Bah....another broken bolt. I snapped one last night putting my sprocket cover back on. Yep I suck, but I am trying to be a proffienct mechanic. So far I have snapped two, using my clicker torque wrench from PowerBuilt :mad:. I am going to go back to the bar scale wrench and leave the clicker alone for all but the really big jobs.
So, if you are in the market, from my experience go with the scale type. That way you can watch the pressure climb the scale as you tighten a bolt. Also you get a feel for the pressure against the bolt as it stretches. Someday I will have the mechanic's touch and not use one at all. GsJack :bowdown:. But til then.....I recommend the little cheapy from Sears.
Luckily for my bike I have to go out of town for week, so the bike will be safe. :thumb:
They do not take much torque... something like 7ft-lbs. Better to snap a bolt than trash the threads in the cases.
The inexpensive clickers have much trouble, the beam type are safer in the cheaper wrenches.
For that cover with those small bolts grab 3/8 ratchet with the thumb, index, and middle fingers around the head of the ratchet to limit torque while tightening. Same for those oil filter studs everyone keeps breaking. End of ratchet handle is for larger bolts.
Repeat 100k times and you'll be good at it. :thumb:
If you don't have a socket wrench smaller than 3/8", definitely follow gsJack's advice. I actually use my 1/4" drive socket wrench for small bolts (outer engine engine covers) and oil filter cover nuts.
If you apply the same force at twice the distance from the fastener, you're applying twice the torque. Four times the distance, four times the torque. It gets real easy (real fast) to shear off small bolts with a long-handled wrench or breaker bar.
As a side note, has anyone ever wondered why they put those pesky handles on torque wrenches ... the ones that pivot back and forth "for no reason"? Here's the deal: the wrench is calibrated to show the torque applied at the pivot point of the handle. If you're holding either end of the handle against the main bar of the wrench, you're applying either more or less torque than the indicator reads. You need to hold the handle such that it doesn't touch the bar, so ALL of the force will be applied at the pivot point. (Not that the "little cheapy from Sears" is that micro-accurate ... just a good habit to get into, especially for the smaller fasteners.)
What was the range of the torque wrench you were using? Clicking wrenches designed to torque to higher levels like 150 flbs will have a very very soft click in the lower ranges. So soft you might not even feel it. Also as an FYI to everyone don't expect accuracy from your wrench if you just pulled it out of your nice and cold garage. They also don't like to be stored while set to higher levels. Good wrenches will often have a park setting. Cheaper models should be wound down between uses to a very low setting.
Regards
Graham
Thanks for the info fellas, Kerry I had no idea why the handle had play in it on the beam type wrench now I know thanks, i wont try to fix it. :dunno_white: My clicker goes someting like 5-75 ft. lbs. I just dont trust it now that I went through two bolts. From now on I am surely going to do like Jack says and and go light, closer to the socket. When I get the new bolts, I ordered 5 extras to back them all up, I am going to use a very small drop of Blue Locktite and lightly tighten them no more then 5 ft lbs. Like I said my bike can now rest easy I am going to be away for a week. :thumb:
Torque wrenches are precision instruments and you pay for what you get. If you want a high degree of accuracy you need to buy a calibrated wrench that comes with a cerfiticate of calibration as proof, and to keep it accurate get it tested and recalibrated at least once a year. My employers insist on -/+3% for the ones we use as part of the Company Quality system. Beam type wrenches are non-adjustable and cant be calibrated to this degree of accuracy.