Torque settings, when is it important?

[ssd16]

Eric,

I suggest you do a video on torque settings, use of a torque wrench, when it is important and when it isn’t as important.

Topic

[dreamer2355]

I torque everything down to manufacturers specifications, period.

Alot of the season technicians will have a ‘feel’ for how tights bolts need to be after years of experience in the field. Anytime i work on a vehicle, my torque wrenches are always present S:)

[EricTheCarGuy]

I think you sent me an email on this at some point, thanks for the suggestion and when the oportunity presents itself I’ll try to work that video into the schedule for you.

[college man]

I use my torque wrenches all the time.wheels,brakes,rear manifold,ect…. whats the differance your going to use a wrench or socket or something to tighten with
why not use the torque wrench. It doesn’t take that much more time. stay dirty out there.

[380]

i normally use a torque wrench when im tightening down my cylinder head, engine mounts, valve cover, manifolds, etc but with most things i just use a socket and tighten it down to what i feel is good enough based on what its doing. such as brackets i tighten them down just enough so theres no play in the bracket what so ever.

[3SheetsDiesel]

I admit that using a torque wrench is the “proper” way to do things, but there’s times when it’s just not practical. Generally speaking, I usually don’t bother with torque wrenches unless I’m torquing cylinder heads, or the customer is watching me work. I use a torque extension to install wheels, but beyond that I torque things until it feels right. I feel comfortable doing that with my experience level.

Also, there’s times when customers are [CENSORED] and I just want to get their clunkers out of my shop so I can get to work on something profitable. Those are the times when I simply use the German torque spec of good-n-tight. I call that the German torque spec because if you say it out loud, it comes out sounding like “Gutentight”, which to me sound slike “Gutentag” which is German for good day.

[peelout40]

Yeah, I feel like, the torque values are assigning numbers for items that indicate LITTLE torque, (valve covers or oil pans) or items that require LARGE torque. I’ve heard that a certain few Porches require heavy torque on rear axle bolts (forgot which bolts). But anyways, I say it depends, but most definitely when it comes to engine, do it.

[Anonymous]

Hey Eric, if you a show on torque, don’t forget to mention the importance of considering the condition of the bolt before tightening it down. I was working on my brother’s 2001 PT Cruiser yesterday to install new pads and rotors on his rear brakes, and the caliper mounting bolts, which doubled as slider guides, looked a bit worn out. I told my brother that I was nervous about re-using them because they looked like they’d had their day in the sun and probably needed to be replaced. He asked me to go ahead and use the old bolts and he’d order some new ones and come back in a few weeks. Well, the first bolt I started to torque down on stretched and then I heard a really loud “POP!” followed by a couple choice expletives. I carefully backed the bolt out and thankfully, it held together and came out completely (yeah, lucky, I know). Since I was applying torque to a bad bolt, it kept stretching until it had essentially pulled itself apart. You might want to remind your viewers to always inspect the bolt before going at it with your torque wrench and if you have any doubts, back it out and buy a new bolt. Like you said, the best tool is the one between your ears.

Fortunately, the auto parts store down the street had several replacement bolts in stock. They told me the OEM bolts on these cars for this particular application are prone to failure, so they kept a good stock on hand. I’m just glad I didn’t end up with a busted PT Cruiser in my garage for the week.

[Author]

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