VETTAMOUS

Well you might get lucky trading it in for a husky at home depot. They will trade out a broken craftsmen for a husky. Husky is good stuff, you might get lucky. I think your SOL, ever been that way before? I bet so, haven't we all. It might be time to get a new one. I want to be confident in my torque wrench specs.

slammin

Like just about everything we buy, most torque wrenches are made in China. Snap on is still US made. As far as I know, Mac's Knuckle Saver wrenches are still made in Dallas. I have a Craftsman I bought in 1999. It was made here in the states. My rule of thumb for my machine shop: precision tools, mic, calipers, etc, I only buy US, German, or certain Japanese manufacturers. Other stuff, I will buy Asian, depending on how often its used. Machinery is a whole nuther game.

lowbuck72

If there's a Costco nearby, stop by the tire shop and ask the manager nicely if you could test the calibration of your torque wrench on their torque wrench tester. Most of them are nice guys and will let you. Costco tests all their torque wrenches daily and even sends their torque tester in for recalibration annually.

PHIL 68

Good lord guys are you serious. The price of a new one is minimal not worth the time and energy spent driving around trying to get it recalibrated or playing a game with distributors. If you are serious about your car and safety why would you be trying homemade ( BUBBA ) remedies. Just my opinion

540 vette

Like the man said. Stop wasting time and get a new one.

lowbuck72

Costco spends about $200 for a new torque wrench and spends about $40 for a recalibration which is rarely needed. It's a quality wrench that gets more use in a week than you would in a year. They are available from a company called Westesco. That being said, a $10 wrench from HF will work just as well for a home mechanic if it's taken care of and checked occasionally. It's more important to understand the how and why of proper use. Do threads need to be clean and dry, or oiled? Understand the torque pattern (star pattern on lug lugs) torqueing in stages, how to hold and when to ease pressure on the tool. Fastener torque specs are just a way of measuring the clamping force or the bolt or stud stretch. A guy who knows what he's doing can do a better job with a breaker bar, than a hamfisted guy improperly using a torque wrench.

leadfoot4

Same here!

I had my Craftsman torque wrench for about 14-15 years, and got a LOT of use from it. When the nuts went loose, I took the end cap off, saw that it was pretty well shot, and simply bought a new one (Armstrong).