What capacity torque wrench should I get for my T3?
It depends what work you intend to do.
For general work you need something in the 10 - 60 Nm range but if you’re doing a lot of internal engine work then you need something a lot meatier.
All you need are two settings, normal tight and till you fart tight. But seriously, I only ever use a torque wrench for cylinder head bolts, big ends and main bearings.
Err, torque wrench, is that something you borrow from your mates on the basis you rarely need one.
Bought on from Halfords years ago it is good and useful had it checked 2 yrs ago and was all good , mind you
I have avery old Draper torque wrench that is like a torsion bar with steel long indicator that moves across a semi circle marked out in Lbs and NMtrs and it too is very accurate it was a family pass down but amazingly really works well
Just remember to unwind it or set to zero when your not using it…
Amazes me how many people leave them set and ruin the calibration
Including ‘proffessional’ engineers at work.
Thanks guys. I’m (hopefully) not going to be doing any really serious internal engine work, but the cylinder heads have been off (to check the bores) and they need torquing down. I am guessing that there other external bits and pieces that also need torquing down. Thanks GB - that Draper model looks brilliant value.I’m going to get it.
When it comes to tools I have to confess I’m a bit of a snob, having used AF Britool to fix classic Rovers over the years. With the exception of the imminent Draper torque wrench, I’ve been having fun equipping myself with new Britool metric stuff, mainly from its “Expert” ranges. Its great quality. There is a part of me that thinks its a shame that the tools are stamped “Expert” not “Britool”.
Britool used to be the standard when i joined the army. Superb quality and lasted till you lost it.The stuff that was coming in later was crap by comparison and didn’t last.
I have a very useful 1/2" drive electronic torque meter that fits between the socket wrench and socket and beeps when the pre-set value is reached, cost about £29 from Sealey and covers 10-200 ft. lbs.Cheers, Gerry.
Seems a bit harsh Ian. I’ve acquired my AF stuff over the years and it all seems good to me. Well-made, good finishes, tight fits, low wear rates. No discernible difference between the stuff I bought in the mid-70s and the late 90s. I have only just started using the latest metric stuff but it seems nicely heavy and fits well. I am judging things as an amateur mechanic. If you are a professional using your spanners, wrenches and sockets etc all day, every day, I accept the truth could be different.
I have to say I bought a Halfords socket set, they give a lifetime g’tee I got it over 20 yrs ago. I have had 1 socket crack after 15 yrs tho’ took it to my nearest halfords they gave me a new one no problem just a “sorry” and that was it.
I also have a Kamasa set that is 40+ yrs old never had a problem…
IF anytone gets new sockets tho for the head bolts BUY a separate hexagonal socket as opposed to the “Star” shaped ones you WILL often find the head bolts are so tight the star sockets will spin the hex one will take the pressure needed
Also once you have ever had a head off you WILL need to re check the tighness after 500 mls then 1000 then 2000-25000 ignore that at your peril , the first thing you see is oil from the base… Guess how I know, when I first got the bike I did not do this and the prev owner had replaced head gaskets, riding home to the East Mids from South Coast and oooops…
They moved Britool production from Sheffield to the far east a number of years ago the late Britool stuff was not a patch on the Sheffield made tools but then as an apprentice I bought britool tools a few sockets a week as I could afford them. 5 years ago you could buy a complete 3/8 britool socket set for less than £30 quality costs
http://www.thisoldtractor.com/gtbender/mg_manuals/torque_specs.pdf
Found this useful link. guzzibear2013-06-29 19:47:06
Interesting, I have never used a torque wrench on any of those bolts. The cyl head bolts are not even mentioned.
‘22’ comes up a lot. And ‘7’. And ‘32’. Me I tend to do it up enough so it don’t fall off. And I want to be able to get it undone again later. If it’s something important like frame bolts then ‘bluddy tight’ ~ I can often be seen using a bit of tube over an Allen key to get a bit more welly. Only ever used a torque wrench for cyl. nuts, but then that’s 'cause the studs have to be put under the correct tension (they act like springs).
101 - 107 for wheel nuts? With that short ‘special’ spanner what we get given in the toolkit? Having said that though I invariably give them a wee bit of an extra tap clockwise with a hammer.
There is a list of tourque settings was in FAQ
I found the list of settings these are for the V1000/G5/Convert/T3/Le Mans /850-1000cc bikes.
Bolts & Studs Cyl Head to Crankcase … 29-30 ft lbs
Spark Plugs 14-21 ft lbs
Cap Screw oil mist recovery pipe (dia 12x1.5mm) 29 ft lbs
Self Locking nut con-rod caps securing bolts …33-34 ft lbs
Bolt rocker pin securing 4.2-4.5 ft lbs
Bolt flywheel to crankshaft 30 ft lbs
Nut gear to camshaft 108 ft lbs
Screws intake pipe 14 ft lbs
Cap screw oil delivery pipe to cyl head (8x1.25mm) 10.5-12 ft lbs
Nut front & rear engine securing studs to frame 57 ft lbs
Nut layshaft securing 115-130 ft lbs
Oil filler plug on gearbox and rear drive box 21 ft lbs
Oil level and drain plugs, gear box and rear drive box 18 ft lbs
Safety nut layshaft 50-57 ft lbs
Nut bearing to bevel pinion 130-145 ft lbs
Screw crown wheel to hollow spindle 29-30 ft lbs
Bolts cradle to frame securing 57 ft lbs
Nut cradle to frame securing screws 57 ft lbs
Cap nuts, swing arm spindle 57 ft lbs
Nuts drive box to swing arm 25 ft lbs
Top plugs front forks 87-108 ft lbs
Nut front and rear spindle 100-108 ft lbs
Bush steering lock 122-130 ft lbs
Standard settings…
6mm screws and nuts 4.5-8 ft lbs
8mm Screws and nuts 18-21 ft lbs
10mm screws and nuts 33-37 ft lbs
tttthats all folks I hope it may be of use to some one
NB 850 Dennis the tourque settings for the flywheel bolts are 30 ft lbs and they are high tension bolts
“The older I get, the better I was!”
Leics
guzzibear2013-06-30 12:19:50
That looks similar to one i had bought for me a year or 2 back.
Have a good look at it as mine has some wierd units and the barrel is devided by eight and not 10
It works, but is counter intuative to use
It’s calibrated in lb-inches and newton meters. Not the most useful units but it does depend on what units are in your manual.They come in two versions, lb-inches/newton-meters and ft-lbs/kg-meters.Actually NM is now the most common unit quoted, but older manuals will probably have ft-lbs.My old Norbar is in ft-lbs and kg-meters but it does have a conversion scale to NM on the side.
Brian UK2013-07-01 09:01:43