Tq wrenches?

[AMcCormick]

What should I look for if I wanted to get some to work on my truck? ft/lbs inch/lbs, dial or click type? Want to be able to properly work on injectors and other engine related items.

 

[PBJ2500CTD]

Andy,

It depends on the application. If you are only tightening an item a click type may be the best wrench to use, especially in those tight and awkward locations that do not allow a straight on view, or any view, of the scale on the beam, or dial types of torque wrenches. Parallax error on a beam type wrench can put your torque application outside of the intended value. Although a beam type is best for determining dynamic functions like breakaway values and slippage or drag on a posi unit clutch pack, etc.
Most good click type wrenches are calibrated to + or - 3% while lesser models are 4% to 6%.
Your selection of a wrench should keep the intended use value somewhat mid-range of the wrenches total useable range. The best accuracy is usually found above 20% of the full scale range of the wrench; e. g. a 150 in/lb max wrench should not be considered to meet the advertised accuracy below 30 in/lb; 24 ft/ls on a 120 ft/lb wrench.
Keep in mind that any adapter that extends or decreases the effective length of the torque wrench will affect the applied torque and must be accounted for. Most common extensions are the crow's feet, especially the extended length ones.

Bruce

 

[BDaugherty]

I don't honestly think that you'll find just one torque wrench that will do everything you're looking for. You'll probably between 2 and 4 depending on what all you want to do.

I prefer the click type for almost everything. A really good source is Grainger. They sell Proto torque wrenches which are very economical, but still at the upper end of quality. Sears would be my #2 choice.

I would look for a 3/8" drive 5-75 ft/lb wrench and a 1/2" drive 50-250 ft/lb first. You may have to go back for a 3/8 or 1/4 drive inch/lb wrench later. Honestly, those 3 wrenches should do 98% of anything on your truck... I think.

 

[Matt400]

Hi Andy,

I found a 3/8 drive click style with swivel head to work for injectors. IMO it would be rough to use a dial type trying to see the dial and with no swivel head you are really limited to where it will work.



The one I used is this one.



I have 4 torque wrenches but thats what I used for injectors. I also have an inch lb wrench that is a dial type with no swivel head for band adjustments but would rather have an inch lb like the one I linked to for that.

 

[Dieselnut59]

I have a 3/8" and a 1/2" S&K "click type" torque wrench. The smaller one is inch pounds and the larger one goes to 250 foot pounds. I have been happy with them and use them regularly.

 

[nickleinonen]

at work i have a #150 & #250 proto 1/2" click type and they work well. also have a 3/4" #600 snapon one for big bolts and the 4:1 multiplier for ever bigger bolts.

proto makes some great tools [i love my modded 8" adjustable with the extra notch cut in the jaw slide to open more]

 

[AMcCormick]

Thanks guys this is what I was looking for

 

[rbattelle]

I've heard it said that the only good torque wrenches have all-metal handles, and anything with a plastic handle on the end is worthless.

Having said that, all 3 of my torque wrenches have plastic handles. 2 Craftsman and one Husky. I've never calibrated any of them (shame on me!), so I can't speak to their accuracy.

Ryan

 

[sarj]

I've got four; two clickers and two dial. The one I really trust is the Snapon. I've had it over 20 years. It's a dial, not a clicker. If you have a clicker, you need to be absolutely positive to back off to zero pounds when storing between uses.

 

[InfernoB]

Best to have an inlbs too. You'll need one for your bands in the auto trans, injector hold downs, etc... . More accurate than using a torque wrench with the low ftlbs setting.

What rbattelle says about the plastic handle is so true too. Mostly metal handled in my boxes, but there are plastic too that maintain their accuracy just as well.

The main thing to remember with a torque wrench is that it is an instrument, and not a wrench.

 

[DaveHess]

I've got 5 of them. A 1/2" drive lb/ft beam, a 1/2" drive lb/ft clicker, a 3/8" drive in/lb beam, a 3/8" drive in/lb clicker, and a 1/2" drive lb/ft clicker that goes to 250. I use the beams for breakaways, the two clickers for jobs where I will be torqueing somewhere above the lower 20% but lower than the top 20% and I use the big Husky for wheel torque. The rest are Craftsman. I get the two clicker Craftsmans calibrated before an engine rebuild to be sure they are good to go. Costs me about $40 so that is cheap insurance when building a $6000 drag race 340.



Hey, Bruce. Were you SAC-umcised at some time in your life??? I was. Worked the BUFF and B-1.

 

[PBJ2500CTD]

... Hey, Bruce. Were you SAC-umcised at some time in your life??? I was. Worked the BUFF and B-1.

Danged, Dave... Is it that evident?? BUFF's, KC's, RC's

 

[DaveHess]

Bruce: Where at and when with the BUFFs? I was at Grand Forks AFB from '82 to '89. Lost the "G" models around '85 and picked up the B-1's in about mid '86. I was Offensive Avionics and entered into a test program where they put me with a crew chief and made me a part of the ground crew. Tons of fun as I got to do recoveries, launches, inspections, and so on as well as avionics. Plus go to pull alert! back then these things were fun! Went Barkatraz and became a B-1B Test Rep. Another kick-*** job. But about '95 I got this wild hair that I wanted to be a cop and joined OSI. In 2003 called it a day drove out the gate for the last time. The one moment was tough. 20 years, 3 months 9 days is difficult to walk away from.

 

[PBJ2500CTD]

Usaf 72 - 92

Dave, Keeping active in thread content I started between '72 to '74 with the 456th AMS, AFCS shop at Beale AFB, CA. We were like Maytag repairmen, except for the MD-1 Astrocompass where we earned our daily nickle, so we helped our sister shop - instruments - when we ran out of floors to polish of course. (Actually we busted tail - but that was the story that we tossed around since nobody really seemed to know what we did). Calibrated, repaired and condemned more torque wrenches than I ever imagined existed in the world. During the 80's the two shops, AFCS and Instruments, eventually combined under Rivet Workforce and drew in the doppler shop, the poor Com-Nav step-child that had a hard time relating to the Com troops. Now the doppler shop had the true Maytag repairmen; About once a month they had to change a burned out light bulb in a switch on the KCs. Guidance and Control was the new name. I watched the calibration equipment for the torque wrenches go from permanently mounted behemoth transducers in the early 70's to very portable strain gauges in the late 80's. Spent about 9 years a Castle - 82 to 91 and didn't expect Shemya when I put in for Alaska. (For those of you out there wondering where this isle of paradise is located - where there is a girl behind every tree Oo. - go out to the end of the Aleutian chain and back up 5 dots; and yes... the wind sock in front of ops was a large chunk of wood and heavy chain, and it did go horizontal often). I was shooting for Minot, or any cold Northern tier base.
Did you ever attend any of the leadership or NCO academies at March? Any issues with OAS (How can it work - it ain't got tubes in it) mod'ed BUFFs or FQIS KCs from Castle?
Throw me a PM and we can compare SAC-umcision scars. Don't want to bore any of our TDR buddies with off torque wrench topic "stories".

Guam = In God we trust - On Guam we rust
Castle AFB = 20 miles from water - 2 miles from hell
Sheyma = It's not the end of the world - but you can see it from there

And my favorite SAC cartoon was Moses coming down the mountain with the Ten Commandments in one arm and SAC Supplement 1 in the other.

 

[DaveHess]

Bruce: That's freakin' hilarious! I apologize to the other guys on this thread for going off-topic but thanks for your indulgence. I'll PM you later Bruce. Off to the part time job.