Free torque wrench

[showcrop]

Anyone want a free torque wench? Only 20 years old and only occasional use. I am replacing the head gasket on my '67 Datsun roadster. When tightening the nuts onto the ARPs studs the pull effort was not feeling consistent. I would leave off from one that "felt" tight enough before the wrench clicked and go to the next. Then I went back to the first and it clicked without turning. Then I remembered that this was happening three months ago the last time that I used it. I stopped and took it to a friend's place to make a comparison. He broke loose and then tightened a lug nut to 160. I turned it back a little with mine then tightened it and it went almost 1/4 turn before clicking at 160 lb setting. I borrowed his to finish up, and three of eight nuts were already there. I have ordered a new one. It is a beam type. No more "clickers" for me.

 

[NDIHC]

Probably just needs cleaning and calibration. I have a couple of click, a dial and a digital. I take them to my snap on dealer periodically because he can test the calibration and he doesn't charge me for it.

 

[Butch(OH)]

Clickers are actually good tools but they can go out of calibration if left to sit in the tool box with the spring compressed, or if pulled heavily past the click or like anything else if they were cheapies to begin with. Any type can go out of calibration, the beam type is probably the most foolproof and tolorent of abuse

 

[M-MAN]

20 years is a good run for a torque wrench.

The plant I retired from bought me several el cheapo's that did like yours right out of the box. I gave them back and bought my own.

 

[Horsez2]

Where are you located? lol I'll take a free wrench

 

[showcrop]

Where are you located? lol I'll take a free wrench

NH, sorry it went to the transfer station a month ago.

 

[Mule Meat]

I have and use Snap On beam torque wrenches. I have them recalibrated about every two years. A local place does work for Snap On. It cost me about $100 to have one reworked.

Snap On guy told me once. The biggest mistake people make with torque wrenches is not releasing all of the spring tension when storing them. The beam type should be adjusted to the lowest setting and the lock lever unlocked.

 

[Geo-TH,In]

Anyone want a free torque wench? Only 20 years old and only occasional use. I am replacing the head gasket on my '67 Datsun roadster. When tightening the nuts onto the ARPs studs the pull effort was not feeling consistent. I would leave off from one that "felt" tight enough before the wrench clicked and go to the next. Then I went back to the first and it clicked without turning. Then I remembered that this was happening three months ago the last time that I used it. I stopped and took it to a friend's place to make a comparison. He broke loose and then tightened a lug nut to 160. I turned it back a little with mine then tightened it and it went almost 1/4 turn before clicking at 160 lb setting. I borrowed his to finish up, and three of eight nuts were already there. I have ordered a new one. It is a beam type. No more "clickers" for me.

I don't have confidence in a clicker torque wrench.
I have 2 old beam torque wrenches.
I use my clicker wrench as a breaker bar.

 

[caterpillar guy]

Untill about 30 years ago I tightened everything by feel and have not had problems and still use that feel with a torque wrench even though it will tell me what the setting or torque is I just still use feel for things. Just how I seem to work with things. Be they rod bearings or head bolts or just a bolt in a chain . I've got a couple click wrenches 1 is a 3/4 proto about 3 feet long and the second is a 1/2 snap on. For inch pounds I just divide by 12.

 

[showcrop]

Untill about 30 years ago I tightened everything by feel and have not had problems and still use that feel with a torque wrench even though it will tell me what the setting or torque is I just still use feel for things. Just how I seem to work with things. Be they rod bearings or head bolts or just a bolt in a chain . I've got a couple click wrenches 1 is a 3/4 proto about 3 feet long and the second is a 1/2 snap on. For inch pounds I just divide by 12.

If you read my OP again you may see how I was using my "feel" to decide that my torque wrench was suspect.

 

[Texasmark]

Anyone want a free torque wench? Only 20 years old and only occasional use. I am replacing the head gasket on my '67 Datsun roadster. When tightening the nuts onto the ARPs studs the pull effort was not feeling consistent. I would leave off from one that "felt" tight enough before the wrench clicked and go to the next. Then I went back to the first and it clicked without turning. Then I remembered that this was happening three months ago the last time that I used it. I stopped and took it to a friend's place to make a comparison. He broke loose and then tightened a lug nut to 160. I turned it back a little with mine then tightened it and it went almost 1/4 turn before clicking at 160 lb setting. I borrowed his to finish up, and three of eight nuts were already there. I have ordered a new one. It is a beam type. No more "clickers" for me.

I have both types...snap action and torsion bar. I prefer the torsion bar because I can keep track of where I am on the desired torque curve. On the snap action you just hold your breath that the thing will snap when its supposed to.

