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That old timer at my shop in Detroit last week called me out on using the wrong torque wrench
I was torquing head bolts on a 6.0 Powerstroke and he just huffed and walked over. Said I was using a clicker type for a job that needed a beam style with a flex handle. I brushed him off at first but decided to try his way and the bolt felt way more consistent. Makes me wonder how many of my older jobs had uneven clamping force I just never caught. Anybody else ever get put in their place by some retired guy who clearly knows more than you?.
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sam_rivera1mo ago
Man, beam style for head bolts that's old school! But honestly, the consistency thing makes sense because there's no internal spring to get sticky or go out of whack. Clickers are fine when they're fresh out of calibration but I've seen guys drop them on concrete and never check them again. That noise the beam makes when it flexes, you just feel it in your hands different. Not saying clickers are junk, just that the old timer's method makes you slow down and pay attention which is half the battle with torque anyway.
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danieltaylor1mo ago
Respectfully, I'm not sure I agree with him on this one. Beam style torque wrenches can be harder to read accurately in tight spots, especially if you're not looking dead square at the needle. Clicker wrenches have been proven reliable for head bolts for decades if you calibrate them yearly. Different strokes for different folks maybe, but I've done hundreds of heads with a good clicker and never had a failure.
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