01-03-14, 02:35 PM
I think with Torque Wrenches you get what you pay for and reasonable priced ones (£70 t £100) should be in every DIY mechanics toolbox
Take for example the Clutch Basket bolts these have a torque setting of 8Nm, the Camshaft cap bolts are 10Nm and the engine covers are 12Nm, very difficult to get these right by feel and many are over tightened to the point of damage. The big advantage of the torque wrench in the above examples is not only will the bolts be tightened to the correct torque but will also be tightened evenly and not having one bolt taking more pressure than the others. Less chance of warping or breaking something.
It is not to difficult to over tighten bolts with these torque levels.
I have seen more stripped and sheared 6mm and 8mm bolts than I care to remember. Most who have tried to change Fazer 600 exhaust knows how little force is required to strip these bolts :'(
Draper are usually pretty good and the better ones should come with a calibration cert to show the accuracy. I would also doubt the accuracy of the cheaper ones particularly when working on the engine.
Difficult to call if a cheap one is better than no one, but from my experience the cheaper ones are not calibrated to as close a tolerance as the more expensive ones and lose there calibrated tolerance much quicker than the expensive one. (A friend works in calibration)
I rarely use the torque wrench for the rear axel nut and go on feel. How tight can you get it with the tools in the toolkit without standing on the spanner :lol
Take for example the Clutch Basket bolts these have a torque setting of 8Nm, the Camshaft cap bolts are 10Nm and the engine covers are 12Nm, very difficult to get these right by feel and many are over tightened to the point of damage. The big advantage of the torque wrench in the above examples is not only will the bolts be tightened to the correct torque but will also be tightened evenly and not having one bolt taking more pressure than the others. Less chance of warping or breaking something.
It is not to difficult to over tighten bolts with these torque levels.
I have seen more stripped and sheared 6mm and 8mm bolts than I care to remember. Most who have tried to change Fazer 600 exhaust knows how little force is required to strip these bolts :'(
Draper are usually pretty good and the better ones should come with a calibration cert to show the accuracy. I would also doubt the accuracy of the cheaper ones particularly when working on the engine.
Difficult to call if a cheap one is better than no one, but from my experience the cheaper ones are not calibrated to as close a tolerance as the more expensive ones and lose there calibrated tolerance much quicker than the expensive one. (A friend works in calibration)
I rarely use the torque wrench for the rear axel nut and go on feel. How tight can you get it with the tools in the toolkit without standing on the spanner :lol