Torque and Chrome

working on a car, brake pads, radiator, fog lights, is it REALLY NECESSARY to use a torque wrench?

or can i get by without one?

Public Comments

1. not on the things you listed really . some jobs yes it is very important .
2. Fog lights = No Radiator = No to replace the brake pads you will need to remove the tyre and put it back again. Make sure it is very tight, ive never seen anyone put a torque wrench on brake calipers but know that it must be very tight!!!!!!! If youre not sure leave it, dont lose youre life over a few bucks. Some cars discs are removed before one gets to the brakes so do thhe research first. I have seen a wheel come of whilst driving and its not a pretty sight =death.
3. I have never used one while doing general maintenance but when rebuilding an engine yes I have. Head bolts and bearing bolts all need to be torqued to a specific value for safety and reliability of your engine. Also maybe lug nuts
4. You only really need to use a torque wrench when getting the torque exactly right is crucial to the success of your procedure. One example is when you are replacing the head after a valve job--uneven torque pressure can cause the gasket to rupture or the head to crack or warp. If you don't have a good feel with a wrench, it can also be helpful in preventing over-tightening in less critical situations. I suspect that you won't need one--if you were working at the level where correct torque is critical, I think you'd know it.
5. as stated by the previous answers only certain things need to be torqued. It is important to torque fasteners on anything that is safety related i.e. wheel lug nuts yes brake caliper bolts should be torqued. or anything that is to be sealed such as a valve cover gasket. the reason we torque fasteners is to make sue they they aren't over tightened beyond the fasteners limits or distort or crush the part being installed. An example of this would be if lug nuts are installed to tightly you can distort a brake rotor giving poor brake performance, damage the wheel or even stretch the stud causing it to fail when on the road.