Beam torque wrench for 300tdi cambelt

[L19MUD]

I have a 300tdi cambelt to do shortly and need a beam type torque wrench to set the tension at 11MN. All I can find seem to be too big for my needs and will therefore not be very accurate or are the click type which I already have and will be of no use for this job

 

Can anyone recommend something?

[steve b]

I think I've got a 1/4" drive torque wrench with a dial to read torque somewhere . I'll have a look over next few days 

Steve

[L19MUD]

thanks Steve. Seem to be tricky to find online for some reason

[Peaklander]

I see that you are sorted with the correct tool. I wondered what to use when I did mine and eventually decided to use a small-scale spring balance on the end of a short bar of known length. It seemed to be quite sensitive and I hope it was OK. 11Nm isn't much.

[soutie]

For my 200 tdi I bought a draper beam one and the measurements started at 10 nm and went up in big lumps. So ended up buying a dial torque wrench off ebay which was ex RAF which goes up to 50 nm and has increments of 1nm. I know this does not help you, but might point you in the direction of what to buy.

[L19MUD]

I am pleased that is is not just me being dense, I expected to be able to find what I needed quite easily. A lot of people must have come across this problem.

I have a suspicion that I must have guessed it with the standard click torque wrench when I did the 200 belt!

 

[Retroanaconda]

I’ve got a deflection beam type one which I’ve used for all my timing belt changes without any bother, I don’t remember it being very difficult to buy - in fact I think I got it at the local motor factors.

[Peaklander]

@Retroanaconda11Nm (~8ft-lb)on your dial is hardly moving it

[western]

I use my click stop Norbar torque wrench, never caused me any problem with a new timing belt. 

[Retroanaconda]

2 hours ago, Peaklander said:

@Retroanaconda11Nm (~8ft-lb)on your dial is hardly moving it

Yeah, as it’s not much force required to tension the belt. I’ve never found it hard to get the correct figure though - I just don’t pull it as far?

[Peaklander]

As it’s hardly moving on the scale I doubt it’s very accurate. Then again it’s a tiny tension anyway!

[L19MUD]

Thanks all. I think I will judge it with the small click type wrench as I must have done last time

[landroversforever]

Not familiar with the process, is there a particular reason it calls for a beam one? Is it to keep the torque on it rather than it clicking/letting off?

[L19MUD]

19 minutes ago, landroversforever said:

Not familiar with the process, is there a particular reason it calls for a beam one? Is it to keep the torque on it rather than it clicking/letting off?

Yes, the reason for it is you need to hold it at that torque to tension the belt and then tighten up the tensioner into that position. You can hold the tension there with a beam type but the traditional click type does not allow you to do this and hold the torque once it clicks.

 

In reality I suspect last time I just clicked it and looked at the tension at that point before setting it back near there

[reb78]

13 hours ago, Retroanaconda said:

Yeah, as it’s not much force required to tension the belt. I’ve never found it hard to get the correct figure though - I just don’t pull it as far?

I have and do exactly the same. You are only gently tensioning the belt so it works quite nicely to be honest.

[Retroanaconda]

Well I’ve done the belt six times without issue so it seems to work okay 

[tychoS]

I've done several cambelt changes over the years using a torque wrench in the same style as the one in the picture by Retroanaconda above.

Mine was obtained from a reputable auto-parts store local to me, however it does not sport a fancy well-known brandname. 

So far no problems.

 

[Peaklander]

@Retroanaconda can I just check with you again about the actual torque you use with this beam wrench. The specification for the belt is 11Nm / 1.1Kgm / 8 ft-lbs and your wrench has full scale at 21Kgm 120ft-lb so the desired torque would only use a tiny deflection on that wrench. Is that how you use it?

I have had a problem with loss of tension at some point in the last six years so I need to be sure I am achieving the correct torque this time - EDIT: although I do recognise that the tension loss is at the bolt!

Edited April 20, 2023 by Peaklander

[Retroanaconda]

Yes, I pull it until the target figure is reached - which requires a very small amount of force - and then I tighten the tensioner bolt. That then gets torqued to the correct value using a normal click-type torque wrench.

As for how accurate it is I am not sure, but I’ve never had an issue with a timing belt apart from a dodgy tensioner bearing causing wear on one edge.

Was your issue not caused by the tensioner bolt coming loose?

[Peaklander]

Yes sorry I was just editing the post to say that when you replied.

[miketomcat]

I did a cam belt Tuesday night with the draper beam type mentioned and have done more than I care to mention. Yes it is tricky to hold it accurately but I've never had an issue either. I have in the past used a click type and held it mid click but felt this wasn't good enough hence me buying the beam type.

Mike

 

[smallfry]

In an ideal world, it would be good to have someone hold the wrench while you tighten the bolt. Click type wrenches are no good for this really, as they yield a little when they click.

Too much tension is more likely to cause failure than too little, as long is there is no slack.

[Peaklander]

These are my notes from when I did mine,

• Tension on the belt can be achieved using a spring balance on the end of a bar or torque wrench set to high (so no click)
• Spec is 11Nm = 1.12 Kgm = 8.1 ft-ibs
• I used a bar at 435mm and pulled at 2.6Kg to achieve 1.1Kgm

I just need to tighten the bolt properly.

[vulcan bomber]

I've never used a torque wrench to set the belt tension. Probably done a dozen by now and non have failed. I just take all the slack out of the belt.

[elbekko]

Many timing belts can also be set by frequency. Some manufacturers spec this instead of torque, even.

You can use an app like this to verify: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.gates.carbondrivecalculator