How to use a Torque Wrench PROPERLY
How to use a Torque Wrench PROPERLY
Torque wrench torque specs. Learn to properly use and maintain a torque wrench. Using a torque wrench on nuts and bolts is important to make sure the bolt is tightened to the correct tightness or torque. In this video I show how to use a torque wrench, give a few torque wrench top tips, also go over many questions people have about torque wrenches.
Here is the torque wrench I use: http://amzn.to/1UYstzW
How to Check Torque Wrench Calibration: COMING SOON!!!
How to Use a Torque Wrench (My Old Video): • How to use a Torque Wrench
OBDII Scanner Review: • BlueDriver OBD2 Diagnostic Scan Tool …
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Due to factors beyond the control of ChrisFix, I cannot guarantee against improper use or unauthorized modifications of this information. ChrisFix assumes no liability for property damage or injury incurred as a result of any of the information contained in this video. Use this information at your own risk. ChrisFix recommends safe practices when working on vehicles and or with tools seen or implied in this video. Due to factors beyond the control of ChrisFix, no information contained in this video shall create any expressed or implied warranty or guarantee of any particular result. Any injury, damage, or loss that may result from improper use of these tools, equipment, or from the information contained in this video is the sole responsibility of the user and not ChrisFix. Copyright 2015 ChrisFix All rights reserved.
Content
0.48 -> Hey guys, ChrisFix here
2.08 -> and today I'm gonna show you how to properly use a torque wrench.
4.52 -> A torque wrench is used to tighten down nuts and bolts to a specific torque.
8.9 -> You should use a torque wrench because you can easily over-tighten nuts and bolts
12.68 -> and damage the threads.
14.28 -> Or, you could even snap the bolt head right off.
17.1 -> Also, if you don't tighten nuts and bolts enough,
19.54 -> they could come loose, which would be very bad.
22.48 -> All torque is is a rotational force, or a twisting force
26.08 -> and while working on cars, you'll be rotating a nut or a bolt.
30.1 -> And that can be while working on different parts of the car, such as the suspension,
33.58 -> the wheels, the brakes,
35.18 -> and even while working on the engine.
36.72 -> So let me show you how to use a torque wrench
38.62 -> All these right here are torque wrenches.
40.96 -> We have a 1/2" drive, we have a 3/8" drive, and we have a 1/4" drive.
45.28 -> and then here's the one I use all the time, which is a 1/2" drive.
48.28 -> Now let's say we want to torque down the lug nuts on a wheel.
51.32 -> Most wheels, the lug nuts are tightened to 100 lb-ft of torque.
55.44 -> And yes, the right way to say it is "pound-feet" of torque
58.72 -> not "foot-pounds" of torque.
60.46 -> But, everyone says "foot-pounds" of torque — I even say "foot-pounds" of torque
64.04 -> and it's really not that important how you say it.
65.86 -> But anyway, get your click-adjustable torque wrench
68.68 -> which is the most common type of torque wrench
70.34 -> and what we're talking about in this video.
71.72 -> So, to adjust the torque wrench, the first thing you do is you go down to the end here
75.2 -> and you loosen this little knob down here
77.42 -> and that allows the handle to freely move back and forth
80.32 -> You want to make sure you're using the correct units
83.1 -> in this case we're using foot-pounds
84.7 -> but if we go to the other side of this wrench
86.56 -> you can see here there [are] different units
88.54 -> because not everybody uses foot-pounds
90.56 -> and then what we're going to do is we're going to look for 100.
93.1 -> So our torque is 100 foot-pounds, you can see
96 -> right there we have 100 foot-pounds
98.3 -> so what we're going to do is we're going to rotate this
102.62 -> until our 0 right here
104.6 -> meets that 100 foot-pound line right there
107.48 -> so now we're going to just turn this handle until that 0 mark lines up with the 100 mark.
112.9 -> So right now our 0 is lined up to that one
115.46 -> which is 90 foot-pounds
117.18 -> We want to get to 100
120.6 -> So that would be 91, 92, 93
123.76 -> 96, 97, 98
126.8 -> 99, 100
127.82 -> The zero lines up with 100
130.14 -> And we are set to 100 foot-pounds
132.62 -> If you wanted to do 99
133.98 -> you just move it one click down
136.34 -> and that's 99, 98
138.7 -> right there.
