Date: Sat, 21 May 2011 11:25:51 -0700
Reply-To: Jeff Schwaia <vw.doka@GMAIL.COM>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: Jeff Schwaia <vw.doka@GMAIL.COM>
Subject: Re: Steering wheel locked after replacing blower motor
In-Reply-To: <4dd7f990.4969e50a.33ba.ffff9fad@mx.google.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"
A quality click-type torque wrench is not as "iffy" as you may think. I
have 4 Snap-On click-type torque wrenches (1/4", 3/8", and two 1/2"). All
of them are at least 10 years old (although one was recalibrated about 5
years ago), and all of them tested out to less than a 5% deviation from
indicated torque. That's pretty close (less the 1% off) to the
specification for a brand new Snap-On wrench after 10+ years of use. The
biggest issue with click-type torque wrenches is that people do not back off
the torque setting to 0 when storing them. I do have a couple of the
beam-type torque wrenches as well, but they can be very difficult to use in
regular use.
Cheers,
Jeff
-----Original Message-----
From: Vanagon Mailing List [mailto:vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com] On Behalf Of
David Beierl
Sent: Saturday, May 21, 2011 10:42 AM
To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
Subject: Re: Steering wheel locked after replacing blower motor
At 12:58 PM 5/21/2011, Scott Daniel - Turbovans wrote:
>that's just how persistent and determined one needs to be occasionally,
>to produce the result.....
>when working on cars. Takes real tenacity sometimes.
Especially the first time, or if it's been long enough that you've
forgotten the little twists you learned the last time.
The especially fun part is going through nineteen of the twenty
reassembly steps and discovering that you left out step four. Or
being *sure* you'll remember what all the various nuts, washers etc
are for, then having to wait a week...baggies and a Sharpie are your friend.
And Phil - do yourself a favor, get a couple torque wrenches, one
3/8-drive one that goes to say 75 lb-ft and later a bigger one for
maybe 150 lb-ft. All fasteners have a proper torque, and especially
when you're working with bolts threaded into the aluminum parts it's
remarkably easy to suck the threads right out of the hole. If you're
tightening a fastener and the torque starts to drop instead of rise,
it's too late, you have to put in an insert.* This may well be the
fault of the guy ahead of you. I've been working on a van from New
Mexico where it seems as though every second fastener is stripped
out. Forward transmission mount (this is in steel) had one good
bolt, two stripped holes, and one hole with a broken-off tap in
it. And it was at least two different people who did it. One of
them stripped the alternator mount bolts, put in inserts and then
stripped out the inserts. That takes talent.
Click-type wrenches are convenient but their calibration is
iffy. Beam-type are much cheaper and calibration is permanent if you
don't wreck them. I have a click-type that goes from 20-150 lb-ft
and has a ratchet (that's the convenient part), and a three beam-type
of descending sizes. The big one I use to check the calibration on
the click wrench, as well as for more critical fasteners.
*Thread inserts work by drilling and tapping a larger hole, then
threading in an insert that acts as a new set of threads. Helicoil
and Time-sert are two brands. Drilling is not hard if there's enough
space; tapping is difficult to get lined up straight because the tap
will eat its way in whatever direction it gets started. Also taps
are extremely hard, which means they're extremely brittle; and once
you've broken one off in the hole you've got a whole new set of ugly
problems. Tapping is both an art and science unto itself, and
good-quality taps aren't cheap. The thread-insert ones are special
sizes and come with the insert kit (tap, inserting tool, a few inserts).
I find it very useful to keep taps and dies on hand in M6x1, M8x1.25,
M10x1.5. These are mostly for chasing existing threads to clean them
up, you'll be surprised the difference this makes on
reassembly. Bottoming taps (google) are harder to find, so I
typically get two plug taps and carefully grind the end off one to
make a bottoming tap.* Those are for chasing closed holes. Pep Boys
sell Vermont-American taps and hexagonal dies which are what you want
for chasing the threads on bolts. V-A is a nothing-special brand but
they work ok. Beware tap wrenches that have you apply your force on
one side - recipe for a broken tap. Slide the handle so you're
pushing on both sides equally. Hex dies you can use a wrench on
carefully, or clamp them in a vise. You can also get handles for
them, and if you're actually going to make a thread you need
one. For chasing you can often do it dry, but tapping fluid is
better and oil is better than nothing.
*If they're carbon steel taps (give lots of bright sparks on the
wheel) you have to keep them cool with *frequent* dips in water. If
the end turns blue or even straw color you've softened the whole
end. High speed steel (minimal dull sparks) it's better not to dip
in water, ok to let them get hot.
Yours,
David
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