i can't decide on a torque wrench (harbor freight?) and in the mean time I really want to change my front brakes. I was at autozone and another customer and store employee both told me i don't really need a torque wrench for a small job like that?
i'm about to go ahead and trust my muscles on providing ample torque...mistake or i could get by?
I have a torque wrench with the correct range, but have never even used it for calipers or anything else involved in a pad change. The only things I've mainly used it for are wheel lugs and seatbelt bolts.
good to hear. i'm always in need of reassurance...especially if it's brakes
yea i need to get a torque wrench for the wheels because i don't know how but my lock nuts were too tight the key couldn't get it off without shearing the nut and i had to take it into a shop to have it removed.
over tightened lugnuts will warp rotors. Under torqued lug nuts may come loose and round out holes in wheels, or worse the wheel will fall off and that's a big ohh shit...
over torquing braking components, there's not really a big issue depending on what it is. The slide pins, you may break them off and that's a pain to fix, the backing plate bolts, I never torque them, they need to be like 60+ ft/lbs anyway depending on application.(tight is how i torque them)
Ive never used a torque wrench for anything, so i bought one for my BSD kit, and the fkn thing was defective and snapped the first bolt i tightened (oil pan :S). Did the rest by hand, no problems. Just know your own strength, go until its right, but dont kill anything for wheel lugs, and things like that, I check them once or twice after I've driven to make sure everything is still tight enough (I have had the lugs loosen up two times over like 100 wheel changes, but like i said, thats why I check right away)
-edit-
oh, and what i meant to add is you may break bolts whether u use a torque wrench or not... thats what old cars and corrosion does.
The only bolt I've ever broken was one of the top strut mount bolts. Then I looked up the torque spec, and whoa... only 30lbs heh. They're not kidding around about that one.
yea i was just worried about those two 7mm bolts on the back of the caliper that only need about 20lbs of torque...you know how you aren't satisfied until you put that extra oomph in tightening the bolt.
torque wrenches are very very helpful and have their place but not every thing needs to be torqued... You probably broke the first bolt you try to tighten with a torque wrench if you don't know how to properly read what torque it's supposed to be at and how to setup your torque wrench. I believe oil pan bolts are measured in Inch/ Lbs not FT/ lbs big big difference. also, adapters over 3" have to be equated in to the overall torque applied.
that's like the most basic of the basic...
its a must if you're working on a car...a torque wrentch.
at $10
get one that's small
and get one that's longer...for removing wheel nuts etc.
go to Harbor freight...4th july sale.
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