I am planning to do the plenum gasket in my 98 ram 5.9. I took off the throttle body and found oil pooled up at the back of the intake pan. i've also been getting what i believe to be spark knock and a rough idle. I will have to invest in a torque wrench for this job. I want to get a good one though, not a cheap piece of crap. However i don't think a snap-on or any other $400+ torque wrench is necessary for me. I generally do my own repairs when i can and this is the first time i've needed a torque wrench. I don't want to spend more than 300 on one because i wont be using it very often. My question is what kind of torque wrenches is everyone using? Thanks!

 

For a job like that your going to want a 3/8 drive since the bigger 1/2 wrenches don't usually torque that low. I'd recommend picking up a 1/2 and 3/8 drive craftsmen. I have matco, but they cost quite a bit more and aren't really necessary if you aren't going to use them often. I also heard bad things about snap-on so I won't recommend them.

 

Snap-On makes awesome tools, but, they demand a premium price for them. If you don't use it every day to make money, then the premium simply isn't worth it. I used Craftsman torque wrenches for decades, and never had a problem due to an under/over-torqued bolt.

 

According to the tsb http://dodgeram.info/tsb/2000/09-05-00.html ... I will need a torque wrench that goes from 12 in/lbs to 12 ft/lbs (144 in/lbs i think?) for the manifold bolts, and 48 in/lbs up to 84 in/lbs for the pan. is it completely necessary to start at 12 in/lbs for 1-4 bolts on manifold? Then 24,36,48,60,72? I found this craftsman but it starts at 25 in/lbs http://m.sears.com/craftsman-micro-clicker-torque-wrench-3-8inch-drive/p-00931423000P

I also found this matco, its range is 0-150 in/lbs
http://www.matcotools.com/catalog/product/TWBDI150A/3-8-DRIVE-DIAL-TORQUE-WRENCH/

Quite a bit more than a craftsmen but the range is perfect for what i need. If i dont have to start at exactly 12 in/lbs then I'll probably go with the craftsman. I live in canada so both will have to be shipped as sears doesn't sell torque wrenches here anymore. Another kind i'm considering is from westward tools if the make one in the range that i need. Anyone ever tried westward torque wrenches??

 

They have another that goes down to 20... that's the one I used. The scale is there at lower values, just the wrench is as accurate. For this particular purpose though, it is close enough.

 

when I did mine, it was not easy to feel the click for the 12 ft lbs to do the intake manifold torque, so I grabbed my in lbs torque wrench and set it at 144 in/lbs and worked like a charm. I have craftsman also. buying tools can be fun!

 

It can also be an addiction

 

Is there a twelve step program available for that?

 

The Snap-On truck stopping by one a month???

 

LOL

Somehow, I don't think that helps.....