About to purchase a set of torque wrenches. Most likely from teng tools as they are on a special deal due to black friday!
Few questions. what exactly should I be looking for in the torque wrench? Ill most likely be using it for all of the body attachments, to attach parts to the engine (engine and gerabox internals are already Built), Suspension, and everywhere else on the mini.
I understand I need a 1/2" and a 3/8". Do I need any particular length? Also does it have to be directional meaning it can torque in both directions? What NM ranges should I be looking for?
Your Haynes manual gives you all the settings you need. There is only one LHD thread on a Mini. Most torque wrenches are only calibrated in one direction so the flip lever is no good but the push through drive pin works fine.
it is unlikely 2 will be enough as the front hubs go higher than most 1/2 drive wrenches.
I have a few sizes, but there's always the same 2 that I gravitate to for the Minis and Mokes - 3/8" and 3/4" Drive. I have a 1/2" one there and it must be 30+ years since it's come out of it's box !
I'd suggest getting types that have both Metric and Imperial markings.
Plus one for selecting based on ease of reading on the scale. Got a couple cheaper ones with chrome shaft and chrone scales...very hard to read in less than bright lighting.
AC Delco makes a a torque adapter that I use. 1/2” drive, digital readout, audible/LED flash notification, 4-250 ft/#. Readings in Nm, “/# and ft/#. P/N ARM602-4A. $64 on Amazon, 3/8” drive available in 6-60 ft/# for about $50 US. I like it.
Personally I don’t like the scales on the Teng ones - the metric side is fine, but the Imperial is poor as the main scale graduations aren’t divisible by the minor scale stamped into the handle.
they seem to be extremely expensive where im located and the tengs seem like the best bang for buck.
There is a another brand called ToolPro. Thoughts on this? Is satin not chrome so apparently much easier to read. Good reviews on it as well if you read the review section here https://www.superche...gid=SCN01130416
AC Delco makes a a torque adapter that I use. 1/2” drive, digital readout, audible/LED flash notification, 4-250 ft/#. Readings in Nm, “/# and ft/#. P/N ARM602-4A. $64 on Amazon, 3/8” drive available in 6-60 ft/# for about $50 US. I like it.
it is unlikely 2 will be enough as the front hubs go higher than most 1/2 drive wrenches.
I've ended up with four over a period of time - all from different manufacturers; the biggest being a Britool 1/2" drive which goes up 250ftlb - it's pretty heavy. The smallest being a Sykes Pickavant 3/8" drive which goes down to 10lbft. The others being a Norbar and smaller Britool. The Norbar graduations are a little coarse but otherwise a good tool.
Edited by mad4classics, 29 November 2021 - 01:40 PM.
Note you should get in the habit of checking/calibrating any torque wrench you get.
I use a digi luggage scale attached to the 1 foot distance from the socket center. Holding in a vise, I apply slow steady pull on the scale keeping it 90 degrees to the wrench attachment point. Note what reading is at the click. Repeat several times to get confidence of reading, in Ft/Lbs.
Adjust can be made to most wrenches. I found a few videos on how to do this, pretty easy.
I use CDI Torque. Excellent quality and they hold their calibration. My 3/8" model 2502MRMH-QR was recalibrated recently after 4 years of use and was only off by 2% from their standard. They may be pricey in the UK, you can get them through
that world dominating online seller Amazon. I prefer the all metal knurled handle click type.
they seem to be extremely expensive where im located and the tengs seem like the best bang for buck.
There is a another brand called ToolPro. Thoughts on this? Is satin not chrome so apparently much easier to read. Good reviews on it as well if you read the review section here https://www.superche...gid=SCN01130416
Are you in Australia ?
" Supercheap " are anything but cheap and much of their product I've found is not of reasonable quality.
That aside, with precision tools like Torque Wrenches, you get what you pay for. It's hardly worth buying a cheap Wrench, which may still be about 75% the price of a quality unit, to say use it on Big End Nuts, only to have them let go at some point because the Torque was wrong. That failure will set you back much much more than the price of the best Torque Wrench in the world ! When I was an apprentice on little money, I bought a cheap Wrench, it seemed to work fine on the first nut and on the second, it didn't feel right, but trusting the cheap wrench over my own feel, I kept going, luckily that stud snapped right then. It was a real wake up call, I threw that Wrench in the bin and never bought cheap since.
The Torque Wrenches I have (that I mentioned ^ ) are Warren & Brown. I thought they were a fair price. I usually send them out once a year for calibration, over the 20 + years I've had the 3/8" Wrench, it's never needed adjusting and never drifted. That one also gets a lot of use. The 3/4" Drive, I've had probably about 15 years now and that too has never needed adjusting and never drifted.
