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Borrowed a buddy's torque wrench after using my free Harbor Freight one for years
That HF wrench was off by like 15 foot-pounds on a compressor head bolt, and his Snap-on got it right the first time. Has anyone else found a cheap tool that was secretly ruining their repairs without knowing it?
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williamhenderson3mo ago
15 foot pounds ain't gonna make or break a compressor head bolt.
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the_viola3mo ago
Oh come on, a 15 foot pound difference can absolutely change how a bolt seats over time. It's the difference between proper torque and just barely snug enough.
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morgan.jason3mo ago
...and on a compressor head bolt especially, where heat cycling and vibration are constant issues, that 15 foot pounds is absolutely the difference between a bolt that stays put and one that slowly backs off over a few hundred hours. @williamhenderson, I get the sentiment that torque specs aren't some magic number, but when you're dealing with gaskets and sealing surfaces, a little extra torque can actually distort the head or stretch the bolt just enough to cause a leak down the road. I have seen it happen on a smaller compressor of mine where being 10 pounds low caused the bolt to work loose after a season of heavy use. It's not about being dramatic, it's about the fact that those specs exist for a reason, usually tested by engineers who have way more data than gut feelings about "close enough.
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