bad readings on a torque wrench?

[Chili]

If its a clicker torque wrench it should be unscrewed and turned down as low as it will go every time you're done using it. If it has sat stored for a long period without being turned down, it will be out of calibration.

I learned that lesson the hard way years ago with a Snap-On inch pound torque wrench.

Good information, I was not aware of that.

I've wondered the same thing about the extensions, as I cannot get my torque wrench on my lug nuts without one, since the tires interfere.

[beefed88]

If its a clicker torque wrench it should be unscrewed and turned down as low as it will go every time you're done using it. If it has sat stored for a long period without being turned down, it will be out of calibration.

I learned that lesson the hard way years ago with a Snap-On inch pound torque wrench.

Yes, something many people do not know. At my job this is a "go to" item for the FAA to see how we store our torque wrenches.

[Sleeper]

All snap on trucks used to have checkers on them to make sure your tq wrench is still in calibration.

Some require you to take all tension off the spring and some require it to be set at zero.

[ceyko]

Can they be re-calibrated cheaply or is it a throw away type thing once it is out of whack?

[71chevellejohn]

Can they be re-calibrated cheaply or is it a throw away type thing once it is out of whack?

There are services that calibrate them. For Matco, Snap-on types just talk to your dealer.

[Cooter]

Snap-On says to store clickers at 20% of rated torque unless it's a TQR series, which can be stored at any value.

Example: I store my 150 CDI/Snap-On at 30ftlbs.

[ELVIS]

If its a clicker torque wrench it should be unscrewed and turned down as low as it will go every time you're done using it. If it has sat stored for a long period without being turned down, it will be out of calibration.

I learned that lesson the hard way years ago with a Snap-On inch pound torque wrench.

thats solid info. ive got a cheap (less the $100) torque wrench, but for the amount of times ive had to use it i would hate to buy another one.

The bearing inner race should be the only thing touching the bolt/bracket, are there signs of anything else touching?

nothing at all.


soooooooooooo.....im back from lunch where i took the belt off, made sure all pulleys were spinning freely. i pulled the 2 idlers off and there is no sign of any melting. im assuming the smell i got this morning was the remnants of the first pully that melted because i included the washers it came with. so, still on the second pulley of which i did not use the washers (just like it was when i took the original squealing pulley off). keeping hope alive..... thanks for all the help gents!

god bless.

[0393gt]

I thought I got a bad pulley recently, turned out the pully was a smaller diameter and it caused the belt to touch in a different spot. Got a shorter belt.

[Cooter]

Those cheap husky, craftsman, harbor freight, etc. wrenches actually work decent. My advice to get consistency out of them is to set them well above what you need them at and click them out ten times or so.

On the calibration stand, your lesser quality wrenches come way up as fast as consistency after 4-5 clicks.

So if you're torquing to 40ftlbs, set the wrench on 75-100 and put it on something that's set higher. (A lug nut on one of my trucks, for example) and click that SOB out ten/twenty times, and I bet it's as accurate as a Snap-On is on its second or third click

[Tremor14]

never changed a pulley!

[4king]

I use the $12 torque wrench with the dial on it. I verify my inch pound wrenches by testing them on my dial wrench first

Clicker styles just seem to give random readings within 3ft lbs of each other, but maybe I just had a bad one

[Rick Modena]

I keep my Snap On TQ wrench on -0- when not in use.

[Ruffdaddy]

Just use some weight and distance to verify the reading...

[Tremor14]

honestly turning wrenches for a living tought me to torque by feel (obvs on big shit with high tolerances) but i rarely ever break out my torque wrench

if it's 100 ft/lbs i give it my all, if it's 20 ft/lbs i give it 40% of my all and call it good. i've never had any problems. inch pounds would be a different story but i still just torque til i feel it's good.

[Cooter]

I go by feel on things, but any critical fasteners get torqued with a calibrated wrench