Torquing Rod Bolts

[Sureshot]

I'm working on torquing some rod bolts for a rebuild of a Johnson 50 HP. My factory manual tells me the torque should be 30-32 foot pounds. I have a 1/2 inch drive that has a range of 20-150 foot pounds. Anybody know what 30 foot pounds feels like? I was pulling pretty hard and still haven't heard it click. Obviously don't want to do any damage to my bolts (bought new) and existing rods. Any suggestions would be great.

 

[tosoutherncars]

Re: Torquing Rod Bolts

If you think your wrench might be locked up, maybe put it on something less vital and/or that won't strip (like a bolt and nut in a vice) and see how hard you have to haul it before it clicks?

 

[rtek816]

Re: Torquing Rod Bolts

Your less expensive torque wrenchs will only cam over once. Can be hard to read. I've found the torque spec on my rods almost stripped the bolt. New bolts are essential. A quality wrench (or wench) helps.

 

[dazk14]

Re: Torquing Rod Bolts

Are you torquing in stages? A 20-150lbs wrench is not really the tool for 30lbs., unless it was a fairly new Snap-on... Since your rebuilding the motor, just buy a reasonably priced 3/8" drive that will be in the appropriate range.

You'll need it for torquing the head and countless other bolts.

 

[Mas]

Re: Torquing Rod Bolts

Anybody know what 30 foot pounds feels like? I was pulling pretty hard and still haven't heard it click. Obviously don't want to do any damage to my bolts (bought new) and existing rods. Any suggestions would be great.

Thirty foot pounds feels exactly like hanging a 30 pound weight on your torque wrench 12 inches away from the bolt (measured from the bolt toward the end of the wrench). Put your wrench on a loose bolt on a vertical surface and try it.

Mas

 

[F_R]

Re: Torquing Rod Bolts

A 1/2 inch drive 20-150 foot pound torque wrench is virtually useless on an outboard for anything other than the flywheel nut. I'd go further than that and say it is worse than useless, probably will give damaging false readings. Put it away and get a 3/8 drive wrench calibrated in inch pounds, up to no more than 600. 30 ft pounds equals 360 inch pounds. 32 foot pounds equals 384 inch pounds. (multiply by 12)

 

[Sureshot]

Re: Torquing Rod Bolts

I had hoped to get by with the 1/2 (for the flywheel) and another 3/8 torque wrench rated up to 200 inch pounds. But it sounds like I need something more in the middle of that range.

F_R, I see two options as far as inch pound wrenches available to me. Autozone has a $22 3/8 clicker rated from 120 - 960 inch pounds. Amazon has a KD Tools beam-style wrench for $50 rated from 0 - 600 inch pounds. Is one preferred over the other?

My gut feeling is the KD Tools will be more accurate, just now sure how easier the beam-style wrenches are to use especially for a novice like myself. Thank you everybody for your comments.

 

[AlTn]

Re: Torquing Rod Bolts

I recently purchased a KD 3/8" Torque Wrench <model 2956 > from tooltopia.com...in torqueing head bolts I noticed that you can see and feel a bolt "relax" if the threads are not quiet up to snuff..I can say I never experienced that with a "clicker"...somewhat harder to use on horizontal bolts as you need to be looking directly at the scale and pointer.

 

[F_R]

Re: Torquing Rod Bolts

I had hoped to get by with the 1/2 (for the flywheel) and another 3/8 torque wrench rated up to 200 inch pounds. But it sounds like I need something more in the middle of that range.

F_R, I see two options as far as inch pound wrenches available to me. Autozone has a $22 3/8 clicker rated from 120 - 960 inch pounds. Amazon has a KD Tools beam-style wrench for $50 rated from 0 - 600 inch pounds. Is one preferred over the other? My gut feeling is the KD Tools will be more accurate, just now sure how easier the beam-style wrenches are to use especially for a novice like myself. Thank you everybody for your comments

The click type is more accurate---IF properly calibrated. Trouble is, they rarely are propely calibrated. One of my duties at the manufacturing plant was regular testing and calibrating them. And they don't stay calibrated. Understand that these were used by assembly people that could feel a click, even though they didn't necessarily know what it meant.

As for my own tool box, I only have the beam type (four of them). They never get out of whack. But you do have to LOOK at what you're doing.

As for the ones you mentioned, I would go with the 600 inch pound beam type. Even that is too much for small machine screws, but those aren't so critical in most cases.

 

[Sureshot]

Re: Torquing Rod Bolts

Ordered the 600 inch beam wrench for $50. Not sure I trust a $20 torque wrench on something critical like these rod bolts. I'll just be careful and make sure I watch it closely. I pulled out the rod bolts I had torqued with the 1/2 20-150 foot pound wrench and they had stretched considerably so I'm heading back to the rod bolt store. Thanks for the guidance.

 

[boobie]

Re: Torquing Rod Bolts

As F_R said the beam type is a good torque wrench. I've got a small one that I used to set rolling torques on omc sterndrives with and was always accurate.