Torque Wrench Question

[Adidas]

Stupid torque wrench question here. Have to torque something to "inch pounds" so 12 inch pounds is 1 foot pound right? Thanks.

[Zack S.]

Thats a good question, don't know the answer, but they do sell inch lb wrenches.

[walt]

You are correct.

[Oh Haha]

Isn't that pretty much 'finger tight" and then a "little bit more".?



I have an inch pound torque wrench and have used it exactly one time, on the valve cover nuts the last time I adjusted the valves.

It sure looks nice in my toolbox, though.

[sc_rufctr]

Just to over answer your question.... This is what you need for your 911.

This is a "Torqometer" from Snap On.... 0 to 5 Newton Meters = 0 to 44.25 inch pounds.
This was a lucky find on E Bay... I have found many applications for using this for my car and various repairs/projects around the house.





This is my full set...

1. Torqometer ~ 0 to 44.25 inch pounds
2. Snap On torque wrench ~ 5 to 75 foot pounds
3. Snap On torque wrench ~ 50 to 250 foot pounds

[Por_sha911]

Word of caution: Torque wrenches are not very accurate at the extreme ends of their range. Hence, if you really want it accurate very low numbers should be done with an inch lb wrench.

[175K911]

Originally Posted by Por_sha911

Word of caution: Torque wrenches are not very accurate at the extreme ends of their range. Hence, if you really want it accurate very low numbers should be done with an inch lb wrench.

Absolutely correct! That’s why one of my Snapon torque wrenches is 5- 45 in-lb.

[jlex]

Also, always turn the scale back to 0 with click type torque wrenches prior to storage to keep them accurate. Tension kept on the spring will throw them off.

[HarryD]

Originally Posted by jlex

Also, always turn the scale back to 0 with click type torque wrenches prior to storage to keep them accurate. Tension kept on the spring will throw them off.

Per the advise of PMEL (Air Force QA lab), I turn my wrenches down to the lowest indicated setting. Puts a slight tension on the spring.

Also, FWIW, I had them check my Harbor Freight Wrenches. They are well within the expected accuracy and repeatability.

Originally Posted by HarryD

So... Today I took my 3/8" HF Torque wrench to PMEL to see how bad it really is. When tested, they found the following:

Setting --- Found value
16 ft-lb ... 16.17 ft-lb
48 ft-lb ... 48.83 ft-lb
80 ft-lb ... 81.67 ft-lb

Since +4% ft-lb is the target range, not too shabby.

We discussed use and storage and the DoD recommends to following for these tools:

Storage: Store with spring set at lowest setting not toally relaxed.
Use: Set to higher value than planned setting for use. Click 6 times. Reset to desired set point.

Anyway, I'm pretty happy for $10.

Also, he has told me that he has checked a number of these HF wrenches and they have all been within accepable values.

[famoroso]

Originally Posted by HarryD

Per the advise of PMEL (Air Force QA lab), I turn my wrenches down to the lowest indicated setting. Puts a slight tension on the spring.

Also, FWIW, I had them check my Harbor Freight Wrenches. They are well within the expected accuracy and repeatability.

Is this service available to the general public? If so, how does one go about it? I Googled, but didn't find anything obvious.

[yelcab1]

I counted 10 torque wrenches in my possession. That is a bit overdoing it but you need a number of wrenches spanning the torque ranges.

Yes, 1 ft-lb is equal to 12 in-lb since there are 12 inches in a foot

At a minimum, you want something like 3 wrenches with overlapping ranges:

1) 1/4 inch from 3-25 ft lbs

2) 3/8 inch from 10-100 lbs

3) 1/2 inch from 50-250 lbs

And if you ever have to do an axle or wheel bearing, you will wish to have a 3/4 inch torque wrench monster.

I have also learned that I don't like the plastic handle ones. The plastic gets scuffed over the year and the locking rings tend to break. I also learned that the electronic ones are not reliable enough. They run out of juice when you need them or you have to take the battery out while not in use, and eventually the control unit dies. I stick with mechanical ones now.


Snapon tools are great but expensive. You can score some good values on ebay if you are lucky.

[donporfi]

Torque calibration service is available for the general public by different labs.
Google torque wrench calibration service, torque wrench certification

[1979-930]

A 1/4” Torque wrench is a must for installing rockers.

Precision Instruments is who makes all the torque mechanisms for Snap-On, MAC, etc. The tool companies just put their ratchet head on Precision’s wrench. They sell for less than half the big name brands. My 1/2” is almost 30 years old.
I have it checked before any engine work. It’s still good.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[sc_rufctr]

Originally from 2009! I'm getting crusty... lol

[Synchro Joe]

Harry D is right to follow the calibration lab advice. I was a PMEL lab chief in another lifetime and our customers were aeronautical, maintenance, medical, scientific and munitions types of organizations. Almost all of these applications required certified traceability back to a National Standard and regular calibrations and inspections to ensure accuracy.

When a torque wrench is regularly used, it does not need to be wound back after each use. However, when storing a torque wrench for an extended periods, it should always be wound down to the minimum scale setting and never to zero. Adjustable wrenches use springs that must meet a linear capability test. After use, externally adjustable click wrenches should be turned back to the minimum scale value. This helps to preserve the linearity of the spring and calibration of the wrench. Calibrated torque wrenches use a spring with a known linear range. Manufacturers believe that leaving a calibrated wrench at one setting can impact spring linearity. It does not happen every time, but over time linearity can be impacted causing errors. This is the reason for the recommendation to turn a wrench back to its minimum setting when not in use. If adjusted and stored below the lower limit, it can allow the clicker mechanism to shift out of place, requiring the wrench be disassembled to get it repositioned and re-calibrated.

