No, should be for tightening to avoid over tightening or shearing
Opinions on this trolley jack?
- Thread starter AnthonyH
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Opinions on this trolley jack?
In the past the torque wrench wasn't also a ratchet, however even so I find it quicker to nip up the nuts/bolts with a normal socket and small ratchet, before what is often a long process of torquing to one stage , then another followed by so many degrees etc. Some even that a couple of times on some stretch bolts.
The current mechanic method is to wind the bolt in full blast with an impact gun, after a few Ugger-duggers check the tightness wirh the torque wrench if it clicks then must be perfect
Kind of. Suspension parts used to be very much like that. Tighten them down firmly with a socket and ratchet then snug them down finally to the torque setting with the torque wrench. Head bolts were often taken down in stages strictly in the order the manufacturer specified. so maybe just tightened slightly more than finger tight with a spanner/ratchet/whatever. Then tightened with the torque wrench to, say, 3/4 of the final figure, then again down to just under the final figure and lastly to the final figure. It varied as to how many stages and actual torque applied depending on engine and manufacturer.
There is a problem with using torque wrenches though and that's friction. When you're tightening a head down what's of greatest interest is how much the head gasket is being crushed and that means how much nearer the block face the head is getting. The torque wrench though is measuring how much effort is being put into turning the bolt (or nut). So, unless the threads are in the most prefect condition (and there's great argument over whether they should be lubed and with what lubricant) what you're measuring has little relationship to how tight the head is being forced onto the block and much more about how tight the bolt is in it's threads. So, these days what they mostly do is "angle tightening". The bolt/nut is taken down to a nominal reading with a torque wrench first. These torque figures are quite low, maybe just 20lbs/ft. this is purely to settle the head squarely on the gasket and take up any free space and establish a stable staring point. From that point on it's angle tightened, usually more than once. So maybe 90 degrees on all bolts in the correct sequence and then 45 degrees to finish off. The advantage here is that friction and resistance to turning is not an issue so you can say with confidence that half a turn on a bolt will advance the bolt head by half the thread pitch which will exert a certain crushing effect on the gasket. In my view a much better way of ensuring a good seal is achieved. - I won't get into "stretch" bolts here.
A lot of "terrible" things get done in the interests of speed and reduction of effort on the operative's part - It stinks!
One of the biggest things to learn about using a torque wrench is to tighten continuously as you approach the set figure. If you stop turning the fitting as you get near to the set figure the wrench will click off when you try to start turning it again as it takes extra turning effort to start it turning again if you stop. Has to be one nice smooth tightening movement over about the last third or quarter of a turn and, equally important, stop immediately when it clicks to avoid over tightening.
And i know a few people that broke the weld on the captive nut inside the body with this monkey approach.
I'm sure you put wheel on with the same method....
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I bought a Parkside torque wrench from Lidl this afternoon, and picked up new rod ends from GSF.
The torque wrench is the best £15 i've spent for a long time. I tightened up the 6 subframe bolts as suggested to 130NM. The wrench gave a satisfying click as each bolt got into place, and just the simple action of having a wrench with a big lever was a boon. I've been using a breaker bar for this type of tightening which somewhat broke my elbows lol.
I'm looking to get the wheels back on the car tomorrow and then tighten up the suspension parts, i'm not sure how possible that'll be with the tyres on but i'll find out. I'm going away for a few days on Sunday, so some of this job may have to wait.
The torque wrench is the best £15 i've spent for a long time. I tightened up the 6 subframe bolts as suggested to 130NM. The wrench gave a satisfying click as each bolt got into place, and just the simple action of having a wrench with a big lever was a boon. I've been using a breaker bar for this type of tightening which somewhat broke my elbows lol.
I'm looking to get the wheels back on the car tomorrow and then tighten up the suspension parts, i'm not sure how possible that'll be with the tyres on but i'll find out. I'm going away for a few days on Sunday, so some of this job may have to wait.
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This happened on a couple of the bolts, I was in too much rush to try the torque wrench and didn't read this message closely enough. So those two are probably under-tightened a bit, i'll check tomorrow.
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I can see why a lot of cars of this age get scrapped rather than a new subframe.
My wife just called it a learning curve, she's all for me learning a new skill, and it got me out of helping with the dishes
My wife just called it a learning curve, she's all for me learning a new skill, and it got me out of helping with the dishes
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Remember to slacken the setting off once you've finished before putting it away...
I got a Lidl one YEARS ago guessing 25 years so just got myself a new one put them side by side tonight doing the shocks on the wife's panda and there was nothing in it when I run one against the other .. the old one at the time I had a Saturday job in a old school tool shop who happened to have a calibration tool for torque wrenches the old repair man said it was spot on at the time it was identical to the CK branded units
It's good to hear of good working cheap tools, I have always turned my nose up at Parkside and other products like that, but bought a Power Products hedge trimmer which has stood a lot of abuse over many years, but bought it from B&Q on price and power/watts, in fairness a good buy.
