Torque wrenches and engine flushing

[MK999]

2 Completely different topics really but just quick questions so 1 thread :thumb:

Torque wrenches: are there any I should just completely avoid because they'll break after 2nd use or just so inaccurate I'm better off not even bothering? Obviously snap on/britool etc are gonna be top notch but a little out of my price range!

Engine Flushing: The new 16se I have which i'll be rebuilding over easter hopefully, has some grit/dirt in the oil where it's been sat in or dragged across a garden at some point since it was taken out. Whats the best way of flushing out/cleaning off the old engine oil? I have some engine degreaser but cleaning it out at the end with a hosepipe just doesn't seem right! :eek:

Cheers :thumb:

[R1CH]

Just get yourself one from Halfords, nore than upto the job.
If the engines gonna be stripped then just clean it with something like GUNK then rinse off with water, then flush out again with some brake / clutch cleaner.

[nova_saloon]

Most torque wrenchs are quite good and stay accurate as long as you set the torque back to 0 after every use and with engine flush if you use it then make sure the engine has lots and lots of time to all drain out , but as above if your rebuilding it, just sit there and scrub it, will be better then engine flush

[bmw156]

i have a 15 quid torque wrench from screw fix and it hasnt let me down.
and their is special engine flush stuff isnt there form halfords in a purple can about the size of a can of coke. not sure if its for that job tho.

[AlexW]

The engine flush you get from halfords and the like needs the engine running.

As for torque wreches, one i use for work has been maxed out a few times and its fine, only cost me £25 from gaybay.

But saying that it depends what range of torque you need.

[craig green]

Dont use engine flush on a miley engine ffs. Old engines rely on the film of oil on the bearings to keep things running smoothly otherwise the clearances will open up & things rattle about too much.

I know of 2 people that had otherwise good running (albeit high mileage) engines go bang within a week of flushing them.

I just pour an extra pint of fresh oil through the engine, before putting the new oil in. You will see it carries some sludge through. Its just a case of how much new oil you want to 'waste' doing it.

Engines on less that 50k IMO are fine to use flush on.

[MK999]

That's a good point Craig, so the best way to get rid of the crap in it would be to run some oil through it I guess, I'm pretty sure theres quite a bit of old magnatec around the garage that I've since not heard great things about, so that should do it.

I assume 'washing' out the bores with this will be fine as it will burn off shortly after the engine is started, and there's going to be trace amounts of it in the bores in any engine? Will be left a while to drain out anyway.

Torque wrench wise I found the £15 one from screwfix which has a huge torque range, but £15 does seem rather cheap for one, so it does make me wonder about the accuracy!

[jimbob-mcgrew]

if its got grit and dirt in the oil, then its most likely found its way into all the nooks and crannies around the crank, i wouldnt take any chances personally, if you dont strip it down and clean everything, if theres any leftover grit, could do damage to the internals.

if strippings not an option, then atleast pull the sump and rocker cover off and give everything you can see a scrub down with some clean oil or similar and if youve got access to an airgun, blast it round the crank bearing areas to get any crap outta there

[MK999]

I don't think it's been run with the dirt/grit in the oil, it's just where it's been stored badly by the previous owner, but as you say I don't really fancy taking too many chances with it hence looking at engine flush, clean paintbrush and some new oil sounds like the best method then? Is there anything I can use easily to 'spray' oil at the more stubborn bits?

I do have a compressor/airline so that should help :)

[jimbob-mcgrew]

like r1ch said, brake sprays prety hefty stuff, but again like craig green said, i dunno what will and wont remove that film of oil that ideally wants to be kept.

maybe you could try a semi-blag, and buy silly amounts of oil and like 3 or 4 filters, and fire it up and run it for barely a minute at first, then change the oil, then try again, maybe running for 2 mins, then change, after 3 oil changes, it would probably have got the vast majority of the grit, and as youve only ran it for like 3 mins total... minimal damage to the internals... in theory that is lol

oil can be pricey, but as your just washing it thru, u can buy some cheap stuff, something thinner than most, would prob get the crap shifted more easily.

[MK999]

Majority of the damage would be done pretty much instantly I believe. Wouldn't dare start it in it's current condition, even if I could!

[Joe Richardson]

I have a halfords Torque wrench,is very good:thumb:

[jimbob-mcgrew]

hmm you probably right, even after sump off scrubbies lol
its the valve guides and tappets that are the prob really, cant get to them at all without stripping it somewhat.

£20 for a head gasket set and £10 for some head bolts, strippies doon :thumb:

edit : am i on crack or what ?

[MK999]

being done anyway as the head was taken off before purchase to check it was ok, last one i got looked like it had 6 trapped rats in every bore.