I am currently rebuilding my 325 Kawasaki engine. I purchased a Harbor Freight torque wrench a year ago. After reinstalling the pistons I started to torque the connecting rods and stopped. The specs are 52 inch pounds and the wrench went way past that point in my opinion. I need to buy a “real” wrench and would like your suggestions. Craftsman are on sale and I am leaning that way but would like your opinions. I am planning on a 1/2” wrench. Thanks.
Which HF wrench were you using? Did the HF wrench have In-Lb markings? 52 in-lb would only be 4.33 ft-lb. That's pretty low. My 3/8" Craftsman only goes down to 5 ft-lb. In general I've read pretty good things about the HF torque wrenches.
I have two very old Craftsman torque wrenches. One 3/8 and one 1/2. When deciding on a size try to figure the torque range that you will use most of the time. 3/8 wrenches typically have lower torque settings on the bottom end than a 1/2. 1/2 wrench will typically have higher torque settings at the upper end. For general use and small engine work I find I use the 3/8" drive almost exclusively.
Thanks for the quick replies. I was wrong and meant to say 3/8. The HF was in lbs and also started at 5 lbs. I do have a HF that seems to be more accurate. I wonder if my 3/8 HF is broken. This is the second time it seems to way over tighten.
I have a performance tool 20-250 in/lb wrench that i use for small engines and transmission work. nice little wrench but the markings are kind of strange. 3/8 and 1/2" wrenches are both kobalt, and have been pretty good to me.
Torque wrenches are one of those tools that you may not want to scrimp on, especially one that will be used near the extremes of its range. Don't be afraid to look for a used Snap-On or Mac on eBay. Sometimes I'd rather have a used and cared for professional tool than a new DIYer model.
I agree. All three Snap On torque wrenches I own were slightly used, including Torque o meter pictured above.
Two from EBay, and my 1/2” on Craigslist from a mechanic choosing new career path.
For way less than half the retail price..
While on the subject of torque wrenches, don't forget about digital torque adapters. I have one of these little A.C. Delco units. The 1/2" version goes from 4-147.6 ft-lb and the 3/8" version goes from 3-59 ft-lb. I think they have a newer version of the 1/2" that now goes to 250 ft-lb.
They cost around $63 and are very accurate and can be used with any wrench, ratchet or breaker bar. They work in both directions and the LCD display shows N-m, kg-cm, in-lb or ft-lb. It can read peak torque or be set to beep as a target torque setting is reached.
I bought a CDI torque wrench on amazon 5 or 6 years ago. Seems like a pretty good brand.
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