Help me find a suitable inch/pound torque wrench please

[ivwshane]

I've searched various threads and most are pretty old now. I want an inch/pound torque wrench for the oil strainer bolt and for the rocker arms when I go to refurb the push rod tubes.

Everything I've seen starts off at 10inch/lbs and my understanding is that the strainer bolt needs to be 9 inch pounds (I haven't looked up what the rocker arms are).

I prefer to buy from Amazon, flaps, or one of the vw venders if possible.

On Amazon I found this bike torque wrench that seems like it would work.

https://www.amazon.com/VENZO-Bicycle-Torque-Wrench...que+wrench
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77 westy 2.0 FI
69 ghia coup 1600dp
70 single cab

[aerosurfer]

I have had no problems with the Harbor Freight torque wrenches over the years. I have compared my 3/8 and 1/2" drive sizes to other brands when i have worked on cars with friends where we have both brought our own tools and seen no significant difference between brands. But have not compared my 1/4" drive inch-pounder to another.
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Rebuild your own FI Harness..My Harness

77 Westy 2.0L Rockin and Rolling Resto!

72 Sportsmobile (sold)
79 Tran$porter... Parts car money machine (gone)

[Abscate]

It’s 9 foot pounds for the oil strainer wrench. You don’t need a torque wrench for that , just awareness.

It’s needs to be tight enough to seal but not leak , it’s not a torque critical fastener as opposed to one that has bad consequences of overtorque.

Get a 12 inch extension, and a gallon milk. Practice using your hand wrist, elbow in combination to estimate lifting 8 pounds of milk. Once you learn what works , use that force on a 12 inch extension and it won’t leak.

It’s important to learn how to estimate this as one day you will be in the boonies and need to do this to a head bolt, a rocker shaft, a fuel pump nut, whatever.

Remember all the folks carrying their torque wrenches around ? They are 99% uncalibrsted from being banged around, and most of them are 100 foot LB range or more, with errors if 4-6 ft lbs
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.ssS!

[white74westy]

Hey there,

As mentioned above, you can tighten your strainer bolt without a torque wrench. The point is not to gorilla fist the wrench. If you're nervous to do so, then buy a tool.

I bought a couple of torque wrenches, several years ago. If you're not afraid to spend a little bit, these are well made:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000KL4HZ8/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I'm pretty sure they make them for some pretty reputable brands. I love tools and don't have a problem collecting them...you never know when you might need one.

Best of luck!

a.

[scubaseas]

Oil strainer bolt torque is 9 foot pounds, not inch pounds.
_________________
Al

08/1970 T2a Westphalia owned since 1980

ASE Master certification. 50 years pushing a wrench
Retired

[white74westy]

[SGKent]

9 ft lbs. However a small beam type 0-50 inch pound torque wrench comes in handy. Lots of them show up on ebay. Beam style aren't as convenient as click style but they stay calibrated as long as the laws of physics don't change.
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“Most people don’t know what they’re doing, and a lot of them are really good at it.” - George Carlin

[scubaseas]

9 foot pounds= 108 inch pounds=12.2 Newton Meters

Any "click type" torque wrench in the range will work. The OP's choice is almost out of range for rocker nuts. Which I believe are 24.4NM or about 18 ft lbs?
_________________
Al

08/1970 T2a Westphalia owned since 1980

ASE Master certification. 50 years pushing a wrench
Retired

[raygreenwood]

You must not have done a basic quick scan through the lesser forums......this is a current thread running 2nd from the top of the page on the "General Chat" forum....about torque wrenches.
https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=695710&start=0

The biggest problem with some of the cheaper beam type torque wrenches.....is very poor pointer design and really large parallax errors unless you are careful to look at them straight on.
The Craftsman small beam type torque wrench.....is still a fairly good value...but the height if the point above the scale, the width and shape and the skinny line.....make it very hard to visually get it dead on unless you take care with how you use it.

For example....this makes it functionally worthless for torquing spark plugs inside of an engine bay of anything but my water cooled VW.

