Mechanics: what are your most common tools?

Augh. I could not resist.

Total overkill. Home Depot had this kit for $200.

The 12V 3/8 impact is probably the bargain at about $125, but this 20V kit is awesome (5 AH battery life on an impact wrench is more or less infinite ). Everyone asks: yes it does a great job on lug nuts.

 

My lug nuts aren't overtorqued, so putting a socket on them and turning it also does a great job.

One little trick might be making it easier ... the OEM lug nuts have captive steel washers attached. The only place I ever put any antiseize near the lug nuts is right there in the gap between the washer and the lug nut itself, just a tiny dab of antiseize on a jeweler's screwdriver to poke it in there, every fourth tire rotation or so.

Helps the washer do the job it's there for, to sit still against the wheel and not turn, while the lug nut turns above it. And the nuts are always well-behaved when I want them off.

 

Try a flea market. I've found decent tools there. Even some Snap-On tools, for a low price.
Lifetime warranty...

 

I found a bag full of sockets at value village once, lots of odd-ball small sizes, has come in handy.

 

…and even at some yard-sales if you've the time to stop and look!

 

I made one from a sheet of steel and a bunch of hex head bolts years ago. But my sockets have proliferated to the point where I finally broke down and got some nice plastic ones in SAE and metric for 3/8" and 1/2" drive. Metric in one drawer and SAE in the other. Same with wrenches. What a time saver!!

 

Most important for me:. Torque wrench.

moto g(7) power ?

 

I've got 3 of those now: 1/2", 3/8", and 1/4" drive.

My dentist had this REALLY tiny one, for screwing in implants. Forget how much, but it was pretty expensive.

 

Woah! Torque wrench for teeth! Wonder if you can autoclave it for for sterilization purposes...

Yes, getting fasteners tightened just right is important, especially if there is so much work just to reach the fastener in the first place. Toyota does an excellent job posting torque specs all around their repair/service literature. (At least most of the time)...

moto g(7) power ?

 

Torquing discussions can be a real can of worms. If bolt/nut threads are are corroded, you can have "correct" torque but insufficient tension. Angle of rotation is good too. At my (previous) work we had a vendor in, demo'ing various torque techniques. They had a tensioning meter. Their product was washers for one-shot use: washers that squirt a red gel when they're sufficiently compressed.

Most torque specs are with "clean and dry" threads. Nowadays bolt finishes are restricted, the better anti-corrosion coatings not allowed, so it can be problematic. Makes you wonder if applying an oil or anti-seize, then reducing torque by some factor, is the way to go. There are tables for torque reduction with various lubes.

 

That’s a good selection; readers just starting out might also wish to know what torque settings are needed. I took a quick look through the tables in the Repair Manual (more info), and I believe only the front shock absorbers, lower suspension arms, and axle shaft nuts have torque specifications greater than 200 N·m.

For most maintenance and repair tasks on Prius cars, I‘d suggest three torque wrenches, all click-type adjustable: 5 to 25 N·m, 1/4" or 3/8" drive; 20 to 100 N·m, 3/8" or 1/2" drive; and 40 to 200 N·m, 1/2" drive. These can be from any reliable manufacturer; Japanese editions of the Repair Manual specify the Tohnichi QL series, and for small fasteners (0.2 to 6 N·m), the Tohnichi SF (beam type) series.

 

My 1/2" has an upper limit of 150 foot/pounds. I've heard too, that torque wrenches at their liimits are less accurate. Maybe more so at that low end?

Anyway, for something like the lower suspension arm (two main bolts are around 190 foot/pounds IIRC), I wonder if there's tables for torquing to a lower value, then going a further 45 or 90 degrees?

 

There is no such conversion table for torque to angle (TTA) as you're describing it. TTA is a vastly superior way to torque accurately, and it seems it is only used in cases where things are really on the edge - where you really need accurate clamping force, and may also be close to fastener yield. But luckily most applications have plenty of safety factor designed in there, so people are neither snapping lug bolts nor having their wheels fall off. They just use much bigger bolts than would be needed if the designers wanted to cut it close.

And the reason for no conversion table is that it would be dependent on the length of the bolt that could stretch, and the compliance of the thing being clamped. For example, 90* on a 5" long M10 cylinder head bolt would provide less additional clamping force than 90* on a 1" long M10 suspension bolt. The 90* geometry (along with the thread pitch) specifies (approximately) the linear stretch of the bolt, but the strain of the bolt (and resulting clamping force) depends on the length of the stretching bolt.

In general, for any measuring devices, including torque wrenches, it is a good assumption that they will be most accurate in the middle of their range. I think I've got 6 torque wrenches now, all with their own purpose. Sometimes it's handy to have overlap between wrenches so I can get more than one of them pre-dialed in with the right socket, etc. so I don't need to change settings while under the car.

Also for torquing accurately on the big ones, I have a torque multiplier, which is really convenient. If I did not have that, I'd trust my body weight at the right distance from the socket while carefully standing on the breaker bar / ratchet drive / pipe. But not all applications would allow this method, so the torque multiplier saves the day in those cases.

 

Perhaps a cheap harbor freight one, buy my snap on ones are accurate throughout their full range.
That's why they cost more than $10.

 

Even Snap-On advises selecting a wrench so that your working range will be near the midpoint of its capacity, for the mechanical click type:



... of course they also have their fully electronic ones, which might not have the same common limitations, but those'll stay a dream for most of us.

 

Nuts, too late. From the facebook account gearheaddiva (also the source of the "last motor mount" meme Zeppo found back in #132):

 

You also have to consider cost. To get a wrench that would be 100% accurate all the time
would be a fortune.
Since the ones deciding on what torque setting is needed for each nut or bolt. I'm certain there
is a +/- in their specs, whether they state it or not.
How many have the proper tool to get exactly 45 and 90 degrees when tightening the head bolt for the Prius?????

I certainly trust Snap On a lot more than harbor freight!

 

They are somewhat within reach.

I've been having to deal with an engine with magnesium parts. Since starting I've learned that magnesium and steel create a galvanic cell which causes the magnesium to erode. Well, the engineers' solution is to use aluminum screws. They are one time use. AND they have a torque spec that read, as an example, initial tightening: 4 Nm, final tightening: 90 degrees.

Welcome, my new toy, I mean tool. Thanks Amazon!

moto g(7) power ?

 

Hmm, the ones from Snap-On look kinda like that, only I bet the price doesn't.

 

BMW’s are full of screws like that, and they aren’t cheap. For a spark plug change, I had to remove a large brace which had four of those bolts. $6.00 each.

I don’t think the 90 and 45 degrees part is very difficult, as long as you use a breaker bar that gives you way more leverage than you need.

I just bought an Icon torque wrench from Harbor Freight. It’s awfully nice but doesn’t cover the low end values well. All I want is a truly accurate torque wrench. I’ve been thinking for some time now that I need to build a measurement fixture of my own. All it takes is a fixture with a stationary socket. Attach the torque wrench set at 20 ft-pounds and hang a 20 pound weight exactly one foot from the socket; it should click. Set it to 19 pounds and it should not click.