Ok, I'll buy the torque wrench today. I just got a call, my spark plug seals arrived. I guess that means I'll be doing the tensioners today. To be honest, I feel kinda scared.

 

Well if you are a novice and need a torque wrench to tighten these 10Nm bolts, not sure if you should start the job at all.

If you over set the torque wrench to say 20Nm, just because you have never used one before, then you have a bigger problem.
Look at the specs for these bolts, there is a 50% margin.
The only time I use torque wrenches is for headbolts or bolts inside gearboxes. The rest is just the feeling/experience.

No need for the zipties either. Just get somebody to give you a hand. One person lifts the camshaft and another person changes the tensioners out.

 

I'm definitely getting a pal of mine to help me out, but I'm doing everything by the book, err the pdf files on the zip tie method for the tensioners. I don't want to fudge anything up.

Jo, you seem to be the only person here who doesn't find the torque wrench a necessity on this job. Even if it is a small value, I'd rather use the wrench. I've used them before on other jobs with my grandfather. I'm not a complete novice, I'm actually pretty handy with tools.

 

You will do fine! Just read the booklet that comes with the wrench so you understand how to read/set the proper torque. There is a big difference between inch-pounds and foot-pounds so read twice and torque once!

 

Ok, thanks Cat Man.

 

I've bought a torque wrench with values between 5-80 ft.lbs or 6.78- 108.48 Nm.

 

That should cover you for all but the biggest of suspension parts. I'm not sure I've run across a bolt that called for less than about 10N-m, even the smallest ones in the intake.

Just take your time. These jobs really are that difficult but it pays to be methodical and detail oriented.

Good luck!

 

5 ft. lbs. is 60 in. lbs. At either end of a torque wrench's rating their actual torque is not so accurate - especially at the low end. Still pay attention to how the fastener feels while tightening it.

When reading torque specs you'll see two numbers. The two numbers don't indicate a range. The smaller figure is for used fasteners, the larger number is for new fasteners which tend to stretch when first tightened.

The first few years of a mechanic's career are spent learning how much he can get away with...

 

old guy to the new guy many years ago:

"The difference between an amateur and a professional is that the professional knows exactly how hard he can hit it without breaking it. "

 

Hear, hear.

 

First, everyone has to start somewhere. The OP has managed to do quite a bit more on his car than many others.

No one knows what 10NM feels like until he has experienced the feel with the guidance of external feedback. And he won't be able to duplicate it with any accuracy until he has done it over and over many times, under the same conditions, from the same position, using the same tool ... while paying attention.

The cracking force when removing the critical fasteners is much greater than that required to refasten the same fasteners. Using that experience as a guide by the inexperienced would be disastorous.

I know that the torque wrench let go much earlier on those fasteners than I would have anticipated. I had to make a decision at that point. I decided to trust the wrench because it was a good wrench that I had freshly calibrated for that job.

The reason for the perceptual error lies in habits learned on steel to steel interfaces, whereas the critical fasteners are steel to aluminum. Aluminum is much softer.

Finally, zip ties are cheap and don't get distracted by other things. Someone who has thought out the job completely could do it without the zip ties. But, saving 20 cents is not really a great risk/reward proposition. It's more like insanity driven by hubris.

Part of the raison d'etre for this forum is extending help to fellow members. When extending advice it is paramount that one does not put the member or his vehicle at risk. As part of that, it is important to consider the level of expertise of the person posing the question.

Pushing a member or future readers towards risky or unsuitable techniques is not helpful.

It is far better for those who are newer to a job to follow established techniques that have proven to work than to venture into methods that entail more risk

 

At the store, I gave an employee the values listed earlier on this thread. The guy wanted to sell me a 50 ft/lbs wrench. He thought that ft/in and ft/lbs were the same. I said, that's a no go for me. I explained to him, that as a science student I happen to know that there happens to be a very big difference between the measurements. I told him, that logically, there's a 12:1 ratio between ft/lbs and ft/in, where 1 of the former was roughly equal to twelve of the latter. I then proceeded to convert the units for him. That's when he realized that what he wanted to sell me would've kerplunked my engine. Then he pointed me to the $52 wrench I bought. Before making my decision, I made sure the torque values listed for the wrench and for the job were compatible.

I've read the booklet, practiced setting the torque measurements and made sure all was good. I'll get to work tomorrow.

I would have never guessed that the smaller number pertains to the used fastener. I can infer that the larger number is the one I'll use for the new bolts that I bought with the tensioners, am I right?

I'm sure glad I inherited my dad's OCD. I have read and reread every set of instructions I could get my hands on. I never do a critical job without properly informing myself. I feel a bit more confident now.

I'm wondering, where can I find the manual with instructions on the procedures to be done on the car? I imagine such a manual contains the relevant torque values? Is it the JTIS? I haven't been able to install the JTIS, I have a Mac without a copy of windows to use. I guess I'll just download one from pirate bay.

 

Salespeople typically know less about what the are selling than most of their customers.

 

I've noticed that as well. I was at the grocery store the other day and asked a lady if they sell açai. She didn't know what it was, so I told her it's a fruit. She was still dumbfounded about it, so I had to whip out my phone and google a picture for her. Unfortunately they don't sell them so I came home with many assorted fruits and granola, but no açai.

I think people should be required to at least learn what it is they're selling. Don't salespeople get trained?

 

With regard to torque specifications. There are some in the specifications manual which is available from links in most of the stickies.

There is also a engine repair course manual originally uploaded by Motorcarman which ought to be the canonical reference for any torque values related to engine work. It may be in the stickies, or it is linked in multiple threads about head gasket replacement.

The ones listed early in this thread are accurate since they were drawn directly from that manual or JTIS.

BTW, with click type torque wrenches, they must be stored with the setting at 0 or below, and it is recommended that just before use you set the torque to the high end of the scale and exercise the wrench a few times on a bolt tightened in a vise. Sort of like stretching before running.

If you want to run JTIS on OSX, visit virtualbox.org

 

I know about VBox, I still need a copy of Winders for that.

Thanks for the advise about the wrench.

 

I recently did my tensioners using Zip tie method. Not a problem .
In torquing the cam retainers I tried using a 1/4 "drive torque wrench to obtain the necessary low torque number. Problem was the numbers {etched on} were very hard to see.
I did break off one of the cover bolts by using a larger wrench.
If anyone knows a good easy to read 1/4 drive torque wrench perhaps they can list it

 

Uh, while the bolts may be new, the part you're attaching them to isn't... keep that in mind when you're tightening a steel bolt into an aluminum part. Developing a 'feel' for the work is paramount, beyond printed specifications. If it seems that you've been turning the wrench and the strain isn't steadily increasing be careful that the threads aren't pulling out.

 

Thanks Beav.

I'm having trouble with the inner most bolts on the cam covers. They are in a really tight spot. There is this metal plate that is not allowing me to fit my wrench on the screw head? I have no tools that can get in there? What to do? Do I need some sort of adapter?