road at 70 mph with three wheels! It's a lose lose if you're guessing but I've seen wheels studs that must have been tightened to 1,000 ft pounds not cause an issue. At least not yet, over time those studs will(should?) wear down and stretch. The problem is wheel lug nuts/studs are to be checked after a short time, and most customers do not follow through and come back to verify. As such, I think shops have preferred over tightening wheels as opposed to under tightening and I don't blame them.

Broke: Brake rotors warp because of heat
Woke: Brake rotors warp because of corrosion build up on the back side of the wheel and one lug nut being torqued to 180ft-lbs and the rest at 85, 95, 120 and 115.

Also I torque anything I consider life-threatening. Like brakes, suspension, steering, lug nuts etc. I can't send peoples vehicles out wondering. Also I don't do it for a living so the extra time spent doesn't bother me at all.

I think that goes back to post 4 tho, where he claims if you've been wrenching long enough you'll get a feel for it. All four of those first torque specs are pretty close, depending on what our desired torque value is in this scenario. 90 ft pounds? How come that guy went full monkey and doubled his idea of the torque? A lot of old timers will tell you they've been wrenching for "x" years and have never had a wheel fall off and have never torqued lug nuts. Or how about in places where a torque wrench isn't common? - Lots of scenarios where good enough really is just good enough.

Oh and yes, I throw wheels on with a torque stick while the cars on the lift and then drop them down and use a torque wrench on every wheel at work.

One of the only things I've used my torque wrench on at home is my heads and my own wheels simply because they've seen 300,000 miles and I'm sure the threads and studs are beat.

 

[bwringer]

One good middle ground between anality and practicality is to use a torque wrench the first several times you do something in order to develop the correct feel.

Feel and experience do count for a lot. It's been an awfully long time since I broke a fastener or stripped threads by going gorilla on something. Or, to put it another way, I don't often get surprised these days when something breaks or strips, so I can choose when and how to break or strip it (or cut it off, or leave it, etc.) to make extraction easier.

And there are times when torque isn't exactly the correct measurement. On some new spark plugs with crush gaskets, the instructions on the box state to snug them up hand tight, then turn the plug the specified amount marked on the box to get the correct amount of squishitude.

On most CV axle nuts, I lack a torque wrench that reads high enough. I do a little math using my weight and mark the right place to stand on a horizontal breaker bar. Plenty close enough.

 

[BDT/NWMN]

Do $70,000 vehicles come with a lug wrench or a torque wrench???? Is a $10 torque wrench that has been rusting away in a pickup tool box suitable for use in -20F weather???? I am very protective of My non-cheapo torque wrenches that stay in My climate controlled shop; where they get used allot. Keep in mind that an abused or neglected torque wrench can yield a false sense of security. If You buy a torque wrench, take proper care of it.

 

[gatlibs]

Do $70,000 vehicles come with a lug wrench or a torque wrench???? Is a $10 torque wrench that has been rusting away in a pickup tool box suitable for use in -20F weather???? I am very protective of My non-cheapo torque wrenches that stay in My climate controlled shop; where they get used allot. Keep in mind that an abused or neglected torque wrench can yield a false sense of security. If You buy a torque wrench, take proper care of it.

Does that really matter for a beam?

 

[TalonFE]

There are so many good, affordable torque wrenches available out there that not using one is kind of dumb. Maybe reading a beam is too difficult, so get yourself a ratcheting micrometer-style clicker rig....if that's too hard then one of those gee-whiz digital outfits. These days even cheap ones are pretty accurate.....don't be a retard, torque it properly.

 

[zendriver]

Does that really matter for a beam?

It probably doesn't even matter with a clicker, especially since they come with a plastic storage case anyway.

Put one under the seat of the pick up?


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[Professional Tool User]

For lug nuts, yes. Don't want to damage certain types of wheels and or have a wheel off incident. For other non critical stuff like drain plugs, once you get a feel for it, you'll get it around right. If you go ask people who do this for a living, nobody is going to use a torque wrench on a drain plug.

 

[ekimneirbo]

There are times when you need a torque wrench, so you need to have one in your toolbox for those times. Need both a ft/lb and an inch/lb. 99% of the time you should be able to tighen a nut successfully without one.
There are lots of places where its impossible to use a torq wrench. If you don't have much experience wrenching, use a torque wrench when you are unsure. Gradually you will get to a point where you feel confident tightening common bolts by feel.
I've got several torque wrenches. About the only thing I use them for are working on engine assembly or rear end assembly. Just about everything else is by feel.
Try tightening something with a wrench till you think its tight. Then put a torq wrench on it and gradually adjust it to higher readings. Start at a very low setting. See how high you have to set it before the nut actually tightens further..........

 

[mrvm]

Does that really matter for a beam?

Even the basic beam torque wrench can become unreliable when bounced around in the tool box. Store them well in individual drawers or in the plastic case.

 

[BDT/NWMN]

Does that really matter for a beam?

Glad to see the beam torque wrenches brought up. Unless the indicator arm gets bent or mutilated, or the beam gets overstressed, the beam torque wrench should be ok. I have beam torque wrenches ranging from inch pounds up thru 300 foot pounds in My herd of torque wrenches. If I was allowed only one torque wrench; it would be an open beam. I like that they can be used for left or right hand rotation.. The better quality beam torque wrenches are not overly priced, and don't need batteries.
I consider these My old reliables;;;;but they are not My choice for torquing lug nuts. I favor the clickers for lug nuts: no need stand on My head to read the scale, and can be used without additional lighting.


HF $10 deals?? I recall buying seven. Long story short: three early failures, one replacement is unreliable, and four work properly. I gave three of working ones to My Oldest Son who is a supervisor in a foundry that has a test stand in their tool room.. For Him; these were free torque wrenches for His home projects. We were both wearing smirks when I handed Him those wrenches.

I offered the fourth working torque wrench to My Younger Son; whom had received one of the early failure wrenches. He pointed to a red case on His top shelf and burst out laughing. With Him being a Mechanical Engineer, I sort of expected that response. His failed wrench had been replaced with a name brand wrench.

The HF wrenches "appear" to be cloned after the four Proto Wrenches I bought in 1970. Three of My Proto wrenches are still in use. The 1/2" drive is the most used, and is still within 1 & 1/2% accuracy after 49 years of use.

Why did I even try the HF stuff in the first place?? The price was cheap, and they "appeared" to be designed like My Proto wrenches..

There are places where any of these torque wrenches will be of little value. Examples are wheel studs that are rusted, pitted, stretched, dented, stripped, or bent; or the nuts that were on them. The listed torque specifications are for fasteners in good condition.

 

[BDT/NWMN]

Even the basic beam torque wrench can become unreliable when bounced around in the tool box. Store them well in individual drawers or in the plastic case.

Agree, Take proper care of them. Many pawn shop unearthings are unshining examples of how a torque wrench should not be treated. They were not designed to be tossed into a box, followed by a jack and a tow chain.

Some people can destroy anything, and have no clue how they did it.

 

[FSrepair&fabrication]

The guy who asked if a $70k vehicle comes with a torque wrench makes a good point. If it was so critical they would sell them with one. Lol at the $10 torque wrench... the oem tire iron costs more than that. Who decides they need a torque wrench and then gets the cheapest and probably least accurate? If you cant judge proper torque for a wheel without a torque wrench just put down the tools and give up. If your brake rotors get warped from improper torque, again you should just give up. Common sense is all thats needed.