I walked into Advanced Auto today and they only had 2 torque wrenches available.. the guy that worked there said "dont buy those if you want to do your spark plugs more than once because the specifications on it change over time".... Then he said the other one doesnt stay at the specified setting.... What a crappy product lol

Soo Can anyone recommend a good torque wrench =)
Thanks in advance!

 

The last one to believe is the parts guy ...

Any name brand one will do. Personally I trust Snap-On tools the most, its also one of the most expensive.

for general use, craftsman will do.

You don't need torque wrench for spark plugs installation.

Just hand tighten it to the end. The use a spark plug socket with a ratchet and give it another 3/4 turn. Thats it.

Don't forget to put anti- seize on the threads.

 

Ahh so I dont need one!
was reading the spark plug thread and it gave torque specifications... =-)

Thanks for quick reply!

 

Anything made in China NOT!

 

You should always torque to spec when possible but I only do on important stuff I actually got mind on sale at harbor freight and it has held up well But of course you have 3/8" and 1/2" (which would be too large for spark plugs and tight places). But of course Snap On, matco, Craftsman, etc. all make great stuff and have great warranties.

I want this one

 

I have two Husky torque wrenches that I got on sale from Home Depot a few years back. One is a larger wrench for things such as torqu'ing my lug nuts and the other is for smaller jobs.

they do come in quite handy.

 

I like my craftsman

 

Its made by GearWrench, right ?

Who wants to buy my Torque Wrench, I got it for 99 bux I think, its some Pepboys brand called PowerBuild ? Used of course, about a year or 2. I hardly use it tho only important stuff. 50 bux right now

 

Exactly. And the less often you work on a car the more you need a torque wrench.

On spark plugs...if there's a crush washer then it's pretty easy to feel the right torque by hand. If it's a copper washer, or a no-washer tapered seat, I greatly prefer to use a torque wrench.

I've got a couple of Craftsman beam-type torque wrenches. They're cheap, not as cool as the fancier ones, but have an advantage that you never have to wonder about the reading. If they do take a set over the years, you can see what the new zero is. With fancier wrenches if the internal spring takes a set you don't really know what you've got. I have a nice Snap-On quarter inch wrench that you dial in the torque and it clicks when you're there. It's about 30 years old, and I haven't a clue how close it is to accurate.

Ken

 

9k: those digital torque wrenches are really nice.

 

+1 for snap on, and ken take it to a truck and they can recalibrate it for you, I did my recalibration about 2 years ago, i have the same kind of twist n click dial in one you have and it was 12lbs off. But This was given to me from my dad who has had it since before I was born, so the things a good 30 years old and still works just beautifully.

 

Beta or Facom is what I use since i didn't have to buy them. Simply too much for a home enthusiast

 

The Harbor Freight ol' school click type is what I use. But as others have cited, no need to get **** and torque your sparkplugs. Much as an oil filter, you'll quickly acquire a feel for how tight it/they should be. And as also already cited don't forget the anti-seize paste.

 

# 1 thing with a torque wrench

Never store it under tension - it will throw the calibration off sooner
- Back it off to 0 before putting it away

Please use anti-seize sparingly!

 

I actually back mine down and lock it before I store it. oil filters shouldn't be on tighter than you can do with your hands. if your using a wrench to crank down on an oil filter i would be worried. just a dab of oil and tight enough to compress the seal without thread damage.

 

People have vastly different grip and forearm strength, so I would not recommend everyone to use that rule of "thumb". heh!

Fortunately you don't need a torque wrench to get the proper torque on an oil filter. The instructions are usually printed right on the filter and expressed as a certain degree of rotation after the seal contacts the flange. This gives you the amount of seal compression intended by the manufacturer. If you can achieve this with a bare hand, congratulations. But a wrench is perfectly ok.

 

+ 1 on that! Check out the tool deals on Amazon.

 

Never knew that.

 

awwww crap, I never knew that.
Looks like I'll be setting mine back down to zero.
I've had mine at my lug nut settings mark for like....ever.

 

Haha, me too. I just read up on it and he is right.

 

+1 for the snap-on torque wrench. I have one and it's a great investment, especially with the warranty

 

wonder how I can check to see if mine is still properly calibrated.

 

jedi who made it? a snap on guy can do it in the truck, sears you just need to hurt the tool, and take it in for a replacement lol.

 

snap on baby!

but i prefer break away types as opposed to the digital.. i always feel like im over torquing..

and yeah.. like he said.. set it back to zero.. or.. 20% above the minimum(i think).. most torque wrenches i've used dont have 0..

 

you 2 are the biggest n00b. EVER !