139.74 -> If we want 101
142.06 -> We go 100
143.06 -> and 1
143.92 -> 102
145.18 -> 102.
146 -> Once we have it all lined up
147.76 -> you're going to take your locknut back here
150.16 -> and then turn it clockwise
151.92 -> until it locks this in place, so your torque spec doesn't change
154.88 -> when you're trying to tighten it down.
156.34 -> Then all you do is you get your torque wrench, put your socket on your torque wrench
159.82 -> put it on the lug nut
160.96 -> you put your hand on the handle part that you were adjusting before
165.1 -> and you tighten.
166.22 -> And the click means that you've reached your desired torque.
170.2 -> so you're done.
171.08 -> Move on to the next lug nut that you want to torque down.
174.3 -> It's as simple as it looks,
176.06 -> just tighten it until it clicks,
177.4 -> and then you're good to go.
178.56 -> Now I know the lug nuts are the correct tightness
180.66 -> so I don't have to worry about damaging the studs
182.7 -> or having the wheel fall off.
184.32 -> And that's really all there is to it
186.64 -> it's very simple to do
187.96 -> nothing complex at all.
189.26 -> As easy as these things are to use,
191.08 -> there are a lot of top tips that I can give you.
193.08 -> Such as, where do I get my torque specs?
194.88 -> How do you take care of these? Where do you store them?
197.1 -> What about the calibration?
198.78 -> Can I use extensions?
200.22 -> And another big question is: where do I get a good torque wrench?
203.2 -> So the first top tip I want to cover is, where do I get my torque specs?
208.06 -> This is where I get my torque specs from.
210.7 -> I buy the service manuals for the cars I own because I know I'm going to work on them.
213.94 -> And the service manual tells you the basic steps to repair the part
216.84 -> and it gives you the torque specs for the nuts and bolts
219.1 -> that you're going to tighten down.
220.16 -> The other method to get a torque spec
222.2 -> is to just do a search online.
223.64 -> For example, if I'm working on a Trailblazer,
225.54 -> and I want to get the axle nut torque spec,
227.3 -> I'll search "2004 trailblazer axle nut torque."
230.58 -> And you can see there are a bunch of relevant results
233.44 -> and this guy says 103 lb-ft
235.82 -> and he says he's quoting the service manual.
237.74 -> So those are the two methods I use.
239.58 -> The next top tip is taking care of your torque wrench so it lasts a long time.
243.42 -> Make sure you don't drop this or impact it hard
246.44 -> when you're turning this, because that could throw off the calibration.
249.36 -> Sure, if you drop it once,
250.8 -> you know, it's not gonna mess it up.
252.52 -> But if you're constantly dropping it, or you drop it from really high up,
255.42 -> you know, this is probably gonna knock out of calibration.
257.72 -> The other thing is, you want to keep this dry
259.88 -> and out of places it could get rusty.
261.8 -> Most torque wrenches come in a case, so use it.
264.76 -> This case protects it from moisture and shock.
266.94 -> But before you put it in a case,
268.64 -> you want to remember something:
270.1 -> inside this torque wrench is a spring,
271.92 -> which is under pressure.
273 -> The more you tighten the torque wrench handle,
275.16 -> the more pressure there is on the spring.
277.06 -> When you store the torque wrench, you want to store it [at] the lowest setting.
279.86 -> So loosen it up all the way,
281.46 -> and once you get it all the way loose,
283.8 -> tighten it,
284.6 -> a little bit past the lowest setting.
286.52 -> That'll keep slight tension on the spring
288.32 -> so it's not completely loose
289.8 -> but the spring will be unloaded
291.5 -> and it'll make your wrench stay in calibration a lot longer.
294.34 -> Remember, torque wrenches are precision pieces of equipment
297.16 -> so treat them that way.
298.02 -> The other thing is, you don't want to use your torque wrench as a breaker bar
301.24 -> or as a normal ratchet.
302.4 -> Use a breaker bar — that's why you have breaker bars.
305.06 -> These are made to take the strain.
306.78 -> You're going to wear the components in this out if you use it that much.
309.48 -> The other thing is
310.64 -> don't be using this as your ratchet to tighten this up all the way
313.54 -> tighten it up most of the way with a ratchet first
315.86 -> and then once it gets snug
317.32 -> then you can use your torque wrench.