 

[Watthour]

It's pretty tough to beat a beam-type wrench for consistency. The Snap On "Torq-O-Meter" is merely an adaptation of the beam type, and is equally reliable. I have clickers and beams. The clickers are used most frequently for things like wheel lugs, suspension components, and other things which are not as sensitive to torque. Things like rod and main caps, head and intake bolts, hydraulic pumps and motors, checking preload on gear sets, and any TTY application get the beam type only, since there is usually no way to get those back once over-torqued.

 

[Texasmark]

It's pretty tough to beat a beam-type wrench for consistency. The Snap On "Torq-O-Meter" is merely an adaptation of the beam type, and is equally reliable. I have clickers and beams. The clickers are used most frequently for things like wheel lugs, suspension components, and other things which are not as sensitive to torque. Things like rod and main caps, head and intake bolts, hydraulic pumps and motors, checking preload on gear sets, and any TTY application get the beam type only, since there is usually no way to get those back once over-torqued.

Well scuse my ignorance, but to me it is a torsion bar thing and does have a couple of bars/shafts/rods (beams).....one that does the work and one that babysits it.

 

[Watthour]

That's about the right description. Unless the "work" beam or bar is damaged or distorted from excessive force or annealing, it's properties are pretty consistent. The Torq-O-Meter operates on the same principle but with a rack and pinion (like a dial caliper) to translate the "pointer" bar into rotational motion of a dial gauge. They're also very reliable.

The mechanism of a clicker style can lend itself to variation, even if routinely cleaned and lubricated, and stored with the spring fully decompressed. Keeping one clean, lubricated, and stored relaxed is the best that can be done to preserve them, but they can still eventually vary beyond acceptable ± tolerance.

 

[Texasmark]

That's about the right description. Unless the "work" beam or bar is damaged or distorted from excessive force or annealing, it's properties are pretty consistent. The Torq-O-Meter operates on the same principle but with a rack and pinion (like a dial caliper) to translate the "pointer" bar into rotational motion of a dial gauge. They're also very reliable.

The mechanism of a clicker style can lend itself to variation, even if routinely cleaned and lubricated, and stored with the spring fully decompressed. Keeping one clean, lubricated, and stored relaxed is the best that can be done to preserve them, but they can still eventually vary beyond acceptable ± tolerance.

Mine haven't been overstressed. I forget the max, 300#....150 is the max I ever needed.

 

[Fixingfarmer]

It’s amazing how you can tell it’s not right once you have done it awhile and feel before breaking the bolt it is pretty easy to tell the other way when it clicks way too early.

One thing that I never had was battery torque wrench it actually is more like a balance beam no click mechanism. I never had the money to justify it and was in the field wouldn’t have wanted to rely on batteries when it was 20 below and kept in the truck. However the 70 dollar hf 3/4 electric adapter I recently purchased I’ve been extremely pleased. You can use your long handled 3/4 snap on ratchet and couple it between the ratchet and extension. Tells you where you stopped at. If you wanted to do something crazy get around something you could wobble over to it twice and since it is still inline on top of that socket it will be accurate. That would normally be a big no no. It replaced a snap on 1000 dollar torque wrench that would move when set I have never had a CLICK type torque wrench move randomly after about 20 bolts it would be 40 lbs down all of a sudden you could look a bolt before and it would be fine. it got sent in did the same darn thing. Normally I like my snap on stuff. I got pretty lucky that a previous employer had bought the thing and when I had to get a big one on my own for truck lug nuts I knew not to do that.
My little ones are still snap on clicks and there’s a craftsman half around.

 

[DoubleO7]

Any wrench and a pull scale can be a torque wrench.

 

[jimg.allentown]

Over the years, I have used both beam type and click type torque wrenches. The clickers are better for tight spots where it is hard to see a gauge or pointer. However, even the beam type can get out of calibration. Ever hear of "hysteresis?"
One thing is sure. As long as I have used click type torque wrenches, I have not had any engine failures or transmission failures due to torque wrench calibration.
The MAIN reason for using a torque wrench on things like head bolts is to ensure EVENLY tightened bolts. Clamping force is the product of the combined clamping force of all of the head bolts. When there are significant differences from one to the next, warpage can result. Same thing with a valve body in a transmission or the front pump bolts.
Nothing catastrophic will result from head bolts being off by a couple of foot-pounds. Same with transmission parts or a ring gear.
No reason to overthink it. Not to mention that with experience, you really can tell by the feel if a torque wrench is working OK.