Heard a lead mechanic say torque wrenches are 'good enough' without calibration

I overheard this guy in the break room last Thursday talking about how he only sends his torque wrenches in every two years. Said a few foot pounds off doesn't matter for most bolts. Am I the only one who thinks that's asking for a fastener failure down the line?

3 comments

3 Comments

kimw571d ago

Two years between calibrations is just asking for trouble. A few foot pounds off might not seem like a lot on a big bolt, but on a small critical fastener like a cylinder head bolt it could mean the difference between a good seal and a blown head gasket. Plus those cheap click style wrenches drift way more than people realize, especially if they get dropped or used for breaking bolts loose. A good digital torque adapter or beam style wrench at least shows you when it's going out of spec. Calibration every year is cheap insurance compared to the cost of a tow truck and a repair bill. You wouldn't trust a tape measure that was a quarter inch off, so why would you trust a torque wrench that's several foot pounds off?

alicer531d ago

Actually, beam style wrenches can drift too. The spring inside them gets weak over time and the needle won't come back to zero the same way. I've seen old beam wrenches that are off by 15% or more on the low end. Digital adapters are better for sure since they use a strain gauge, but even those can get knocked out of calibration if you drop them on concrete. The real trick is to test your own wrench against a known good one every few months, or just buy a decent digital adapter and check it yearly. Cheap insurance is right, but make sure you're not trusting a beam wrench just because it's old and simple.

charles_baker281d ago

Great, now I have to go check all my wrenches and probably my self esteem too.