318.34 -> And then that will just keep your calibration longer
321.14 -> and you won't have to send it in for service.
323.02 -> Now, speaking about calibration,
324.78 -> when should these torque wrenches be calibrated?
326.76 -> On average, torque wrenches should be calibrated at least once a year
331.72 -> or every 5,000 clicks.
333.24 -> So for most DIYers, once a year is going to work.
336.16 -> And now getting your torque wrench calibrated
337.68 -> could be kind of expensive
339.52 -> It ranges from $25 to $75
341.12 -> depending on who does it
342.38 -> plus shipping if you have to ship it out
344.1 -> So what I'll do is I'll test my torque wrench
346.64 -> to see if it's in spec
347.84 -> and I'll show you that in a different video
349.54 -> but you can actually do that yourself
350.96 -> so you're not shipping this out and spending a lot of money
353.04 -> especially if you don't use it that often.
355.2 -> Now another top tip I have is using extensions.
358.32 -> A lot of people are like, "Oh, you can't use extensions with torque wrenches
361.12 -> because then the torque won't be exact."
362.66 -> And, well, that's not completely true.
364.86 -> You want to try to use thicker extensions.
367.02 -> You can see these are 3/8" extensions
369.1 -> so they're more likely to have a little bit of twist to them.
371.8 -> But these 1/2" extensions take a lot of force to twist.
375.22 -> You have to realize, when you're working on cars,
377.36 -> sometimes you have to use extensions
379.34 -> just to get to the nut or bolt.
380.86 -> Now, the extensions that you shouldn't be using
383.16 -> when you're torquing stuff
384.48 -> are universal joint extensions that have a lot of play in them
387.18 -> and also wobble adapters, or wobble sockets
389.78 -> which have a lot of play in them.
391 -> because this will mess up your torque reading and torque spec.
393.92 -> The final thing I want to cover is
395.56 -> what torque wrench should you get?
396.94 -> Well, there's two different things you have to look at
398.68 -> the first thing, you need to figure out what drive torque wrench you want.
401.72 -> And the drive is what size the stud is.
404.2 -> So here we have 1/4" drive, here we have 3/8" drive, and here we have 1/2" drive.
409.34 -> So if your socket says 3/8,
410.86 -> you might consider getting a 3/8.
412.64 -> But that's not the only thing to think about.
414.6 -> The other thing you have to think about is what torque spec
417.5 -> you're going to typically torque down your nuts and bolts to.
420.1 -> So the 1/4" drive
422.28 -> uses inch-pounds
423.4 -> which is for tightening smaller nuts and bolts
425.62 -> I typically don't use this.
426.94 -> And then we have the 3/8" drive
428.56 -> and the 1/2" drive
430.06 -> The 1/2" drive goes from 20
432.84 -> to 150 ft-lb
434.18 -> which is the range that I like, this is what I use most of the time.
437.22 -> And the 3/8" drive
438.82 -> goes from 10 to 80 ft-lb,
441.02 -> which is a decent range
442.44 -> but a lot of times, especially [like when] we just did the lug nuts
445.36 -> we won't be able to use this.
446.36 -> So once you figure out what size drive you want,
448.8 -> and what torque range you're going to be using the most,
451.3 -> you want to figure out what price range you're in.
453.6 -> The more expensive wrenches like SnapOn
455.86 -> are definitely better
457.14 -> but you can get a decent, inexpensive wrench.
459.26 -> This is inexpensive, and I've had it for a few years now,
461.68 -> it's what I use in all my videos
463.2 -> No need to break the bank
464.8 -> 1/2" drive
466.06 -> 20 to 150 ft-lb
467.8 -> and it's what I recommend to everybody.
469.74 -> I'll leave a link in the description
471.16 -> to a torque wrench that is a good price
473.22 -> and is really good quality for the price.
475.26 -> It's not gonna break the bank, you'll be able to buy it yourself,
477.58 -> and use it at home, it's good for all the DIYers, home mechanics,
480.58 -> but those are things that you have to think about.
483 -> So now you should know everything you need to know about torque wrenches!
486 -> Hopefully the video was helpful! If it was,
488.74 -> remember to give a thumbs-up. If you're not subscribed,
490.2 -> consider subscribing!
Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3v3hLvuO_KU