Can someone tell me how to pick the right breaker bar/torque bar for brakes and wheels and such?
I don't know what to choose, there's 3/8",1/2",1/4", 3/4", and they all have different torque ranges. Do I just pick based on the torque range I need? What about breaker bars, do I just choose the same size as whatever torque wrench I get?
typically all you need is a 1/2 torque wrench and breaker bar. 1/4 and 3/8 is for like engine work. snug tight is just fine
3/8 is a good all-rounder drive imo, for cars at least.
1/2 for head studs, lugs, and axle nuts
3/8 for drain bolts
1/1
is breaker bar also a term for torque wrench in euro land?
Also a ratcheting breaker bar, for what purpose?
OP here, thank you all so much. I will check back to see if anyone else leaves their two cents, but I feel a lot better about getting that 1/2" duo. Satisfies my torque needs, too.
Jesus the advice in this thread...
A breaker bar is a larger tool for applying more leverage to nuts/studs that have been tightened heavily. You should not be using a breaker bar to tighten up.
A torque wrench is whole different tool. They are not for removing but for tightening fasteners to a specific torque, usually given in your manual, so that items are not too loose, or so tight that bolts are stretched. You set the required torque in Newton-metres or Foot-pounds before and the tool makes a click when you reach the required torque.
OP here, I know that, I would never use a torque wrench to do the job of a breaker bar, just for the last bit of tightening with a normal ratchet. I was more confused about the sizes, but it makes much more sense now.
>hes never had that bolt that is simply a huge cunt to get off because bad threads
>what are axle/cv nuts that are crimped on one end and can be a cunt to thread on and off
Breaker bar;
Get a good 1/2 inch bar about 30" long. If you cant break it free with that then you'll need 3/4 and a cheater most likely.
For a torque wrench i would also recommend a 1/2 drive, with settings from about 50nm to 200nm, that'll be fine for break fittings and wheel bolts. Torque wrenches are only meant for tightening although they do reverse i wouldn't recommend loosening anything with them, they need to be stored properly at their lowest setting and are quite fragile if dropped.
Ratcheting breaker bars are just like large swivel head ratchets, with lower tooth count but thicker teeth overall. Good if you need to break a bolt loose with limited space.
Don't even bother doing engine work if you don't know what makes a good breaker bar or torque wrench.
I can't think of anything OP would need a torque wrench for that isn't engine related, so just get the 3/8" torque wrench and hire or borrow a 1/2" if you need one.
>what are wheel nuts, brake calipers, tie rods, control arms, sway bars and a million other fucking things that believe it or not, should be torqued to manufacturer's specs and not just as hard as your faggot noodle arms can try.
Related, do I need to use a torque wrench to tighten my wheel nuts?
I usually just put them on gutentight and it has worked for a few years. Last week I got some new wheels, chucked them on and did the same thing I always do, but the lug bolt sheared on one wheel and the nuts felt very loose.
Had to pull over and call a tow truck because I didn't want to risk it (and free towing so can't complain), and all my tools were at home.
Could the lug bolt shearing be because I did it up too tight, or too loose? The wheel did feel like it had a lot of unwanted movement (was a rear wheel too).
Wish i got to work on stuff that only needed a foot long breaker bar. 2 people on a 2m breaker bar and third hanging onto the block just to get main caps off, gg scania
>Related, do I need to use a torque wrench to tighten my wheel nuts?
I mean, I do stock car racing with the other cletuses on the oval track, and I've literally never torqued on a wheel and I'm fine. I've always just gave them an ugguh ugguh with my impact and called it a day. Never had a wheel go.
Too loose, absolutely
Too tight, yeah, can stretch the metals.
How far/fast/hard were you going? If you change a wheel, do it up normally, drive for a short time and then re-check everything is still good. This might've saved you the tow truck.
Do you have to replace the hub or just extract the sheared off stud?
Ideally yes all lug bolts should be put on to the manufacturers torque spec.
I'ts not just about stretching the bolts properly but about spreading the load applied to each bolt equally, if 1 bolt is torqued significantly higher than the others (Easy to do with a breaker) it would take significantly more load than the other, looser bolts, possibly leading to the bolt sheering under stress.
>How far/fast/hard were you going?
160-180kmh, was racing another car down the freeway
>Do you have to replace the hub or just extract the sheared off stud?
Just replace the stud. I've done it before on another car for a different reason but yeah shouldn't be too hard. Already got most parts, just waiting on a set of nuts to come in the mail now.
>is breaker bar also a term for torque wrench in euro land?
No.
desu if you're an autist like me, you'll need all 3 sizes of torque wrenches. 1/2 for wheels/big shit, 3/8 for drain plugs and regular bolts, 1/4 (up to 10 Nm) for fine threaded bolts and bicycle things.
Same goes for ratchets. There's always going to be that one bolt that you can't get enough leverage on with a 1/4" ratchet but is too tight to get the 1/2" one on.
Speaking of which, I need to get me a good 3/8" ratchet and socket set.
I think the English call breaker bars "bolty pully woolies"
Y-you mean you're supposed to torque brake calipers?
You're supposed to torque pretty much every bolt on the entire car.
You're supposed to torque EVERYTHING man
There's a torque spec for the brake pad wear sensor bracket on my mercedes. I just yolo'd it because I have no 1/4" torque wrench, but it exists.
1/2 torque bar with a 1/2 to 3/4 bit for the smaller engine bolts.
This, this, this
> (You)
>>what are wheel nuts, brake calipers, tie rods, control arms, sway bars and a million other fucking things that believe it or not, should be torqued to manufacturer's specs and not just as hard as your faggot noodle arms can try.
Ok let's break down what you listed
Wheel nuts - you can torque these by hand, it doesn't take a genius to tell if a wheel nut is tight or not
Brake calipers - OP can use his 3/8" torque wrench for these the bolts aren't that big
Tie rods - pretty awkward to torque up while you are trying to align the hole in the castle nut for a split pin to go thru, just do it up tight and then split pin it, shits not going to fall off.
Control arms - just do them up tight
Sway bars - he can use his 3/8" torque wrench on, but why bother? They aren't gonna come loose and even if they do nothing gonna happen
3/8th I assume?
>1/2 inch bar about 30" long
What? No wait, just what? WTF are you working on, locomotives?!?! Nobody who does normal work on passenger vehicles needs a 30" breaker bar. And if you do, you need a kick ass impact wrench instead.
You can easily, EASILY, get by with an 18" 1/2" breaker bar. Hell, I have a 24", and it's never come out of my toolbox even once. Total waste of money, that purchase was.
A decent 30" bar is only about $18 and you'll never need a cheater. It'll handle everything including hub bolts and even a Honda crank bolt.