How to Use a Digital Torque Wrench

I will be teaching you how to use a digital torque wrench. I am qualified to teach you this because I am going to school for automotive technology and I have a torque wrench certification. I would not recommend doing this if you have never picked up a wrench before. This is for someone that has some experience in the automotive industry. By the end of this, you should know how to properly torque a bolt to the correct specification.

Supplies

You will need a digital torque wrench and an owner’s manual or service information depending on what you are torquing. You will also need the correct socket that fits the bolt you are torquing.

Step 1

Once you have your torque wrench, the first thing you need to do is turn it on. You do this by pushing the power button.

Step 2

Once you have your torque wrench on you will select which unit of measurement you need to torque your bolt to. You do this by pressing the unit button on the torque wrench. Foot pounds, inch pounds, newton meters, or angle. (I will be using foot pounds)

Step 3

Once you know which unit to use, look up what the torque spec is using the owner’s manual or service information.

Step 4

Once you have figured out what the torque is you can set the torque on the torque wrench. You do this by pressing the plus or minus button until you reach the right number. (The required torque for me is 95 foot pounds.)

Step 5

Make sure your hand is centered on the handle of the torque wrench. You do this because you don’t want to over torque the bolt. Once you start tightening the bolt the wrench should light up. Once you get to the torque you set on the wrench it will vibrate, chime, and turn green or red depending on what brand of digital torque wrench you have. (The one I will be using will turn red.)