Ngl I was shocked to learn my favorite torque wrench was off by 12 ft-lbs after 6 years of use

I just got my old beam style torque wrench recalibrated at a shop downtown. The guy handed me the sheet and showed it was reading 12 ft-lbs low on the high end. I've been using that thing on engine builds since 2018. Honestly I wonder how many bolts I've got that are way under spec now. Has anyone else tested their old tools and found a big surprise?

2 comments

2 Comments

dakota1608d ago

That 12 ft-lbs low on the high end is a pretty big swing. Did the shop tell you if it was just wear on the internal spring or something else causing the drift? I figure six years of use would wear out the spring, but I didn't think it would be that far off.

wendyc538d ago

Oh man, that reminds me of a torque wrench story from way back. My buddy had an old Craftsman that he used for about ten years on everything from lawnmower bolts to lug nuts. He finally took it in for a check and they said the spring had gotten weak from being stored under tension all those years. He always kept it cranked down to 50 ft-lbs in the drawer because he thought that's what you were supposed to do. The shop told him that constant tension is what wears them out faster than actual use in a lot of cases. Now I always dial mine down to zero before I put it away, just a little habit I picked up from hearing his story.