DIY Torque Wrench

[Hybrid21]

Very interesting and informative post 👍

Iain

[TonyHSD]

Here some more additional goodies to the car diyer and very helpful when using a torque wrench. https://www.amazon.co.uk/Blue-Spot-02078-Adaptor-Vanadium/dp/B001RWZTI8/ref=sr_1_6?crid=2YRG1Z1W459VL&keywords=socket+adapter+set&qid=1649254559&sprefix=Socket+a%2Caps%2C144&sr=8-6
 

Also another good set for reaching deeper located bolts and nuts 

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Draper-63530-Extension-Universal-Convertor/dp/B0002GUSPY/ref=sr_1_7?crid=W36EAJOH0S01&keywords=socket+extension+bar&qid=1649254755&sprefix=socket+ext%2Caps%2C158&sr=8-7

have those and you can do spark plugs on Prius and Auris hybrid without removing the wipers and all gear around. 👌👍

[Stivino]

2 hours ago, flash22 said:

Wheel nuts and bolts must be torqued to spec, especially alloys the same goes for brakes caliper bracket to hub being critical

What will happen if I don't torque them?

 

[flash22]

16 minutes ago, Stivino said:

What will happen if I don't torque them?

 

Bolts come loose and things fall off, usually causing extra head aches

[Stivino]

1 hour ago, flash22 said:

Bolts come loose and things fall off, usually causing extra head aches

That would only happen if something was left slack, not for the lack of a torque wrench. And, not because something was tighter than it should be.

[Davidhee58]

Hi All, thank you very much, all of your comments and advice really helps me, although there were different opinions about the torque wrench for DIY service, I do appreciate all of the points you guys made to me👍 

 

[flash22]

34 minutes ago, Stivino said:

That would only happen if something was left slack, not for the lack of a torque wrench. And, not because something was tighter than it should be.

No, if a bolt is not torqued correctly it can become loose, if the bolt is in a pattern and 1 is over torqued then pressure between the surfaces can cause premature wear, distortion or failure of the bolt or male/female threads, an over torqued bolt can stretch and cause stress fractures in the bolt and parent materials

 

[Stivino]

13 minutes ago, flash22 said:

No, if a bolt is not torqued correctly it can become loose, if the bolt is in a pattern and 1 is over torqued then pressure between the surfaces can cause premature wear, distortion or failure of the bolt or male/female threads, an over torqued bolt can stretch and cause stress fractures in the bolt and parent materials

 

Hypothetically you are correct.  However, in nearly fifty years man and boy at the game, I've never seen that happen.  So, I wouldn't loose any sleep over it.

[Roy124]

Stivino,  clue is 50 years.  You have probably picked up good habits even if you were not trained. 

If you have a flange secured by a ring of bolts I bet you fasten opposites and not adhacents.  I am sure you tighten them with two or more rotations. 

[Stivino]

2 minutes ago, Roy124 said:

If you have a flange secured by a ring of bolts I bet you fasten opposites and not adhacents.  I am sure you tighten them with two or more rotations. 

Pretty much, 1st bolt, opposite bolt then 90 degrees.

I am fully trained.

[Saxmaniac]

There's a difference between an experienced pro mechanic and a Diy amateur. The pro has the feel to torque up most bolts without needing torque wrench. An experienced amateur like me would use a torque wrench for critical things, suspension bolts, head bolts etc but not for sump plugs and oil filters as done hundreds. A beginner DIY might need more mechanical toys to help them along. Incidentally, I despair of any tyre place torquing wheel nuts correctly, I always just give them the wheels and fit them myself. The gorillas that work there don't use torque wrench but end up grossly overtightening them probably because they don't give a ****

[forkingabout]

Lads at the local tyre garage see no end of cars both main dealer serviced OR other garage worked on it last where wheel bolts / nuts have been over tightened with an impact gun.

They spin them on finger tight with the gun then torque wrench to the correct spec for the final tighten - it even surprises some customers as they say they have never seen a torque wrench used before. 

[tavy]

I saw a Hilux with all 20 bolts with thread destroyed due to over tightening and a RAV with two rims with holes ovalized due to under tightening. Both of them had alloy rims...

[Guest]

18 hours ago, Stivino said:

What will happen if I don't torque them?

 

You might over torque them to the stud/bolt elastic limit, then you're for it!

For peace of mind and at not great expense correct torque application is essential and has to be adviseable.

[Hornet3D]

Like a lot of things this is a bit of a hidden problem for, while it is true you can have many years of motoring without and incident or a torque wrench, that is not to say there are no incidents.   Wheel loss, particularly on motorways, is not unheard of although the this can be due to multiple causes.  At the end of the day it is a personal choice, the cost of a torque wrench against the possibility of loosing a wheel, however unlikely, at 70mph.  I suspect which decision you take may decide on you financial situation and the cost of the torque wrench, for me it is worth the cost just for peace of mind.

