Digital Torque Wrench Set 1/4 and 1/2 Drive, 1.5-200 Nm

A two-wrench digital set that covers the whole torque range an automatic transmission rebuild actually needs. The 1/4-inch drive wrench reads 1.5-30 Nm (1.1-22.1 ft-lbs), which is where valve body bolts, separator plate bolts, pan bolts and solenoid retainer screws live. The 1/2-inch drive wrench reads 10-200 Nm (7.38-147.5 ft-lbs) for bellhousing bolts, converter-to-flexplate bolts, extension housing bolts and crossmember hardware. Both are rated to plus or minus 2 percent and ship with a calibration certificate.

On the bench this matters most on valve bodies. A GM 4L60E valve body bolt is about 11 Nm and a 4L80E pan bolt is about 12 Nm. Those numbers sit near the bottom of a normal 1/2-inch click wrench, where it is least accurate, so shops routinely pull them down by feel and either strip the aluminum case threads or leave a bolt loose enough to cross-leak between circuits. The 1/4-inch wrench in this set puts those specs in the middle of its scale instead of at the edge.

The head reads applied torque live on the LED display as you pull, so you see the value climb rather than waiting for a click you may or may not feel through a long extension. It buzzes and flashes as you approach and again at the preset. Six presets are stored, along with up to 500 logged readings, and it switches between kg-cm, N-m, in-lb and ft-lb. The ratchet heads change quickly to take different sockets.

Kit contents: 1/2-inch and 1/4-inch digital torque wrenches, a 1/2-to-1/4-inch adapter, a 1/4-inch bit holder, 3/8-inch and 1/4-inch universal joints, 3/8-inch and 1/4-inch extension bars, a manual screwdriver, AAA batteries and a storage case. Do not exceed 120 percent of a wrench's rated maximum; that is the point where the strain gauge goes out of calibration.