How do you use a torque wrench?

[The Fred]

Ok ok stupid question but when I went to do the first bolt the rubber grommet thing is squished down and it aint even moving the needle on the wrench yet...

I don't remember them being squished down when I took them off

(This is the cover plate on a 94 STS N*)

Also why does the wrench have two 1/2 inch heads on it?

[BodybyFisher]

BE VERY CAREFUL

Its possible that your torque on that intake is INCH POUNDS and NOT FOOT POUNDS... That intake is thermoplastic... Make sure you have an INCH POUND torque wrench if you are attempting to get INCH POUNDS... You will break a stud/bolt or crack the intake if you over torque it. Futhermore, the intake bolts need to be torqued in a specific pattern normally.... Get the info from a service manual... can't help you there...

[The Fred]

Thanks,

I knew something wasn't right as soon as it started squishing the rubber so I didn't go any further from there.. I have the pattern from the primer sent to me by Mr. Vince

3. You will need a torque wrench. The torque on the intake manifold cover bolts is 102 inch-pounds or 11.5 nt-meters.

Torque sequence - Looking on top of the cover from the front of the car

10------5----12----7----2--------9

3--------8----1-----6----11------4

[BodybyFisher]

OK, as you can see, its 102 INCH POUNDS, do you have an INCH POUND torque wrench?

If you divide 102 inch pounds by 12 you will convert to foot pounds or 8.5 Foot Pounds. Typical Foot Pound Torque wrenches start at 20 or 25 Foot Pounds. I recently purchased an inch pound torque wrench from Harbor Freight.

If you do not have an inch pound torque wrench, just snug up the bolts in the correct order..

[epricedright]

If it is 1/2" drive, it is probably a foot pound wrench. My smaller foot pound wrench (10 - 75 lbs) is a 3/8" drive, and my larger foot pound wrench (25 - 250 lbs) is a 1/2" drive. I haven't needed to torque anything to inch pounds yet.

[The Fred]

Yea I guess basically this wrench aint sensitive enough

I'm glad I stopped tightening it in that case

[BodybyFisher]

Yea I guess basically this wrench aint sensitive enough

I'm glad I stopped tightening it in that case

You sure are, last month I mis-took inch pounds for foot pounds and snapped an intake manifold bolt on a 3100 Pontiac engine! Insert big DUH, I felt like an idiot! But as Epriced stated, it was the FIRST time I ever used inch pounds.... Luckily there was no damage to the intake manifold..

Lessons Learned are like Bridges Burned you only need to cross them but once, Dan Folgelberg...

[The Fred]

Luckily I stopped short of the out bridge

I found an inch pounds wrench but it only goes down to 120

*sigh*

And I can't seem to figure out how to adjust it.. I set it, and when I try tightening something with it, it just unadjusts itself

I think it's supposed to lock in place somehow

Yea I found a lock on it so now it clicks when it hits 120

I think I can set it a little ways back from that even though there isn't a number stamped for anything under 120

[epricedright]

Luckily I stopped short of the out bridge

I found an inch pounds wrench but it only goes down to 120

*sigh*

And I can't seem to figure out how to adjust it.. I set it, and when I try tightening something with it, it just unadjusts itself

I think it's supposed to lock in place somehow

Yea I found a lock on it so now it clicks when it hits 120

I think I can set it a little ways back from that even though there isn't a number stamped for anything under 120

My instructions state you can damage the wrench if you dial it down below the numbers.

[BodybyFisher]

Perfect, use 120 in/lbs, that is 10 foot pounds, spec is 8.5 foot pounds, NOT A PROBLEM its not that critical! Mike

As my Dad used to say, A racehorse will never see it! (what ever that means, maybe someone can explain it that knows about horses or that expression)

[The Fred]

Thanks guys that torque wrench is slick as all hell

I got them all right at 107 and the car says VA-M*#*#*$^#*iN-ROOM now

[BodybyFisher]

Speaka de English....

Its running? You are happy? The FPR solved the problem?

[The Fred]

Well the stupid thing idles real nice now.. and the motor sounds real good when I rev it up...

but when I try to drive it something is ailing it.

It still bogs down or some of a thing on that order there.

It doesn't respond to throttle for about a half of a second and

when it does it slowly rumbles up to speed even if I mash the pedal down

[BodybyFisher]

Check this out:

On the 94, the phenolic plates need to be cleaned.

*******************************************************

Here are prior posts by bbobynski regarding the phenolic plates:

There is no nead to clean out the manifold itself or even to take the cover off. Just remove the inner 4 bolts that are recessed into the cover and the entire manifold will lift up.

All the gaskets should be reusable. Have some RTV handy so if one of the gaskets is damaged or torn you can patch it locally with a dab of the RTV.