[Rob2012]

Had a few over torqued wheel nuts by tyre fitters, near impossible to remove even with a breaker bar.

I don't buy into this "nip it up till it feels tight".  After many DIY changing head gaskets, dual mass flywheels and snapping plenty of seized suspension and subframe bolts I would much rather use a torque wrench when fitting anything serious. I am sure seasoned pros 'just have feel for it' but as a mortal I would rather use the stated engineered tolerances.

Yes, I know you will have much less chance of snapping bolts during removal using impact wrenches rather than a breaker bar but why not just torque it right in the first place?

[Saxmaniac]

When I built my Norton commandos engine years back I asked an ex Norton man how you could get to a couple of inaccessible head bolts with a torque wrench,he gave a cryptic answer that (not in so many words) a real engineer could feel when it's right. I also heard a secondhand tale that a Rolls Royce  engineer would be sacked if found using a torque wrench! I would be interested to see the comments back in all that! Point is though, that as I said above, a vastly experienced engineet has that ability whereas a DIY person needs more help from a torque wrench. I trust myself with wheel nuts but do still use wrench as without, it's possible over time gradually to increase the torque without realising how your wheel nut muscles have developed!

[flash22]

50 years is a long time what you did back in the day may not be the done thing now - take the smaller engines blocks from vw or ford if you crack the mains loose without a jig in place you can warp the block, long gone are the days of 80-90 thou over bores you lucky to get 20 thou at most on anything modern

I have a background in electronics, tools had to be calibrated, housings and fastenings had to be torqued to spec, components needed to be in tight spec's - if you do it day in day out you get the feel for it like most professions, take an OCV the bolt is 7Nm - or finger tight and just nip it up

I'm not saying you need a torque wrench for every single fastener, But you need to where it counts also CYA comes into play if you're working on someone else's property

[Stivino]

You seem to think that through time, everything changed except me.

[flash22]

18 minutes ago, Stivino said:

You seem to think that through time, everything changed except me.

Old dogs, new tricks, and all that Jazz 😉 technology and engineering has moved on even in the last 10-15 years, just the advent of OBD/OBD2 and Multiplex Buses was a big game changer, roll on to the 2020s, and you have cars with 60 plus modules and fibre optic data buses with full system integration so much so the car can tell the mothership that you passed wind

Anyhow, i digress

[Stivino]

9 minutes ago, flash22 said:

Old dogs, new tricks, and all that Jazz 😉 technology and engineering has moved on even in the last 10-15 years, just the advent of OBD/OBD2 and Multiplex Buses was a big game changer, roll on to the 2020s, and you have cars with 60 plus modules and fibre optic data buses with full system integration so much so the car can tell the mothership that you passed wind

Anyhow, i digress

Yes, you do digress.

Thanks for the lecture.

[preperationlaunch]

You can knacker a new wheel bearing by overtightening it. 'Tight enough' is a very subjective thing and can end up leaving you with something that's far too loose, or far too tight. For the seconds it takes, there's not much excuse to not do things properly. Even caliper bolts can be stretch bolts. Honda like to use them on their bikes as a good example.

For the home mechanic, if you've been methodical and used a good wrench, you can be reasonably certain that everything is done up as it should be.

I've used garages that video themselves torquing wheel nuts to manufacturer spec too after a tyre change. I imagine it's a way to alleviate liability, but clearly, if tight enough was good enough, they wouldn't be doing that.

[TonyHSD]

Using a torque wrench also helps the mechanic diy or pro to develop vital feelings to precisely torque bolts and nuts afterwards with or without torque wrench. If you never had used one how would you know what is 10Nm or 25Nm for example? I don’t use it every time though but most of the times where possible and always on the wheel nuts. I also like the clicking sound they make , it’s kind of signature for a well done job imo ✅👨🏼‍🔧🔩

[davidif]

2 minutes ago, TonyHSD said:

Using a torque wrench also helps the mechanic diy or pro to develop vital feelings to precisely torque bolts and nuts afterwards with or without torque wrench. If you never had used one how would you know what is 10Nm or 25Nm for example? I don’t use it every time though but most of the times where possible and always on the wheel nuts. I also like the clicking sound they make , it’s kind of signature for a well done job imo ✅👨🏼‍🔧🔩

The 'Click' is strangely satisfyingly.

[roks]

I bought 2 sets of tools and 2 torque wrenches, a bacho 3/8 and 1/2in erimo?.

3/8 torque wrench is Halfords 10-80Nm I think. 

1/2 is a cheapo German brand cant remember name similar price 40-210Nm.....hub nut needed 210.

Bought both when I did the clutch job on my corolla, still use them regularly.