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The day I snapped a bolt off in my engine block and figured out my torque wrench was junk
I was putting new heads on my 5.3 LS engine in Houston last summer and followed the torque sequence to the letter. Snapped a bolt clean off at 22 foot-pounds and nearly lost my mind. Turns out I was using a harbor freight torque wrench that was years past calibration and I never checked it. What tipped me off was when my buddy let me use his Snap-on digital and the click felt totally different. Anyone else spend years using the wrong tool because you just assumed it was fine?
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aaron67727d ago
Get yourself a beam style torque wrench as a backup. They don't lose calibration because there's no spring mechanism to wear out. I keep one in my box for situations like this where you're working on something expensive and aluminum. The old style ones from Proto or even the cheap Tekton beam wrenches will give you accurate readings forever as long as the needle isn't bent. Also, mark your torque wrench handle with a paint pen for the month and year you last checked it. Saved me after I snapped two ARP head bolts before I realized my digital one was reading 15 pounds high.
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My buddy snapped three studs on his Cummins before he realized his beam wrench was bent from dropping it on the shop floor. He still swears by the old style ones, just hangs it on a nail now.
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