The phenolic plates are all that need to be cleaned. Just scrape the carbon out of the recessed passages with different size screwdrivers and such. Nothing fancy.

The recessed slots in the head surface are also good to clean out and the mouse holes mentioned that are machined into the cylinder heads are very important to clean out. Those are the small machined notches at each intake port.

There is also a hole in the cylinder head at each end that leads towards the rear of the engine that feeds the EGR into the phenolic plates that should be checked. It is usually pretty clean but it should be checked for carbon buildup.

Remember that the idea is to get the majority of the carbon out of the grooves in the phenolic spacer plates. It is going to get sooty again pretty soon so you don't need to be squeeky clean...just clean the majority of the crud out and let'er rip.

**********************************************************

Frequent doses of WOT will exercise the rings and keep the combustion chambers clean....but.....will likely have little or no effect towards cleaning out the phenolic spacer plates... The WOT/decel manuevers are purely to exercise the rings and keep the combustion chambers clean...not the EGR system. The EGR system only operates at part throttle....so...full throttle operation disables it and has no effect on it.

The EGR passages in the phenolic spacer plates eventually clog up with carbon simply due to the EGR flow and the soot from the exhuast gases accumulating over 100K of operation. No way around it...just have to remove them and clean them.

Understand that ONLY the 93/94 engines have the phenolic spacer plates between the intake manifold and the cylinder heads. The 93/94 engines have the large diecast intake manifold "box" with the perimter row of screws in the lid holding the silver top cover on. That is the intake system that has the phenolic spacer plates for the individual cylinder EGR introduction. The 95 and later engines have the one piece injection molded plastic intake with the single point EGR introduction into the intake plenum. The 95 and later engines have the silver top cover that is just a beauty cover...not a functional part like the 93/94 covers were (the top of the intake manifold).

So...WOT will NOT keep the phenolic spacer passages clean...but...you only need to worry about cleaning them if you have a 93 or 94 Northstar.

[The Fred]

**** me I gave the torque wrench back already..

Do I have to take the cover off again?

*sigh*

After it runs awhile it throws 042 and 044 (Oxygen Sensor Signal Lean on both of them)

PS: If those crazy plates need to be cleaned.. would it have happened all of a sudden?

It was absolutely fine and perfect and then poof it started acting up

[BodybyFisher]

**** me I gave the torque wrench back already..

Do I have to take the cover off again?

*sigh*

After it runs awhile it throws 042 and 044 (Oxygen Sensor Signal Lean on both of them)

PS: If those crazy plates need to be cleaned.. would it have happened all of a sudden?

It was absolutely fine and perfect and then poof it started acting up

What was the problem before this.. I thought I recall you saying it was bogging? This might have been your problem all along, and you did you your FPR in doing WOTS trying to solve the problem..... (across the MALL, )

The O2 Sensor codes, if you have an intake manifold or vacuum leak.....you might get that..

[The Fred]

**** me I gave the torque wrench back already..

Do I have to take the cover off again?

*sigh*

After it runs awhile it throws 042 and 044 (Oxygen Sensor Signal Lean on both of them)

PS: If those crazy plates need to be cleaned.. would it have happened all of a sudden?

It was absolutely fine and perfect and then poof it started acting up

What was the problem before this.. I thought I recall you saying it was bogging? This might have been your problem all along, and you did you your FPR in doing WOTS trying to solve the problem..... (across the MALL, )

The O2 Sensor codes, if you have an intake manifold or vacuum leak.....you might get that..

The problem was exactly this problem

Except for the new FPR made it idle properly again

I want to throw the car out the winda but it is too big

[BodybyFisher]

Think on the bright side, look at all the learning you are doing,

[The Fred]

Well it is starting to rain and my temper is wearing thin so I'm going to forget it for the day before I fire six .357 bullets into the automobile in a fit of rage

[KHE]

Well it is starting to rain and my temper is wearing thin so I'm going to forget it for the day before I fire six .357 bullets into the automobile in a fit of rage

Yeah - that would teach the car to act up...

When you're frustrated to that point, it's best to walk away from it for awhile - even sleep on it. You would be amazed at how quickly you solve the problem after a day or two of being away from it.

[The Fred]

Well it is starting to rain and my temper is wearing thin so I'm going to forget it for the day before I fire six .357 bullets into the automobile in a fit of rage

Yeah - that would teach the car to act up...

When you're frustrated to that point, it's best to walk away from it for awhile - even sleep on it. You would be amazed at how quickly you solve the problem after a day or two of being away from it.

Sage advice there that's what that is... thanks

I don't know what in the heck ails the car but

if she doesn't want to learn how to swim she had better perform for me !