JHZR2
Staff member
Depends upon the bolt. For a head job for example,
I’d prefer the consistency and simplicity I think. It is a lot of money to do just a few, especially since I have a collection of quality regular TWs.
$329 torque wrench at Harbor Freight
- Thread starter Donald
- Start date
I’d prefer the consistency and simplicity I think. It is a lot of money to do just a few, especially since I have a collection of quality regular TWs.
Head job is more than a few. 8, 10 maybe a dozen or more.
I have the Napa version. Electratorque or something.
It's ok, but not a huge fan. Buttons are way too easy to hit while using nd change settings. If it bumps into torque angle mode, it seizes up for a few mins until any button responds. SUPER annoying.
It's ok, but not a huge fan. Buttons are way too easy to hit while using nd change settings. If it bumps into torque angle mode, it seizes up for a few mins until any button responds. SUPER annoying.
25-30+ on some engines. Even most little 4 cylinder engines have around 10-12
I've been torque turning on Caterpillar diesels for years. Always used a paint pen. I was surprised to see the OEMs start doing it.
I need to get my Harbor Freight torque wrench calibrated. I snapped the heads off brake bolts when I set it to 20 ft lbs. It seems way off.
HF torque wrenches are generally not worth calibrating; you simply throw them into the trash and buy another one.
But please tell me you were using the torque wrench within the 20-100% window of its rated range.
I check mine myself like this, using a vise and fifty pound weight weight plates:
It seems to be pretty close, within range
It seems to be pretty close, within range
I have a 3/8" that is way off. I want to try to calibrate it myself (to "good enough") but haven't gotten around to it yet.
Last time I was at HF, I was at the register when another customer walked in and handed a 3/8" torque wrench to the cashier. She said "go grab one off the shelf" to which the customer replied, "I've already tried a few of them; just keep it."
Why bother using a torque tool at all if you can't have any faith in it?
You can get "good enough" with a ratchet...
Really, I just wanted to try correcting it myself to go through the procedure and see how well I can do it.
By "good enough", I'm going to try to make it as accurate as possible while knowing it likely won't be to the level that a calibration lab could achieve. If I needed absolute precision, I'd have invested in a better tool in the first place.
What are you planning to use this for? If this is being used for oil drain plugs, bracket bolts and some caliper slide pins (which is what most 3/8 torque wrenches get used for), I think I would trust "mechanic's hand torque" over any home-calibrated torque wrench.
What I bought it for was to torque head bolts on the single-cylinder flathead engines on my kids' junior dragster engines to 12.5 lb/ft or 150 inch pounds. My kids have aged out of those, and I tend to go with hand feel for drain plugs, spark plugs, etc. I will use a torque wrench in cases where there are multiple fasteners and even clamping force is important.
I really don't need the thing, but it was cheap and thought it would be good to 'fill the gap' between the 1/4" and 1/2" torque wrenches I already had. Again, I'm more interested in the learning process of attempting to correct the wrench than I am in having a dead-on balls accurate* 3/8" drive torque wrench.
*It's an industry term.
Fair enough. Although....if this is the torque wrench you have, it will never be accurate below 16 ft lbs anyway:
https://www.harborfreight.com/hand-...ive-5-80-ft-lb-click-torque-wrench-63880.html
I have three different PM torque wrenches, all branded Snap-On. All quality pieces. A couple of years back, a sticky bolt damaged one of these units, so I sent it in to PM and they fixed it and returned it with a calibration cert. To me, the ability to do this sort of thing is valuable.
I know the general rules of accuracy at the far reaches of range, but I use my 20-150 lb/ft 1/2" wrench at 20 or 25 ALL THE TIME! Tire beadlock ring bolts on my dragster, valve cover bolts on my daughters' GM 1.4T engines, etc. I wouldn't do that without verifying accuracy with the vise and fish scale, but it checks perfect at the bottom end.
Realistically you should be using a smaller tq wrench where 20 isn’t the bottom
We use inch lb wrenches for valve cover bolts, cam bearing caps, water pumps etc.
We use inch lb wrenches for valve cover bolts, cam bearing caps, water pumps etc.
f355spider
$50 Site Donor 2025
I've spent $350 plus on Utica clicker torque wrenches. I send them back every few years to have them checked and calibrated. I think they are sold more for manufacturing rather than automotive shops. https://uticatorquewrench.com/
Whatever you use, you need to have them checked periodically. I had a friend buy two brand new Craftsman torque wrenches several years ago, and out of curiosity had them checked and both were far out of spec. He returned them both.
Whatever you use, you need to have them checked periodically. I had a friend buy two brand new Craftsman torque wrenches several years ago, and out of curiosity had them checked and both were far out of spec. He returned them both.
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f355spider
$50 Site Donor 2025
I have heard of people buying this to calibrate and check their torque wrenches. Heard it is pretty accurate. And if you check and log all of your torque wrenches, you can watch for them getting out of calibration I guess...
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0085WMOO...NTSOFSKRQ&ref_=list_c_wl_lv_ov_lig_dp_it&th=1
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0085WMOO...NTSOFSKRQ&ref_=list_c_wl_lv_ov_lig_dp_it&th=1
