How tight is 15 inch pounds?

[ccs]

Hey guys;

I bought a set of those silicone gaskets from REAL GASKETS in Tennessee. It says to tighten to 15 inch pounds. My 1/2" drive torque wrench only goes down to 5 foot pounds.

Can anyone tell me how to tighten to 15 inch pounds without having to buy another torque wrench?

TIA.

Charles...

[Billy Ricks]

Hey guys;

I bought a set of those silicone gaskets from REAL GASKETS in Tennessee. It says to tighten to 15 inch pounds. My 1/2" drive torque wrench only goes down to 5 foot pounds.

Can anyone tell me how to tighten to 15 inch pounds without having to buy another torque wrench?

TIA.

Charles...

That would be about 1.25 ft.lb. You multiply ft.lbs. X12 to get inch lbs. Just enough pressure to squeeze the gasket a tiny bit.

[onchiman]

Maybe somewhere between a new Heinz ketchup bottle top and a Snapple juice bottle top? Certainly not as tight as a Vlasic pickle jar top though.

[Nessism]

Basically finger tight. Think about it like this: take a yard stick and hang a 1 lb. weight at the 15" line. Now hold the yardstick on the end. That's 15 in-lbs. Basically, snug finger tight.

[Steve]

Even though your wrench goes down to 5, don't trust it there. Most torque wrenches are most accurate between 1/3 and 2/3 of their range. So... if your wrench goes to 120, your best accuracy will be between 40 and 80. For smaller stuff like our bikes, a 3/8 drive torque wrench would yield better results.

How to gauge 15 inch-pounds? Put the correct size socket on a 6-inch extension. DO NOT use the ratchet. Grab the extension, use it like a screwdriver to turn the bolts, crank it down. Should be rather close. 8-[


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[catfishk]

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that tight

[craze1cars]

If you're really into the nitty-gritty of doing EXACTLY what the spec says...here's how you can easily do it if you happen to be a fisherman:

Grab your fish scale, hook it to your ratchet or wrench exactly 1 inch away from the pivot point of the bolt, and pull the fish scale perpindicular to the ratchet until the scale says 15 lbs. That bolt is now tightened to exactly 15 inch pounds.