Toyspeed.org.nz Message Board

Talking with the GF's grandad (retired aircraft engineer); he reckons an overtight bolt is every bit as bad, if not worse, then an undertight bolt.

Which got me thinking - how do you know when a bolt is tight enough? Or do many of you use a torque wrench to get it right?

I'm referring to the bigger stuff here; sump plugs, large bolts, wheel nuts, etc.

i always use a torque wrench when giving flat peakers the bash

Yeah I use a torque wrench.
Not on sump bungs though! I do on wheel nuts.

Yeah, on wheel nuts and engine internals

Definitely when tightening stuff into alloy!

Dell'Orto wrote:Definitely when tightening stuff into alloy!

Relates to you latest "what did you do to your car today" contribution?

No that was done with a torque wrench too but its hyper easy to strip threads in alloy if you use a breaker bar

Dell'Orto wrote: but its hyper easy to strip threads in alloy if you use a breaker bar

$&#$% AYE it is!!

Use one occasionally. Don't really do anything critical but the likes of wheel nuts it's handy for getting them all consistently tight. Other things I just use the right size tool as it's easier to know when it's tight. No 1/2" breaker bar on a 6mm bolt etc.

Haha we used one bolting the head back on dads mini but the torque wrench was wrong so when it was set at 50 it was act at 80 so we keeped going til the click and ended up snapping the stud in the block lol

Only ever use it on wheel nuts (don't normally do any other work that requires it). Usually get it about right but check to be sure.

Wheel nuts, and important internal bolts etc

I have only ever used one on headstuds and conrods/mains.
Everything else I do by hand.

Everything inside the long block, and flywheel bolts + engine/gearbox mounts and sometimes wheel nuts.

matt dunn wrote:I have only ever used one on headstuds and conrods/mains.
Everything else I do by hand.

This. And cam bearing caps depending on the engine


People on here seriously use torque wrenches on wheel nuts??? I've only ever done that on rally cars

I do when working on other peoples cars

I do it as it's a quick way to know they are all at the same 'tightness'. No other reason.

Hmm... I've been looking for a while and based on the replies, I think I should invest in one.

They seem remarkably hard to come by (at least where I shop - mitre 10, BNT, ripco, supercheap etc) and the last few I've come across were around $200.

$200.... That's cheap. .
http://tradetools.co.nz/products/3755380

Its almost as tall as me. I want one to hang on the workshop wall.

A teng or other cheapish torque wrench can be had for a hundy in 3/8 which covers everything from cam caps to crank bolt on a 3s.

Use them all the time at work on just about everything that could be a problem if it came off. Got a Torque wrench in every size from 1/4" to 1" inclusive. The 1" wrench is almost twice my height On my stuff I don't use it as much. Wheelnuts, brakes/suspension/steering, major engine bolts etc