I bought a few parkside battery tools for the allotment on the pretense if they get pinched I've not lost much... I got a battery rattle gun 1/2" drive and fit general DIY car use it's been ok.. it's not a DeWalt or a Milwaukee but it does what's needed .. I did kill a fresh out the box metabo running down some wheel bolts got to the 9th nut and all the smoke escaped from the vents hadn't even torqued them up just running to the hub flange .. un/fortunately the boss was stood watching me so i told him to take it back and tell them how little use its had.....It's good to hear of good working cheap tools, I have always turned my nose up at Parkside and other products like that, but bought a Power Products hedge trimmer which has stood a lot of abuse over many years, but bought it from B&Q on price and power/watts, in fairness a good buy.
It's never going to rival big kit I like my Bristol socket sets and guard them they will never get lent out or borrowed.. I did once growl at a old "mate" who dropped the ratchet on the floor and scraped the coating very few people respect your tools / kit from experience
I still have Britool combination spanners from the 1970s and an American Proto pair of Mole grips I paid 30 bob (£1.50 ) for as an apprentice, when a genuine pair of Mole grips was 19/6d (just under a £1) the other mechanics said I was a ****, but they still grip better than many others 50 + years later
We used to have an old boy in the garage who if someone asked to borrow a tool would beckon them to the far end of the workshop and point to a sign he had made, it said "the man who lends tools is out!"
We used to have an old boy in the garage who if someone asked to borrow a tool would beckon them to the far end of the workshop and point to a sign he had made, it said "the man who lends tools is out!"
Think it's a 'horses for courses' thing.
As a retired aircraft engineer, had always been used to using 'high quality' tools, and when purchasing mine years ago, went for 'names' for my kit, as aircraft engineering requires 'decent' kit. Mitutoyo or Moore & Wright for the mics, and verniers, etc, Britool and 'King Dick' for spanners, sockets, etc, and Dormer for drills, as they were in constant use, day in, day out, and needed to be reliable. (all our measuring equipment had to be calibrated regularly by the calibration dept, and tickets issued for them before we were allowed to use them on the shop floor Even torque wrenches were checked as well) .
Now I am retired, I don't do as much as I did at work, so, if I need a piece of equipment, I realistically look at how much use it will get, and get something appropriately priced. Found some of Lidl/Aldi stuff quite good for the money, not something I'd want to use on the factory floor, but more than adequate for my own needs. There is some reasonable quality stuff out there, but also a lot of cheap dross. I prefer to actually buy from a local shop where I can see the item and check it before parting with the cash.
I have kit I purchased when I started as an apprentice over 50 years ago, and they are still good as the day I got them, but sadly, too many 'old imperial' bits, now we are all metric!!
I was in B&Q the other day and noticed they have some torque wrenches, it’s a very small section but they do have a few bits meant for car repair.
Anyway the torque wrenches were £40~ or there abouts and to look at, even the box was pretty much the same as the Lidl version.
I think that park side tools are good “enough” you’re not going to use them if you’re a professional but for the occasional use that a home user would get, they do the job and most of their stuff has a 3 year waranty.
Anyway the torque wrenches were £40~ or there abouts and to look at, even the box was pretty much the same as the Lidl version.
I think that park side tools are good “enough” you’re not going to use them if you’re a professional but for the occasional use that a home user would get, they do the job and most of their stuff has a 3 year waranty.
If you want to reset them then slacken them off by about one turn, snug them up again with a spanner or whatever and then finally torque down in one smooth, not too fast, action until it clicks. I'm always just a little nervous doing this because if there's something defective about the bolt or the hole it's being screwed into you're increasing the chances of it breaking or stripping the thread - but usually you'll be fine.
After you've set the wrench up to the torque figure and before you apply it to the work, remember to always click the wrench off a couple of times on a test piece before using just to check it's not jammed or malfunctioning in some way. Apologies to whoever it was earlier in this thread who has already mentioned this but I think it's worth repeating. Doing this also lets you feel how much force is being applied before you tackle the "real thing" so you get "dialed in" to what it's going to feel like. Maybe its a good thing to do with a new wrench too as it'll help to smooth out it's action before using on the job itself? I have an old Lambda sensor socket which I hold in my vice and use the torque wrench on that.
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I've read and understood, thanks.
I'm currently sitting out the rain, its going to be sunny later though.
I'm currently sitting out the rain, its going to be sunny later though.
I rather liked the quite polite sticker many of us had on our tool boxes: "Please don't ask to borrow my tools as the refusal may offend" One of the tool trucks sold them, not the Snap On man though I remember.I still have Britool combination spanners from the 1970s and an American Proto pair of Mole grips I paid 30 bob (£1.50 ) for as an apprentice, when a genuine pair of Mole grips was 19/6d (just under a £1) the other mechanics said I was a ****, but they still grip better than many others 50 + years later
We used to have an old boy in the garage who if someone asked to borrow a tool would beckon them to the far end of the workshop and point to a sign he had made, it said "the man who lends tools is out!"
Hope it clears up for you soon. Quite nice up here just now, cloudy but not raining. I'm trying to get up the enthusiasm to mow my grass and take the hedge cutter to some of my bushes. Maybe another coffee will help?
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Yes our garden has grown like wildfire this summer, all the rain sent the greenery up by yards. I do like gardening, but the tidiness doesn't last.
I had to give up coffee, i always had it super strong and to mask that I had 3 or 4 sugars and the dental visits were getting a bit much. The caffeine certainily woke me up though! lol