At one time....you could find beam type wrenches that had either a mirrored strip under the needle on the scale so you could get an accurate reference of the line on the tip from an angle....or they had a thin vertical pin on the end of the pointer that gave a very off angle viewing accuracy.
Long ago I have seen beam type wrenches with both.

The biggest problem with beam wrenches (and really all torque wrenches) is improper usage. Ray

[ivwshane]

Thanks guys. I don't know where I got inch/pound from but I swear that's what I saw recommended. That makes things a little easier.

As far as searching, I only searched this sub forum, in fact, other than the ghia forum I rarely visit the other sub forums:o
_________________
77 westy 2.0 FI
69 ghia coup 1600dp
70 single cab

[aerosurfer]

[igotta40]

Wheeler inch pound drivers can be had where firearm accessories are sold.

[Randy in Maine]

Even a cheapie from Harbor Freight is better than not having one. $20. You just have to know its limitations.

https://www.harborfreight.com/38-in-drive-click-type-torque-wrench-61276.html

[jtauxe]

Pendantic engineer, here. It's

in-lb
ft-lb
N-m

Not in/lb, inch/pound, ft lb, or NM, etc.
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John
"Travelling in a fried-out Kombi, on a hippie trail, head full of zombie..." - Colin Hay and Ron Strykert
http://vw.tauxe.net
1969 Transporter, 1971 Westfalia, 1976, 1977, 1976, 1977, 1971, 1973, 1977 Westfalias,
1979 Champagne Sunroof, 1974 Westfalia Automatic, 1979 Transporter, 1972 Sportsmobile, 1973 Transporter Wild Westerner, 1974 Westfalia parts bus, 1975 Mexican single cab *FOR SALE*, 1978 Irish 4-door double cab RHD

[ivwshane]

Is the choice between a 1/4 and a 3/8 drive just a matter of personal preference or is there a reason to go with one over the other?
_________________
77 westy 2.0 FI
69 ghia coup 1600dp
70 single cab

[SGKent]

[chimneyfish]

I have never really trusted myself with John Muir’s advice of waiting till your wrist tendon clicks way of doing this job. My 1976 owners manual says between 7 and 9 ft. lb, so I go for 7, in my opinion 9 is the absolute max. (See image of page in manual below).

I use a calibrated 3/8" sq drive torque wrench made by Teng for this job, and it is a tool that I am happy with, it has a range of 3-18 ft. lb / 5-25NM.

http://www.tengtools.com/torque-wrenches/

http://www.teng.co.uk/3892ag-e1-3892ag-e3-teng-tools-3-8-drive-torque-wrenches.html

If you look here in their online catalogue, they make a 1/4 inch square drive version as well, even better for the job than my one:

http://www.e-magin.se/paper/kqtnmrbq/paper/264

Best is being patient and starting low on a scale, gradually torquing from say 4ft lb, then another adjustment, then a final one up to 7 ft lb gets the torque spot on, rather than going in for the maximum torque straight away.

_________________
1965 Type 1 Deluxe (1200cc)
1976 Type 2 T2b Microbus L (1800cc Type 4)
Previously...
1972 T2 Camper (Devon), 1988 Golf, 1972 Type 1, 1984 Polo, 1972 T2 Camper (Danbury)

[scubaseas]

OP wrote

[jtauxe]

The "Pittsburgh" brand clicker torque wrenches I received from Harbor Freight were junk.
_________________
John
"Travelling in a fried-out Kombi, on a hippie trail, head full of zombie..." - Colin Hay and Ron Strykert
http://vw.tauxe.net
1969 Transporter, 1971 Westfalia, 1976, 1977, 1976, 1977, 1971, 1973, 1977 Westfalias,
1979 Champagne Sunroof, 1974 Westfalia Automatic, 1979 Transporter, 1972 Sportsmobile, 1973 Transporter Wild Westerner, 1974 Westfalia parts bus, 1975 Mexican single cab *FOR SALE*, 1978 Irish 4-door double cab RHD

[SGKent]