TORQUE Wrench for Pulley Bolt (1 Viewer)

[landtoy80]

Will this torque wrench work for the pulley bolt? Amazon.com: Pro-Quality 3/4" 300 Foot-Pound Automatic Torque Wrench: Home Improvement It goes to 300 ft/lbs. Not sure if its going to be long enough to get a good grip on it and it only goes to 300 ft/lbs.

I used this big one last time but its 1500 miles away.

 

[FirstToy]

that's a good price for a 300ft/lb t wrench.
pulley bolt is about 309ft/lbs so it will work fine, just crank it a bit more once it clicks

 

[landtoy80]

The torque wrenches I have have max and min on them but I have turned them higher and lower then where the numbers stopped and they still clicked so I assume this one will do it too.

Will putting a cheater bar on a torque wrench change how it measures torque? I would think not but I got a D in physics

 

[4x4CPOSEADOG]

The torque wrenches I have have max and min on them but I have turned them higher and lower then where the numbers stopped and they still clicked so I assume this one will do it too.

Will putting a cheater bar on a torque wrench change how it measures torque? I would think not but I got a D in physics

Adding cheater bar on the torque wrench will definitely change the torque value. There is a formula for that, just can't remember?

 

[landtank]

on a click set I think a cheater bar is OK. I know on a beam style it's a no no.

 

[CharlieS]

Watch out for the #3 water bypass nipple on the radiator when you torque that crank nut down...

 

[landtoy80]

I found some used torque wrenches but they say "may need calibrating".
Short of sending the wrench in to be checked, would setting it to a set torque like 200 ft/lbs with my SnapOn torque wrench and see if the used one clicks at same ft/lbs work?
My SnapOn goes to 200 ft/lbs. I checked it against my Craftsman wrench and they were the same.

A short handle new torque wrench vs a used long handle torque wrench. Which would I be better off with? Both would be "cheap" China crap. As I may never use it again I am not gong to spend $$$ for a new quality one.

 

[Scamper]

Kurt,

I wouldn't use that 300 ft-lb wrench. I may be wrong, but it's my understanding that you should not use a torque wrench at the min or max levels since they are least accurate at those ranges. In this case, you're not only at the max (just a tad...crank bolt is 304 ft-lb), but over it a bit, and that's one (of several I can think of) bolt you don't want to be torqued wrong.

Why not just rent one?

 

[landtoy80]

I don't know where I would rent one.
I bought the 300ft/lbs one from Harbor Freight. The handle is longer than what it looks in the pic. Its the same one that Amazon sells. Made in Taiwan so its not China crap

I think if I do the torquing in small intervals, I should have a good idea if the wrench is failing to measure.

My thinking (could be wrong) but I bet that when they make a torque wrench and have max and min that they back off the dial so that you have some room to work with. At least thats what I would do. I am not too worried as the last time I did torqued the bolt it was with an old and VERY worn (the ratchet for forward and reverse was stripped out).That was 100,000 mi ago.

 

[landtank]

the good thing Kurt is that the torque spec on the 94s aren't that critical. That is because the oil pump drive gear on the crank is loosely keyed. So while it might shift a little it won't spin completely around like on the 95+ years. I'd say torquing to the limit of 300ft lbs will work just fine.

 

[BirfMark]

I'll be 'that guy' and say don't even bother with a torque wrench at all. Pay attention to how hard it is to break loose, and keep that in mind when you go to tighten it back up.

 

[landtank]

I'll be 'that guy' and say don't even bother with a torque wrench at all. Pay attention to how hard it is to break loose, and keep that in mind when you go to tighten it back up.

have you even done this?

To break it loose most everyone need to use the starter to bump the engine while a 3/4" breaker bar is on the bolt and against the frame..

 

[FirstToy]

I know someone that ruined their engine b/c the bolt was not tightened to spec.
Even if the wrench costs you $200, it's worth it. It is impossible to "feel" 309 ft/lbs.

 

[landtank]

I know someone that ruined their engine b/c the bolt was not tightened to spec.
Even if the wrench costs you $200, it's worth it. It is impossible to "feel" 309 ft/lbs.

I have the correct tool, it is like 3 feet long. I've used it about 5 times and it takes both hands to torque that bolt.

 

[Curran]

For what it's worth, most click style torque wrenches are sold with a specified accuracy of +/- 4%. So, the 9 ft-lb difference between the wrench's max and the specified at 309 ft-lbs of the crank bolt is almost negligable. But that assumes that your torque wrench accurate to begin with.
If you're not confident in the accuracy of a torque wrench, chase down a Snap-On truck. They typically have the equipment to at least verify the calibration of a torque wrench (they may not have the equipment to recalibrate the wrench) and I believe that they charge about $20 for the service. Never tried it myself.
Also, Most of the auto parts stores in my neck of the woods will rent special equipment so it coud be worth a few phone calls. From my experience, BirfMark's recommendation is a great way to shear off a bolt.

 

[BirfMark]

have you even done this?

To break it loose most everyone need to use the starter to bump the engine while a 3/4" breaker bar is on the bolt and against the frame..

Yes, actually, I have done this. I replaced the crank seal and oil pump seal last September.

I made the proper tool that threads into the crank pulley to hold it in place while I used a 1/2" breaker bar and cheater pipe to remove the bolt. If you have a long enough lever, anything is easy to turn. Rather than struggle with a too~short torque wrench, I chose to do it the easy way.

All I'm saying is that as long as you pay attention when you take it off, and get a ballpark feel for how hard it is to loosen, you should be able to get it 'close enough' when putting it back together. We're tightening a bolt here people, not sending Apollo to the moon.

 

[FirstToy]

It felt a lot easier to loosen that bolt than it did to tighten it, at least that was my impression.
For the potential failure, I felt a lot more comfortable using a torque wrench.
Then again, others might have a better feel for this - i've only done it once.

 

[Scopedog]

That wrench from amazon looks like the exact one I used. I think that it is sold different places with slightly different names. Made in Taiwan. It is plenty long to let you torque the bolt; I did not need to add any cheater extensions. You will have go get up on-top of the motor/radiator and really brace yourself; and do watch that bypass nipple coming out of the radiator. It is in the absolute worst spot; toyota could not have done a worse job in its location. I did the torque to 300 on the wrench and then a bit more to get to 304; have not had any problems since. Any of these affordable/home wrench are not going to be exact. You would have to pay a lot of money, esp for something that big to get that is perfect and any torque wrench will need to be adjusted over time back to spec; for me this was pretty much a one time use. I doubt a cheap torque wrench will stay in spec for long.

 

[landtank]

using the starter method I broke two 1/2" ratchets and a 1/2" breaker bar trying to get the bolt out. Since they were craftsman tools I swapped them out while I was down there buying the 3/4" breaker bar and socket.

I'm sure there are factors to how easily these bolts come out and I don't think it's a good idea to use that as a reference to how much force is needed to secure them back in.

But as always do what you want, it's your engine.

 

[BigMac]

If you have time, check Ebay. I got a mint 600 ft/lb Proto click-type torque wrench for less than half price - a thing of massive beauty. Call me OCD, but I can't imagine trying to finesse the crank pulley bolt with an inadequate tool. Mack