Torque wrench calibration

[Casper250]

I've had the same click style torque wrench for a while and I was just wondering if torque wrenches need to be recalibrated after a while? Is it worth it for the average person that works on their bike?

 

[braulsy]

As Long As Your Not Banging It Around You Should Be Fine. I Have 3 Snap On Torque Wrenches, They Say You Should Set Them To Zero (or As Low As They Go)before You Store Them

 

[Casper250]

Mine is a craftsmen and I'll be honest that it is not stored like the percision instrument that it is. I never misuse it for a breaker bar or anything, but i just toss it in the big drawer in my tool box.

Got another quick question. Are you supposed to lubricate the bolts with a light oil like WD30 when you are measuring torque?

 

[braulsy]

It Doesnt Hurt To Lube The Bolts, But Your Torque Wrench Should Be Stored In A Case, Most Of The Stuff I Work On Is Like 10-100 Inch Pounds, So All My Torque Wrenchs Are Stored In Hard Plastic Cases

 

[James]

It does hurt to lube the bolts if the torque spec you are using is for a dry unlubed bolt.

 

[DougRoost]

There was a great article on fastener technology in one of my car mags last year (Chevy High Performance I believe). Amazing how much there is to know on this subject. Bolts vs. studs, bolt stretch, bottom tapping threads in engines, all kinds of things.

The main things I learned are that torque settings are really just a shortcut or approximation of bolt stretch, since that's what really secures the fasterner, and they are absolutely specified with lubed threads (no other way to get consistent results). Unless otherwise stated by your fastener mfr, 30wt oil is the norm. Some companies, like ARP, specify their torque settings multiple ways: with their own special lube, 30wt, and anti-seize. For us dirt bikers, it's important to know that anti-seize compound requires a lower torque value be used than with 30wt oil.

I treat my torque wrench nice, always returning it to zero and storing it in its case. Still, it's over 10 years old so I keep thinking about sending it back to Sears for recalibration.

 

[DENNY]

If you pay the shipping I will calibrate your wrench. The industry standard is every 360 days.

 

[James]

The main things I learned are that torque settings are really just a shortcut or approximation of bolt stretch, since that's what really secures the fasterner, and they are absolutely specified with lubed threads (no other way to get consistent results). Unless otherwise stated by your fastener mfr, 30wt oil is the norm. Some companies, like ARP, specify their torque settings multiple ways: with their own special lube, 30wt, and anti-seize. For us dirt bikers, it's important to know that anti-seize compound requires a lower torque value be used than with 30wt oil.

It is also important to note that we are talking about dirt bikes and not cars or the norm. My Honda manual specifies that you torque them without putting oil on the threads - unless noted. I would suggest that everybody consult a manual for your bike as opposed to using second hand info from a car magazine.

It's your money.

 

[DougRoost]

It is also important to note that we are talking about dirt bikes and not cars or the norm. My Honda manual specifies that you torque them without putting oil on the threads - unless noted. I would suggest that everybody consult a manual for your bike as opposed to using second hand info from a car magazine.

It's your money.

Thanks James, you are of course correct. Let me just reiterate from my earlier post to be very careful if using anti-seize compound if your manual specifies torque values on dry threads, since they will require much less torque due to the antiseize compound's lubricating qualities.