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Warning: my $200 torque wrench was lying to me and I trusted it anyway
For about 3 years I did every oil filter and drain plug by feel, just snug plus a little. Then last spring I bought a cheap $200 click type torque wrench off the tool truck because a guy at the hangar in Wichita kept bugging me about it. I used that thing on everything for 8 months, felt real professional. Then a buddy who does calibration checks put it on his tester and it was reading 22 percent high at 50 foot pounds. So every bolt I thought I hit at spec was actually closer to 39. Nothing fell off, thank God, but I had been patting myself on the back for no reason. Now I do the opposite of what everyone pushes: I torque by feel first, then check with a beam wrench I borrowed, and I only trust the click type for stuff that really matters like prop bolts. The old timers at my shop swear the click wrenches make people lazy and I am starting to think they are half right. What is your go to for making sure a wrench has not drifted, do you send yours out or just buy a new one every couple years?
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