Why I stopped using those cheap torque wrenches from the auto parts store

I was working on a timing belt job for a 2012 Honda Accord at my shop in Birmingham last Tuesday. Had everything lined up perfect, torqued the crank pulley bolt to spec using one of those $20 torque wrenches. Drove the car out of the bay, heard a nasty clatter three miles down the road. The bolt backed out and the pulley came loose. Turns out that cheap wrench was off by 25 foot-pounds. I had to pull the whole front of the engine apart again and replace a damaged keyway. Now I only buy used Snap-On or Precision Instruments from pawn shops and eBay. Has anyone else had a torque wrench fail on them at a bad time?

2 comments

2 Comments

walker.max17d ago

Used to think those cheap ones were fine for the home garage kinda stuff... then I torqued down some lug nuts on my truck and two of them came loose on the highway. Scared the hell out of me. Now I test any wrench I buy against a friends calibrated one before I trust it on anything important.

alicesingh17d ago

Bit dramatic man... people been using cheap wrenches for decades.