Invaluable Tools

Gary ITR

I'm still building up my toolkit and nearly looking for ideas now, it's gone far beyond basic/beginner now and rarely I haven't got the right tool for a job and if I don't have it I'll buy it

One thing I found invaluable was my little power probe



It's so handy, my fan wasn't working last week, pop the power probe on and knew the motor was fine when the fan ran. I was also able to find an injector fault (turned out to be a burnt out injector driver in the ECU due to a shorted wire) thanks to the power probe.

This week I've also ordered my first Snap On tool (most other hand tools are Teng/Draper) a Flex head 3/8 drive

So what tools do you find invaluable?

Quazzie will be along shortly to tell you about his little blue pry bar

jayok

Not sure if it counts, but my cheater bar, which is simply a lump of steel tubing from a building site has saved me around undoing suspension bolts.

shamwari

Was in Lidl today and saw they are selling a borescope for €89

Gary ITR

shamwari wrote: »

Was in Lidl today and saw they are selling a borescope for €89

Seriously???

BUBBLE WRAP

For me it would be these two..



+



I would be lost with out them.

Katunga

Torx bits with a 1/4 drive ratchet essential for any Volkswagen group car also a good leatherman.

dieselbug

I'l throw a spanner in the works (no pun intended)

In todays era of scan tools, code readers, dmm's, ossiciliscopes, etc, etc. One old fashioned diagnostic tool that still stands the test of time is the good old vacuum gauge.

Often overlooked but a cheap source of valuable information about what your engines condition is, whether it's a modern, all bells and whistles job or an old fashioned all mechanical one.

dgt

Yeah.... Pretty much everything here comes in useful at such random times....

A favourite non tool of ours is a buckrake tooth for splitting joints using a slegde. Off in one smack :cool:

dieselbug

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2056800743

Reminds me of when I was an apprentice. Breaking down tyres with a leaf of a spring.

gctest50

A small truck tyre lever - nice for holding things in place before you get them bolted in, in places where you don't want to put your hand

The little "kick" at the end of it saves it slipping off

congo_90

breaker bar (extension bar 600mm) bought for 20euro. Has proven invaluable since.
torx bits.
trusty axle stands

NickDunne

Lost without one of these especially if the clamps are facing downwards

Katunga

A good Ratchet screwdriver been on my list for a while considering a Teng.

gctest50

One of these for places designed by the Department of Awkwardness :

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Facom-3-8-DRIVE-Rotator-ROTATING-HANDLE-J-360-Twister-Ratchet-/180987013327?hash=item2a23aaa8cf

Nissan doctor

shamwari wrote: »

Was in Lidl today and saw they are selling a borescope for €89

I got one of those the last time they were selling them, does a grand job for the money, it would be better with an SD card slot though.

Maplin do one that looks exactly the same but has an SD card slot, it was on special a few months back for around the same price as in Lidl.


One of my favorite time saving tools is the inner tie rod tool..http://www.ap-host.co.uk/aptools/3829.jpg

Katunga

gctest50 wrote: »

One of these for places designed by the Department of Awkwardness :

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Facom-3-8-DRIVE-Rotator-ROTATING-HANDLE-J-360-Twister-Ratchet-/180987013327?hash=item2a23aaa8cf

A rep from Caulfields tryed to sell my one of them a few months ago for €45.
said if he could get a torque wrench with the same design I would get it.

Quazzie

As predicted by Gary here is my favourite tool. It's a tool I bought as part of a set, but whilst I've lost and replaced most of my tools, this is a tool I've had since I first started messing around with cars as an apprentice. It's become known to all that have seen me work as "ole bluey"



It's the smallest prybar in this set. It is the tool, that's always in my pocket and is an essential tool, when working on anything from removing a wishbone to removing a plastic interior panel. It's been beaten with hammers, used to pry back small folds in body panels, and has served much more than it's monetary value could ever suggest. Like I said before, it's always in my pocket, and just one of those tools that I've found over the years has been used more than anything else.

Like other valuable tools, its always the first I clean and put away, and a job isn't complete until ole bluey is away in it's home in the tool box.

nct tester

http://www.ntxtools.com/Merchant/graphics/00000001/otc-8101.gif

diy brake bleeder, invaluable.

eringobragh

Obviously wrenches, sockets, etc

My handy Invaluable tools:

Multimeter (has gotten me out of many an electrical issue):



with bed of nails leads [costs more then multimeter!] (for piercing insulation)




Nut Snapper (for those nuts that just wont budge):




Screw extractor:




Oil cup wrench (never using a strap again!)




Trim removal tools:

eringobragh

Nissan doctor wrote: »

.


One of my favorite time saving tools is the inner tie rod tool..http://www.ap-host.co.uk/aptools/3829.jpg

How does that work exactly?

Kenny Logins

For older cars; Plusgas. Magic in a can. Laughs at WD-40.

Technoprisoner

eringobragh wrote: »

How does that work exactly?

its like a cam....when you turn it with the rachet the cam rotates and grabs hold of the tie rod and twist it open

George Dalton

Technoprisoner wrote: »

its like a cam....when you turn it with the rachet the cam rotates and grabs hold of the tie rod and twist it open

I'd say you would be lost without one of these to keep your yokes on the road :pac:

Captain Slow IRL

T72 1/4" ratchet

Great piece of kit that only needs 5 degrees to engage next tooth; and it's tiny so it gets at all those stubborn nuts/bolts/screws in tight spots. The only downside is they are delicate.

