What brand torque wrench do you guys use?
Is sears good for doing small crap like a water pump on my LT1

 

Sears top line torque wrenches are perfectly fine. Just make sure and take care of them. No question on Snap-On. Only problems I've ever had were with the cheap Auto Parts stuff.

 

Any name brand "clicker" tq wrench is ok, stay away from the old style needle, pointer crap.

When you store it put all settings back to zero.

David

 

The needle ones actually hold calibration unlike clickers. Problem with them is the user being able to read them well in a position they can apply the necessary force.

 

I know 2 engine builders and thats all they will use. They have the clickers and the vibrating ones etc etc. and prefer the older type.

I have all sizes of snap on clickers but after using the old dial type I prefer those.

And I mean the ones with the circle dial not the cheap ones with the needle and little gauge.


I have never touqued a waterpump.....

 

Niether have I. Just got to get a feel for things.

 

I have 4 different styles of torque wrenches, including a certified/calibrated electronic strain gauge, a modern Sears clicker, a 50+ year old antique Snap On dial type, and a simple Craftsman beam type gauge that I originally gave to my father 53 years ago. The beam type (aka: "old style needle, pointer crap") is just as accurate and reliable as all the rest.

 

i have to agree with that, although my snap on shortie with swivel head is much quicker and easier, especially in tight areas

and i thought water pump torque was just tight

 

The one I was referring to is the sweep style pointer. Those are crap.

The old "gauge" type with the rotating needle is ok if you can read it. I prefer the clicker of digital....all I have are clickers.

David

 

Yes. Sears torque wrenches are fine, but more importantly you don't need much accuracy in torquing water pump bolts. 99% of the torque specs on a car are there simply to keep simians from overtightening.

 

We know what you were talking about, we just have better grasp of the facts than you do. The needle that stays straight while the beam defects is accurate if made right in the first place and maintain calibration better than most other designs, unless overstressed and permanently deflected. Sometimes simple can be good, less to go wrong.

 

I actually tested a bunch of torque wrenches on a Snap-On torque wrench tester in our gauge and metrology department - it is used for calibration purposes. I had two expensive Snap-On wrenches from the speed shop that was machining my engine block as well as 5 of my own torque wrenches, which included 2 Craftsman ones, a Proto, a dial one from McMaster-Carr, and one from Taiwan used for my lug nuts. Anyway the Sears Craftsman clicker wrenches were +-1 or 2 lb throughout the useful range (usually +-1). The Snap-Ons werent near as good and they had just been calibrated at Snap-On about 6-8 months ago - one was 5-7 lb across the range and the other was off by 10 lb or so in the 60-70 lb range. The little Proto was really close as was the dial one, and the Taiwan lug nut wrench was off by +7 on the high end and -7 on the low end so I set it to be accurate for 80 lb where I use it. So in conclusion, my inexpensive Craftsmans were more accurate than the expensive ones the speed shop was using to assemble engines with. I know theirs get used every day, but it still gave me piece of mind that I was doing my own short block assembly with accurately calibrated wrenches and not letting the shop do it.

 

LMAO


OK

 

I use a Pittsburg clicker. Never used a torque wrench on a w/p though. Just choke up on the wrench and get it tight.

 

Very true, and based on sound principles of structural design and strength of materials. Not based on some sort of hokey, empirical formula.....