Torque settings?

[VicS]

Whoops

 

[JumbleDuck]

I’m just dreading when the day comes I have to find (i.e. afford!) one big enough for our keel bolts! ?

I have a 3/4" drive one which goes up to silly. The only thing I have ever used it for is Citroën 2CV fronts hubs which are done up to (from memory) 260 ft-lbs. Undoing them first required a 3/4" drive breaker bar, a length of scaffold tube and a bit of highland dancing.

 

[AntarcticPilot]

That practice hasn't been required by a lot of engine manufacturers for a number of years now. The technology has moved on meaning that is no longer required - it's a good thing, not a bad thing.

But the VP 200x series Workshop Manual DOES recommend rechecking the torque on the head bolts after a few hours running.

 

[Caraway]

It's always worth searching for the recommended torque rather than adopting the "tight as possible" flawed approach. Personally, I appear to have a bit of a fetish for torque wrenches

Ever tested them against one another?

I have a very old Britool wrench. Probably 50 years old. About 20 years ago I had a friend who worked for a tool manufacturer. They tested and certified torque wrenches and he checked mine out (free).
It was within 4% of correct. After he cleaned and adjusted it it was within 2%, which is excellent. Even the 4% was within acceptable value.

 

[Halo]

Steel is elastic and torque settings were developed to stretch the bolt enough to hold the assembly together without damage.
Nyloc nuts resist vibration etc which may loosen them
I would use the torque settings for both nuts in turn.

 

[vic008]

Paid mechanic to do alignment a mth ago.
Today torque up new cush block to g/boxflange, and have 4 bolts poking aft,, thinking they will engage holes on shaft coupling. No way! (Must distort the block.). For a while thinking useless mechanic.
Well after all this discussion, no room to fit torque wrench to any. Had to leave bolts loose to get all nuts on.
So can only guess tightening the bolts

 

[Nudge]

Got a number of torque wrenches but regularly use measured lengths of pipe over the ratchet or spanner pulled with a spring balance. Very accurate and the range is enormous!
Came up with this when torquing up the barrel base nuts on Triumph T150/T160 BSA R3 engines - you can only squeeze a ground down ring spanner in the gap....

 

[Moodysailor]

But the VP 200x series Workshop Manual DOES recommend rechecking the torque on the head bolts after a few hours running.

That engine design is over 50yrs old - kind of proves my point. The D series engines did away with that in later versions.