Mech1

Chassis Ear, great tool. Don't need it often but when you do:D



http://www.amazon.com/Steelman-Products-Electronic-Channel-Listening/dp/B00820M7ME

Technoprisoner

George Dalton wrote: »

I'd say you would be lost without one of these to keep your yokes on the road :pac:

cheeky bastard lol....wheres my free service? lol

dieselbug

Cant believe no one has mentioned a vice grip yet.

Quazzie

dieselbug wrote: »

Cant believe no one has mentioned a vice grip yet.

I've always considered a vice grip something that was used when there was an absence of a proper tool.

Also it was mentioned in the 5th post

dieselbug

Also it was mentioned in the 5th post[/QUOTE]

Quiet correct, missed it.

I knew a mechanic long time back who described his vicegrip (jokeingly) as

"a delicate instrument in the hands of an expert"

"dynamite in the hands of a fool"

biko

Bought with no intention to use it in the car. Now done several small jobs using only this, lastly a power steering fluid flush.

Gary ITR

Quazzies little blue pry bar even has its own drawer

firefly08

I love these threads. Here are some of my favorite handy/time-saving tools...apologies for the long post. Most of what's pictured here, I use a lot - just an amateur DIY guy, but a lot of these were bought based on tips from a good mechanic friend. Maybe it will inspire some ideas for other noobs like me...



From the left...

Not sure what those pliers are called in Ireland. In the states they call them channel lock pliers, but I think that's a brand name. Either way they are the best gripping tool out there imo. I used both of these just today to change my brakes - the little guy to open the spring that holds the pads in, and the big guy to push the pads out to compress the pistons.

Next to that is an impact wrench that you hit with a hammer. Brilliant yoke, and this one has an adapter that takes screwdriver bits too.

Then, my absolute favorites - flex sockets! Just small sockets with the universal joint built in. The total size is about the same as a normal u-joint without the socket. These are 10mm and 13mm. I have an '89 Porsche 944 that is built entirely from 10 and 13mm bolts in hard to reach places

Next, wobble extensions. These extensions allow a few degrees of flex. They are actually a lot handier than u-joints in many cases. I have at least 4 different lengths in each size, and even that is not too many. Extensions are deadly!

Ratcheting spanners. A mechanic friend gave me a tip which I'll pass on. Maybe I'm a tool, but this was not obvious to me until I was told: make sure any ratcheting spanners you buy are reversible. It is hands down the most important feature, because it is the only guarantee that you don't back a bolt out, then realize you don't have enough clearance to get it our or to remove the spanner. Then you're hosed. These ones are both reversible and flex head, but they were bloody expensive.

Picks & hooks for helping with old rubber hoses etc. Run them around the inner circumference of the hose, break the seal, no damage.

Hose clamp pliers. These are indispensable when you need to pull a coolant hose but don't want to drain the coolant. Clamp the hose(s) down with these fellas, and you won't leak much. They are plastic and don't damage rubber hoses.

On the top, thread chasers. These are exactly like taps and dies, except they are blunt and slightly undersized. That way, you don't risk cutting threads with them, but they are great for cleaning up old threads. If you work on an old car, they are pretty handy.

Kroil...the best penetrating oil I have ever used. Don't know if it's available in Ireland, but if it is, grab it. It's WAY better than WD40, and I think it's better than the PB stuff, and it certainly smells a lot better

firefly08

... then when you end up stripping out threads, there's always these yokes here:



These are known as Time Serts...that is just a brand name, but they are solid threaded inserts for repairing threads, as opposed to the coil type. Pictured is the toolkit it comes with:

Drill bit, countersink tool, tap, insertion tool and the insert itself. Looks pretty intimidating the first time you strip a thread, but they are actually very easy to use. You drill, countersink, tap, then just screw in the insert and you're back to having a perfect thread (which will never strip and never come out unless you want it to). I have only ever done it once but it worked out fine.

The taps they come with are a special size because of the fact that the insert has special threads on the outside. The inside of the insert has a standard thread (to match the original you're repairing). The outer threads are synchronized with those (i.e. same pitch) but are obviously a larger diameter...so it's a non-standard thread on the outside, hence the special tap!

firefly08

firefly08 wrote: »

From the left...

Not sure what those pliers are called in Ireland. In the states they call them channel lock pliers, but I think that's a brand name. Either way they are the best gripping tool out there imo. I used both of these just today to change my brakes - the little guy to open the spring that holds the pads in, and the big guy to push the pads out to compress the pistons.

We call them pipe grips. Well I do anyway. Have a few myself but none of that size. Its on my list whenever I get around to adding more tools to my collection.

Nice tool set btw. Some very handy ones there

Off the top of my head, the two most basic invaluable tools I have are:

my telescopic magnet


This magnet has saved my a$$ and other peoples a$$es a few times. I'd be lost without it.


My trusty rusty breaker bar (old scaffold bar) :P



looks something like this

Will probably think of more later

Stella Virgo

your friend in a can....

Frankie Lee

A decent magnet can save a lot of time all right.
The best pliers I've ever come across is the Toyota pliers.

It is hard to explain why such a simple design works so well.