Warning: don't trust a torque wrench that's been sitting in a tool box for 6 months

I was doing a spark plug change on a Cessna 172 out in Bakersfield last month and my torque wrench clicked way too early at 25 foot pounds. Turns out the calibration drifted after sitting in the heat and I was under torquing everything by about 10 percent. Now I check it against a known standard before every job, even if it's just a quick maintenance task. Has anyone else had a torque wrench go bad from just sitting around?

2 comments

2 Comments

jake_owens5d ago

Bakersfield heat warped a Snap-on wrench THAT bad? Unreal.

jennifer9655d ago

The heat in Bakersfield kills calibration fast. Had a Snap-on wrench drift 8 percent after one summer in the truck box. I bought a cheap beam style torque wrench as a sanity check after it cost me a botched head gasket job. That little needle never lies.