Torque wrenches are calibrated wrong out of the box more than you think

Everyone talks about calibrating torque wrenches every year, but nobody checks a brand new one before using it. I bought a 3/8 inch drive unit last month for $180 and it was off by 8 percent right out of the box. I checked it against my shop's beam style wrench after noticing some bolts felt too tight on a valve cover job in Nashville. That mistake cost me a warped gasket and a redo on a customer's Subaru. My point is you don't need to spend big money on calibration services, just cross check new tools against a cheap beam wrench once in a while. It saved my ass on a head bolt sequence last week. Has anyone else caught a fresh tool being garbage straight from the factory?

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wendy_jackson23d ago

Caught my new 1/2 inch off 6 percent. Beam wrench saved my Hemi build.