Anti-seize on spark plugs??
- Thread starter martyb
- Start date
Ron
Enthusiast
Don't forget to use a torque wrench too....
I ALWAYS use "Copaslip" brand anti-seize on the plugs...staying away from the threads at the tip. REMEMBER, use torque wrench within it's range of accuracy (hard to do on the "low end" of most wrenches calibrated in "ft-lbs")...AND, decrease torque by 10% when using anti-seize (since plugs call for 20 ft-lbs, drop down to 18 ft-lbs).
Buckeye Viper
Enthusiast
Anyone have any recommendations on good torque wrenches?
Bruce
Enthusiast
Harbor Freight has a cheapo wrench for $20 0-80 lb., 3/8'' DRIVE, CLICKER TORQUE WRENCH, margin of error +/- 4%.
Snap-On...and you will need more than one to work on cars.
AJT
Enthusiast
Sears Craftsman
Tom86ZT
Enthusiast
I believe its snapon who has a digital one, will do in-lbs and ft-lbs (not sure the upper rating, probably 150lb-ft). But it clicks, beeps, and vibrates.
I have an Atlas Copco torque wrench that has a meter on it. It's the same type that my dad sold to NASA when building the Hubble telescope. The one I have is the one he used to demonstrate with.
And, on ANY car with aluminum heads, always use anti-seize. And really, on iron heads, you should too, although it isn't quite as important. There's more chance of stripping threads on aluminum than iron.
And, on ANY car with aluminum heads, always use anti-seize. And really, on iron heads, you should too, although it isn't quite as important. There's more chance of stripping threads on aluminum than iron.
...and remenber...stay within the specified accuracy range of YOUR wrench...noting that typical click-type wrenches are way off at the lowest end of their scale. Usual recommendation is to NOT use the wrench for settings less than the that reading representing 20% of a given wrench's full range. For example, a wrench that reads from 50 ft-lbs to 150 ft-lbs would have a range of 100...so, use only those settings that are in the upper 80% of the range, i.e., ABOVE 70ft-lbs for that particular wrench. Since said wrenches CAN by off by as much as 30% in the lower 1-2% of their scale, one should avoid the lowest settings...by getting a wrench that covers one's needs in the wrench's mid-range. One can usually see the plot for this at the manufacturer's website or in their catalog.
Addendum: Here's the verbage fron the Snap-On website concerning a 50-250 ft-lbs micrometer click-type wrench:
" Accuracy. All QD Series Torque Instruments are accurate to ±4% clockwise and ±6% counterclockwise from 20% of full scale to full scale
Addendum: Here's the verbage fron the Snap-On website concerning a 50-250 ft-lbs micrometer click-type wrench:
" Accuracy. All QD Series Torque Instruments are accurate to ±4% clockwise and ±6% counterclockwise from 20% of full scale to full scale
Cris, as I read it...the range for the wrench in my "addendum" above is 250-50=200...then 20% of 200 is 40...so, consider the first 40 ft-lbs "unuseable", which when added to the 50 ft-lbs starting point means that we can consider a reading of 90 ft-lbs as the LOW END of the accurate readings, thus useing 90 ft-lbs and above with the reasonable accuracy of +/- 4% as stated.
Respecting this concept will save much grief...while it is old stuff to the more experienced folks, I do believe that the concept is often lost in the fine print while making a purchase...to say nothing of the need to recalibrate said wrenches on a regular basis depending on usage.
Cris, I see your point, but I reason that the stated caution by the manufacturer would have no bearing whatsoever in the case you propose as you cannot use a torque setting NOT stated on the wrench, such as 46 or 32 or any other below the 50...and therefore, feel that the verbage in the warning means RANGE of the markings. So, I (right or wrong) do the calculation, and use the wrench that fits the numbers for the job.
ADDENDUM: Cris, I just hauled out of of my wrenches...in this case, the scale on the wrench is inscribed 5-75 ft-lb.
PLEASE NOTE that the RANGE stated at the top of the Certificate of Calibration states the "Range" as "15.00-75.00 ft-lb"...IGNORING, if you will, the first few markings at the low end of the scale printed on the wrench.
I KNOW that my long and wordy attempt to explain all of this may be lacking...so hopefully someone else can chime in to help. Too bad that I cannot currently find the actual plot of this accuracy situation on the Snap-On site, though I do have it in a 4-5 year old catalog...and, have found the same general numbers on the Sears Craftsman site in the past year or so.
Respecting this concept will save much grief...while it is old stuff to the more experienced folks, I do believe that the concept is often lost in the fine print while making a purchase...to say nothing of the need to recalibrate said wrenches on a regular basis depending on usage.
Cris, I see your point, but I reason that the stated caution by the manufacturer would have no bearing whatsoever in the case you propose as you cannot use a torque setting NOT stated on the wrench, such as 46 or 32 or any other below the 50...and therefore, feel that the verbage in the warning means RANGE of the markings. So, I (right or wrong) do the calculation, and use the wrench that fits the numbers for the job.
ADDENDUM: Cris, I just hauled out of of my wrenches...in this case, the scale on the wrench is inscribed 5-75 ft-lb.
PLEASE NOTE that the RANGE stated at the top of the Certificate of Calibration states the "Range" as "15.00-75.00 ft-lb"...IGNORING, if you will, the first few markings at the low end of the scale printed on the wrench.
I KNOW that my long and wordy attempt to explain all of this may be lacking...so hopefully someone else can chime in to help. Too bad that I cannot currently find the actual plot of this accuracy situation on the Snap-On site, though I do have it in a 4-5 year old catalog...and, have found the same general numbers on the Sears Craftsman site in the past year or so.
