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Wasted $200 on a torque wrench that couldn't handle hangar cold
Back when I started, I grabbed a cheap click-type torque wrench from a discount tool truck. Figured it was fine for light stuff. Used it one January morning in an unheated hangar in Minneapolis. Calibration was way off in the cold, must have been 40 degrees in there. Ended up over-torquing a bunch of engine mount bolts on a Piper. Had to order a whole new set and redo the job, plus the time. Lost a solid half-day and the cost of the bolts. Now I only use my good, temperature-stable wrench for anything critical. Anyone have a go-to brand for tools that hold up in extreme temps?
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kai56421h ago
Forty degrees and you trusted a discount tool? That's practically asking for trouble. Those cheap clickers have springs inside that turn to junk in the cold. I saw a guy strip a wheel lug clean off because his wrench lied to him at about that temperature. You got lucky it was just bolts and not something that couldn't be fixed.
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Oof, that's a brutal way to learn a lesson lol. Your discount wrench basically went on strike and decided to give you the cold shoulder. At least you found out on engine mounts and not something that would've fallen out of the sky, I guess. My buddy's old snap-on seems to laugh at the cold, but that thing cost more than my first car.
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barbara_hall921h ago
My old Pittsburgh torque wrench from Harbor Freight did the same thing at 35 degrees last winter. I started keeping it in my house overnight when I know I'm working outside the next day. Letting it warm up in the truck cab for an hour before using it seems to help a lot, the click feels way more solid. It's a pain but cheaper than buying a fancy one that can handle the cold right away.
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