Torque wrenches are normally calibrated at three points: 20%, 60% and 100% of their range) Accuracy of +-4% means that if your tightening to a specification of 100 ft-lb., the torque wrench will click to indicate a proper torque somewhere between 96 and 104 ft-lb.

One accidental drop to the shop floor probably isn’t a big deal, but repeated drops can affect the wrench’s calibration, even if it doesn’t show signs of damage. Professional shops normally have several wrenches and send them in for calibration every six months, annually, or every 5,000 cycles depending upon the required accuracy.

The head of click-type torque wrenches houses the gear and pawl mechanism. Repetitive forces applied to its mechanism leads to the need for regular maintenance and re-calibration.

Due to the simpler torque mechanism, dial-type torque wrenches do not require as much maintenance and re-calibration as the click-type torque wrenches.

Digital torque wrenches are the most expensive but also are very accurate instruments. The more delicate construction requires extra care while handling and of course need batteries in order to operate. Most digital wrenches can be considered 4 torque wrenches in one, due to their ability to set torque values in four scales (ft/lbs, in/lbs, Nm and kg./cm).

[Pazuzu]

Originally Posted by sc_rufctr

Originally from 2009! I'm getting crusty... lol

That's what happens when a spammer brings and old thread back to life...

[HarryD]

Originally Posted by sc_rufctr

Originally from 2009! I'm getting crusty... lol

Reminds me of this story.

How many Pelicans does it take to change a light bulb?

1 to change the light bulb and to post that the light bulb has been changed
14 to share similar experiences of changing light bulbs and how the light bulb could have been changed differently
7 to caution about the dangers of changing light bulbs
1 to suggest we move it to the Lighting section
2 to argue then move it to the Electricals section
7 to point out spelling/grammar errors in posts about changing light bulbs
5 to flame the spell checkers
3 to correct spelling/grammar flames
6 to argue over whether it's "lightbulb" or "light bulb" ... another 6 to condemn those 6 as stupid
2 industry professionals to inform the group that the proper term is "lamp"
15 know-it-alls who claim they were in the industry, and that "light bulb" is perfectly correct
19 to post that this forum is not about light bulbs and to please take this discussion to a lightbulb forum
11 to defend the posting to this forum saying that we all use light bulbs and therefore the posts are relevant to this forum
36 to debate which method of changing light bulbs is superior, where to buy the best light bulbs, what brand of light bulbs work best for this technique and what brands are faulty
7 to post URL's where one can see examples of different light bulbs
4 to post that the URL's were posted incorrectly and then post the corrected URL's
3 to post about links they found from the URL's that are relevant to this group which makes light bulbs relevant to this group
13 to link all posts to date, quote them in their entirety including all headers and signatures, and add "Me too"
5 to post to the group that they will no longer post because they cannot handle the light bulb controversy
4 to say "didn't we go through this already a short time ago?"
13 to say "do a Google search on light bulbs before posting questions about light bulbs"
1 conspiracy theorist to proclaim that light bulbs are really a Enviro-wacko tactic.
1 forum lurker to respond to the original post 6 months from now and start it all over again.

[911pcars]

BTW, the torque specs for M8 fasteners (valve cover nuts) is 18 ft.lbs, too high for this application. Should be around 6 ft. lbs. to avoid distorting the cover.

Sherwood

[T77911S]

we have a calibration van come around every year. I had them check my craftsman wrenches, they said craftsman are pretty accurate, which mine were within 1lb.

have you ever checked one wrench using another?
the nut came lose on one of mine so I used 2 others to set it back, then had it checked with the CAL van and it was good.
I just mount it in a vise then usually use the beam one to check it.

[1979-930]

Originally Posted by HarryD

Reminds me of this story.

How many Pelicans does it take to change a light bulb?

1 to change the light bulb and to post that the light bulb has been changed
14 to share similar experiences of changing light bulbs and how the light bulb could have been changed differently
7 to caution about the dangers of changing light bulbs
1 to suggest we move it to the Lighting section
2 to argue then move it to the Electricals section
7 to point out spelling/grammar errors in posts about changing light bulbs
5 to flame the spell checkers
3 to correct spelling/grammar flames
6 to argue over whether it's "lightbulb" or "light bulb" ... another 6 to condemn those 6 as stupid
2 industry professionals to inform the group that the proper term is "lamp"
15 know-it-alls who claim they were in the industry, and that "light bulb" is perfectly correct
19 to post that this forum is not about light bulbs and to please take this discussion to a lightbulb forum
11 to defend the posting to this forum saying that we all use light bulbs and therefore the posts are relevant to this forum
36 to debate which method of changing light bulbs is superior, where to buy the best light bulbs, what brand of light bulbs work best for this technique and what brands are faulty
7 to post URL's where one can see examples of different light bulbs
4 to post that the URL's were posted incorrectly and then post the corrected URL's
3 to post about links they found from the URL's that are relevant to this group which makes light bulbs relevant to this group
13 to link all posts to date, quote them in their entirety including all headers and signatures, and add "Me too"
5 to post to the group that they will no longer post because they cannot handle the light bulb controversy
4 to say "didn't we go through this already a short time ago?"
13 to say "do a Google search on light bulbs before posting questions about light bulbs"
1 conspiracy theorist to proclaim that light bulbs are really a Enviro-wacko tactic.
1 forum lurker to respond to the original post 6 months from now and start it all over again.

Me Too!!!