Is there such a tool?

[ron sterba]

Iam Following my first condition inspection form from Vans website on my RV9A and pulling off the items from the form to make my own condition inspection list. I question that I have to check the torque on all my AN-3 & AN-4 nuts. I used torque seal on every nut. Not one has MOVED! Every nut is right where I left it torqued to the bolt and surface it holds. Is there such a tool as a open end-wrench that is a torque wrench for ONLY AN3 & AN4 nuts? I know NASA has many and even though I helped pay for them I don?t get to use them or even look at the toolbox! I went to Aircraft Spruce and they have torque SCREWDRIVERS, COOL I thought, I?ll just use a socket on the end instead of a bit. $250 bucks hello! I think that every EAA chapter should own one. Give me your thoughts.
Thanks

Ron in Oregon
RV9A.

[rv7charlie]

Don't trust your own torque seal? :-)

Try eBay/Amazon for torque screwdrivers.

[DaleB]

How about a much less expensive crowfoot at a 90 degree angle on the end of your regular torque wrench? There may be some you can't get on without a socket... for those, you can re-apply torque-seal afterward.

[ron sterba]

Hi Dale I first start at the vertical stab, I tried my 1/2” drive with a crowfoot but it was to bulky to fit on the flats where I originally set them ,I guess I could turn the bolt So the bolt head flats could line up with the crowfoot on the nut flats.

Ron in Oregon

[MED]

Why are you retorquing? If the torque seal is intact, doesn't that mean nothing has changed? Not being difficult, but I have never questioned the nuts in my Archer if the torque seal is intact. Should I be concerned?

[ron sterba]

Charlie you are a GEM, went to E-Bay, WOW WHAT A SELECTION! Cheap too! Ok less expensive by $200 bucks. You da man!

Ron in Oregon

[cajunwings]

During condition inspections on 2 different RV that had 400-500 hrs total time found many of the tail attach bolts needing to be retorqued. Also found the engine mount to firewall bolts needing retorque. I would check every fastener you can reach every inspection. I rarely use torque seal and it means nothing to me when I see it.

Don Broussard A&P/IA
RV9 Rebuild in Progress
57 Pacer

[David Paule]

Amazon sells several 1/4" beam-type torque wrences that reads in inch-pounds. Get a crow's foot 3/8" and 7/16" wrench and you're in business.

It's possible that the pieces being held together by that never-loosened bolt have yielded slightly, or that they have relaxed just a bit, or that an uncaught burr in the middle of the joint has moved. Anything of this sort can cause a relaxation of torque even if the nut and bolt haven't changed relative position.

When checking, don't forget to include running torque. Sorry, but unless that's been written down for every single nut upon assembly, the only way to check it is to back the nut off and retorque.

Dave

[9GT]

These are handy and very reasonably priced: [IMG]71llQxsCd-L._SL1500_ by David C, on Flickr[/IMG]

https://www.amazon.com/Tite-Reach-Ex.../dp/B004UBHRWO

[Larry DeCamp]

David?s post above raises a valid QUESTION ( not rhetorical ). Torque is important on fasteners loaded in TENSION to hold parts together until the load exceeds the fasteners preload and allows motion, example cylinder heads. A bolt loaded in shear is good until shear loads exceed its capacity. Therefore, the concern would be parts retained by tension, probably with gaskets or parts subjected to shear, which are loose. So, if it ain?t moving or leaking something, what is the risk with colored marks that witness fastener motion ?