Digital Torque Wrench Set, 1/4, 3/8 and 1/2 Drive, 1.1-162 ft-lb

A three-wrench digital set that splits the torque range of a transmission job across the drive size that fits it. The 1/4-inch wrench reads 1.1-22.1 ft-lb (1.5-30 Nm), the 3/8-inch reads 3-62.5 ft-lb (4.25-85 Nm) and the 1/2-inch reads 8-162 ft-lb (11-220 Nm). Each is rated to plus or minus 2 percent and the set ships with a calibration certificate.

The point of three wrenches is keeping every spec in the middle of a scale instead of at the bottom edge where a click wrench is least accurate. Valve body, separator plate and solenoid retainer bolts on a GM 4L60E run around 8 ft-lb, which is barely a flick on a 1/2-inch wrench; on the 1/4-inch wrench it is a clean reading. Pan bolts, cooler line fittings and case connector bolts fall on the 3/8-inch wrench. Converter-to-flexplate bolts, bellhousing bolts and crossmember hardware go on the 1/2-inch. Over-torqued valve body bolts distort the bore and stick valves; under-torqued ones let circuits cross-leak and show up later as soft or late shifts.

Each head shows applied torque live as you pull, with a colored LED and a buzzer that warn you as you approach the target and again when you hit it, so you are not trying to feel a click through an extension. The 72-tooth ratchet needs only a 5-degree swing, which helps on pan bolts tucked against the crossmember and exhaust. The heads are quick-release for socket changes, the housing is IP54 dust and splash resistant, and the display shuts off after three minutes idle to save the battery.

Kit contents: 1/4-inch, 3/8-inch and 1/2-inch drive digital torque wrenches, three extension bars, an adapter, a universal joint, a storage case and the calibration certificate. Wrench lengths are 8.6, 13 and 16 inches.