Torque wrench

When using a torque wrench do you put the bolt in dry, or lubricated? If lubricated, what should you use?

Or being a Landy do you just tighten things up with the longest tommy bar in your toolbox?

Rank Amatuer said:

When using a torque wrench do you put the bolt in dry, or lubricated? If lubricated, what should you use?

Or being a Landy do you just tighten things up with the longest tommy bar in your toolbox?

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dry unless otherwise instructed like with head bolts
you should be able to develop the old skill of knowing by feel when a nut or bolt is properly tightened

When your a pro like James you’ll have the ‘feel’

Until then I’d use the workshop manual torque settings on everything.

I agree with @jamesmartin

meego said:

I agree with @jamesmartin

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While I generally agree with you and James about the "feel" of a bolt or nut being tight there are those places and times when a torque wrench must be used, for example cylinder head bolts should be tightened to the correct torque and in the correct sequence as shown in the workshop manuals, this is especially important with aluminium heads or engines. Another place where a torque wrench should be used is on the wheelnuts.

Thanks guys. Can you save me the effort of scouring the manual looking for torque settings? What would be an appropriate range of torque wrench for a DIY guy with an ageing Landy, a good 1/2" socket set, and a developing sense of "F*** it, what could possibly go wrong?"

you probably need 2 like below, im not recommending them in particular but give you a guide
http://www.halfords.com/workshop-to...ches/halfords-advanced-torque-wrench-model-60
http://www.halfords.com/workshop-to...hes/halfords-advanced-torque-wrench-model-200
you can get adapters to fit 1/2 sockets on a 3/8 drive and vice a versa

jamesmartin said:

you probably need 2 like below, im not recommending them in particular but give you a guide
http://www.halfords.com/workshop-to...ches/halfords-advanced-torque-wrench-model-60
http://www.halfords.com/workshop-to...hes/halfords-advanced-torque-wrench-model-200
you can get adapters to fit 1/2 sockets on a 3/8 drive and vice a versa

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They look pretty good value for money. Lifetime warranty too. A friend of a friend has a Halford's trade card, so I might get the pair of them for an even better price.

Personally for general use I like the beam torsion type torque wrench, if you get a clicky type you need to look after it, turn it down after use and check it's showing the correct torque regularly. I've seen cheap or badly maintained ones go very badly wrong.

As general practices you would torque the nut on a nut/bolt combination to the specified torque. If you can't get to the nut then you can torque the bolt head but you need somewhere like 10% more torque to achieve the same clamping force. If you lube a thread then you need about 30% less torque to achieve the same clamping force. Probably all a bit too advanced for an old landy! just stick with what the manual says and work on the basis of dry/clean (not rusty) threads unless told otherwise

Rank Amatuer said:

They look pretty good value for money. Lifetime warranty too. A friend of a friend has a Halford's trade card, so I might get the pair of them for an even better price.

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after use back adjuster right off so theres no pressure on the spring,it will stay in calibration a lot longer

jamesmartin said:

after use back adjuster right off so theres no pressure on the spring,it will stay in calibration a lot longer

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Im annoyed I’d never thought of that, obvious once it’s pointed out, nice one

Don't forget that mahoosive one for things like crank bolts, 350nms is mega!