Found out torque wrench is not accurate *after* rear main seal job

[Dsilverline]

Hey guys,

So I replaced my rear main seal (84' M1009) and loosened the main caps as part of the process. Replaced the seal and torqued everything up, oil pan on and all good, been on a trip with it already, no issues. Realized after the fact I've never calibrated my torque wrench and got one of the digital testers. Found out my wrench is actually about 25% low. So the main cap bolts that were supposed to be 100ft lbs are actually only 75-80 etc.....Do y'all think this is just too far off? Potential engine damage? Drop oil pan immediately and re-torque (would prefer not to haha) or just run with it? I've got another offroad trip this weekend so somewhat concerned with it. Should have got that tester first - hindsight is 20/20!!

Thanks,
David

 

[hndrsonj]

What kind of torque wrench and how old? Most are totally jacked up....

 

[Dsilverline]

Just a cheap piece from Harbor Freight about 2 years old I guess. Should have seen it coming....I guess some semi good news is I put a DSG stud girdle kit on a while back and those are only torqued to 80ft lbs with moly lube which I used so those are fine. The rest of the stock bolts would still be low though

 

[wheelspinner]

Did you do the "double click" that a lot of people do? If so that second click in my testing added 20-25% of applied torque. This is normally the wrong thing to do, but if you did, that should have increased your applied torque.

 

[PJL]

Wheelspinner, is that the interior of a Huey in your avatar?

 

[Guyfang]

Indeed Wheelspinner, double clicking, (and I do a triple click!) is not only a good idea, but cheap insurance.

Yeah, looks like a Slick to me!!

 

[jimk]

20 years ago my friend was doing the crank on his 1969 427 Vette. He thought he had soft bolts and asked me to take a look. The thread were visibly stretched silly. I put my beam type on his Snap-on click type. Turns out his was way off. By comparing lower #'s we est. he was doing over 170 ft.lbs on the mains. Then he started worrying about the block. I thought it would be fine. 5 years later he proved it. My 455 GTO always spanked him bad. He got a fender ahead and kept it. He must have wound the piss out of that thing. We never went at it again. He got a ZR1. We never went at that either. 3 weeks ago he bought a 2016 ZO6. Now I'm really screwed.

The click type need to be set to 0 during storage.

If I was in your situation, I think 80 would be OK, if you oiled the threads. If it was my truck I'd go in and redo them, for piece of mind. Its just work and it only cost is a pan gasket.

The hole is line bored with bolts at correct torque so there may be some small, probably insignificant, distortion when they are too loose.

 

[Dsilverline]

Ha- that sorta reminds me of when I had a 65 chevelle (454 and a turbo 400). My buddy had a 66 Chevelle with a 396 and a muncie. I had a highrise manifold, he had a lowrise. He'd always pull away from me off the line but then once I got up a little speed and RPMs I'd pull away hard. I prolly could have got a higher torque converter and dusted him....couple a young idiots racing on the street haha

I've always just done the one click. My insurance is I go around for a second pass of one-clicks to confirm.

I definitely plan to re-torque them but hoping to wait till it's time for an oil change anyway....Going to redo the rear main seal while I'm there (it didn't go 100% well the first time) and look into a better quality oil pan where the material around the bolt holes isn't so flimsy.

 

[fitz]

What brand oil pan did you buy? Did you find a higher quality one?

 

[Dsilverline]

I think it was the Pioneer brand I got at Autozone. Haven't found a top notch one but haven't really looked yet either.... what do you think guy's? Would you drive it as is on another off-road trip this weekend? To the next oil change?

 

[fitz]

I wouldn't. For the cost of a gasket & some oil why take a chance?

 

[Dsilverline]

I see what you mean, no time to do it before the weekend though.... weekend trip I planned with my buddies for a while. I'll need to cancel the trip or do it after pretty much....I did do one trip already with it so I'm leaning toward doing it after this one....fun decisions haha

 

[goldneagle]

Thank god Harbor Freight does not sell parachutes or defibrillators.

 

[riggermedic]

 

[Dsilverline]

haha right

 

[rustystud]

The click type need to be set to 0 during storage.

That was the old thinking, now they say you need to keep at least 20ft Ibs on it. I know next week they will say 30ft Ibs and the week after that it must be zero again. I just store mine at the lowest setting and get them calibrated every two years.

 

[73m819]

Years ago I loaned a VERY expensive Snap-on torque wrench, It was ALWAYS dead on, one of the selling features was to guarantee to stay dead on and I could have Snap-On check on the calibration any time I wanted, so every time I was going to need it I found a Snap-On truck, SO I loaned it to some friends that were working on a Volvo, when they gave it back they said they had to "RESET the torque wrench because it was NOT READING RIGHT", after a LOT of "made up words" (ran out of the standard cuss words), took it to Snap-On who REFUSED to even touch it because the adjustment seal was MISSING, the torque wrench went into the trash and the morons refused to pay for it because the torque wrench was" broke when they got it", needless to say there was a LOT of made up words.

So the BOTTOM LINE is DO NOT LOAN YOUR GOOD TORQUE WRENCH, you may not want to loan your GOOD TORQUE WENCH either.

 

[ODFever]

I have a cheap Hazard Fraught torque wrench. I don't use a torque wrench often enough to justify dropping the coin on a Snap-On. How can I calibrate my piece of junk torque wrench?

 

[Tow4]

There are calibration companies around that can check the calibration. Google it or I'll give you the name I have when I get home Sunday.

 

[Guyfang]

I only loan tools to people who are over 80 years of age and can produce a note from their Great, Great, Great Grandmother, stating that they will vouch for said person. I hate it when my kids even look at my tools.