Torque Wrench Question

[Geeforce]

I must have been in a hurry when I put the tools away from my last car project because I just found that I left both of my craftsman torque wrenches set above the halfway point. I think the manual says not to store them above 25%.
I left them like this a month ago. Do you think I should get them recalibrated at Sears or is this not a big deal?

 

[Blacknwhitepit]

I must have been in a hurry when I put the tools away from my last car project because I just found that I left both of my craftsman torque wrenches set above the halfway point. I think the manual says not to store them above 25%.
I left them like this a month ago. Do you think I should get them recalibrated at Sears or is this not a big deal?

GEE,

If your local Sears will recalibrate it for you, then go ahead and do it. I have not seen a Sears that had the true proper calibration equipment to do so. Sears also does not offer its lifetime guarantee on Torque wrenches, only a 90day warranty I believe.

Oftentimes, the cost of calibration is more expensive than the torque wrench itself (I am assuming you have the clicker type)

If I were you and truly concerned about the general torque settings I would try to make a comparison with a known calibrated torque wrench that a friend may have. Simply set a lug nut with the known calibrated wrench and then set yours 10-15 ft-lbs lower and move up 5-ft lbs at a time until you feel movement of the lug, then you will know how close your reading is.

This will work if you are working on wheel lugs and general frame torque settings, I would not recommend it completely for engine work.

Having worked 3d shop for a little while, some torque wrenches work well for a long time, some go out of whack faster than others, you DO pay for quality in a torque wrench. Just remember not to try to loosen a fastener with it, that will knock it out of whack quickly.

Simply stated, your torque wrench could be perfectly fine, but I am very picky about how I treat my torque wrenches.

Think of it this way, how important are your torque specifications? If they are so important that you would not want to fly in an aircraft that used your torque wrench or take the car to the dragstrip on Friday then Precise calibrations are really important.


-BWP

 

[toolfreak]

Very well said BWP. I agree, check your torque wrench with one that has been calibrated recently. I would say that it is probably ok but I would check it just to be sure.

 

[Jeeper]

My dad gave me his old craftsman torque wrench. It was only 10 years old and it had probably been stored under tension for most of its life. I was concerned so I took it to sears and asked them to recalibrate it. He walked me over the the self, grabbed a new one and took the old one. Worked for me.

 

[Geeforce]

Thanks everyone.
BWP, I'll try checking against another wrench if sears won't do it for free.

 

[Deafautotech]

my outlet sears employee as my friend that work there and he said torque wrench is one year warranty but ratchet head is lifetime warranty. i had snap on torque wrench that was used but snap on guy had it calibrated before sell. but most time i did test all my used snap on (3) torque wrenches and it is work on same specific torque wrench. i always make all torque wrenches set on zero after use it. i am really want use it for long time but still need check it for make sure it is torque wrench work right on specific. i know that craftsman have torque computer that cost 120 dollars and it will sell you how much torque with your breaker bar or ratchet.

 

[1320stang]

I have a Craftsman and always set it back to zero after use. I've had a couple of friends that worked at places that calibrate things, torque wrenches included. One was a commercial place and the other is at a AFB. Both told me that typically, if you reset the torque wrench back to zero and let it set for several days, it should go back to within 1% of it's original calibration. I don't know about the rest of you, but 1% on a 120 lb torque wrench is close enough for me as most torque specs are within a couple pounds one way or the other anyway. It'd be cool if someone made a disposable device that you clamped in your vise that snapped at a predetermined torque setting. You'd get 4 or 5 to ensure that they'd all break at the same point.

 

[PAToyota]

Hmmm... I like the idea of a disposable torque tester... Like a torque wrench fuse...

 

[1320stang]

****, they don't make them? There goes my patent idea out the window. (BTW, I've saved a JPG of this page so I can come back and get 50% of whatever whoever sells this for after they've done all the legwork and sold the idea to someone that brings it to market, after all, coming up with the idea is the hardest, right? )