Craftsman 3/8 inch torque wrench for head bolts?

[actionstan]

Hey guys,

Quick question, I am currently working on replacing the head on my 99 saturn sl1 due to a cracked head.

I am OCD'ing about my cheap torque wrenches. I have a 3/8 craftsman torque wrench, and a 1/2 inch Harbor freight wrench. The final torque for my cars head calls for 33 ft lbs with, and a extra 90 degree turn.

Do you think the craftsman will suffice? I have read the cheaper clicker types can be pretty inaccurate, and for a budget, the beam styles are much more accurate.

Should I use my craftsman with confidence, or pickup a cheap/borrow a beam style torque wrench from a parts store? I bought these torque wrenches with lug bolts in mind, never imagined i'd be doing a head/headgasket/head bolts with them.. the craftsman has barely been used since new, and has always been set back to either 0 or 10 ft lbs what ever the manual recommended.


For reference, this is the one I have:
http://www.craftsman.com/craftsman-micro...mp;blockType=G2

 

[NYEngineer]

What does the Craftsman go up to? 100 lb ft?
Is the wrench in good condition? Have you ever dropped it?
Do you always zero it when you put it away?
33 lbs is not huge. I'm sure it's fine.

 

[NYEngineer]

Oops... Scratch that. I just opened the link and saw your wrench. That one says it goes up to 250 INCH Pounds.
33 foot pounds converts to 396 inch pounds. Your wrench is not big enough.
What's the scale on the HF wrench?

 

[Olas]

If a wrench has been calibrated in the last year or so and not dropped you can trust it to be accurate (unless it's a cheapo toy tool).
Main thing is that your specified torque is not in the first or last 10 to 15 % of the scale on the wrench - even the best ones are more likely accurate inn the middle of the range than at the far edge..

 

[eljefino]

I've done the job with less. And I mean the specific job, a saturn head.

First time I used a beam torque wrench that has 3/8 and 1/2 adapters and was "upside down" so I just "knew" that the pointer being in "position X" as seen from the backside of the scale was 33 ft lb.

Clean, new bolts and getting the 90 degrees right is as important. Also, the right pattern, of course.

But having one person with the same muscle memory do them all at once will turn out well.

PS I'd use 1/2" sockets instead of 13mm, tighter fit, and they will fit.

 

[HangFire]

Just to be sure, you were planning on using a wrench or breaker bar for that extra 90 degree turn, right?

 

[actionstan]

Originally Posted By: NYEngineer
Oops... Scratch that. I just opened the link and saw your wrench. That one says it goes up to 250 INCH Pounds.
33 foot pounds converts to 396 inch pounds. Your wrench is not big enough.
What's the scale on the HF wrench?


oops.. wrong one my bad..

http://www.craftsman.com/craftsman-micro...mp;blockType=G3

this is the correct one, 10 to 75 ft lbs

 

[actionstan]

Originally Posted By: HangFire
Just to be sure, you were planning on using a wrench or breaker bar for that extra 90 degree turn, right?


I bought a 1/2 inch breaker bar from harbor freight, and a torque angle gauge from advance auto parts for the final 90 degrees.

 

[eljefino]

FYI the bolts will creak and pop like something's going to break. I guess that's them stretching.

 

[actionstan]

Originally Posted By: eljefino
FYI the bolts will creak and pop like something's going to break. I guess that's them stretching.


Thanks, they made a similar sound coming out, pretty scary since this is the first time I've ever done something like this LOL

 

[bubbatime]

When using a torque wrench, they are more accurate in the middle of their range than at the beginning or end of their range. A 1/2 wrench will barely be in the beginning of its range at 33 ft lbs. A 3/8 drive torque wrench is the correct tool for THIS job.

 

[Vikas]

Before using *any* torque wrench, do some simple calibration test to make sure it is withing the ballpark.

 

[tomcruise]

I have that exact torque wrench, and recently had it checked...it was spot on, no calibration required. I rebuild engines for Caterpillar, and use mine daily without fear. Unless you have dropped it, used it as a breaker bar, or have generally abused the thing, I'd have no qualms about using it.

 

[redbone3]

Originally Posted By: bubbatime
When using a torque wrench, they are more accurate in the middle of their range than at the beginning or end of their range. A 1/2 wrench will barely be in the beginning of its range at 33 ft lbs. A 3/8 drive torque wrench is the correct tool for THIS job.

Malarkey!!!! The Craftsman click type torque wrenches are rated at ±4% of setting from 20% to 100% of range. So, the accuracy is the same anywhere within that range. That is the way all click wrenches are rated (the "cream of the crop" wrenches are ±3% of range). The Craftsman wrenches are the best wrench for the money. If you are unsure of it's accuracy send it to a calibration lab (Like my cal lab "Testwave") for calibration.

 

[cptbarkey]

have done two subaru head gaskets with a 1/2 HF and flipped several other cars successfully using it repeatedly over several years. use with confidence. The only thing you should be OCD about is following the torque sequence.