Ah that makes more sense then, and the principle makes complete sense too.

I'm not one for paying way more to have someone else do something seemingly so simple. I'd rather spend the money I'd pay the mechanic on the tools so I can have those for the rest of my life. I've done 90% of all of the work on my truck at home with the tools I have, so this is within my wheelhouse, but this might just be one of those things that was done improperly in the past (over-torqued when the water pump was replaced). Now I've been handed the results, and the lack of box wrenches has gone on for too long...but no longer!

Cheers!

So, I'm not seeing any 6 point box wrenches Sears' website, so I'm guessing I'm limited to 12 point. Is this going to be ok? Going to go with the pro line craftsman at bare minimum. Probably just get the one I need for now. Not sure if I should get a ratcheting one or not. Opinions welcome.

https://www.craftsman.com/products/c...pt-combination

Just go to a sears they will have them
Also home depot has the huskies for cheaper

I always just use 2 wrenches. But differently than I see mentioned here.

Put one on one of the nuts to loosen it and the other on the nut next to it to hold it. Holding the pulley in place with one wrench will be enough to loosen the other 3. Just crack them loose slightly and spray with penetrating oil if you want.

The last one that you used to hold it there will still be tight. So finger tighten one of your already loosened and lubed nuts and then use it to hold the pulley so you can finish the last one off.

Now the one you just used to hold it will be snug again from being tightened up to hold the pulley but since you've already had it loose and lubed up it will come off easy with a quick jerk of the wrench if the belts are still tight because it will come loose before the engine turns. It will be nowhere near as tight as it was before.

follow me?

Gah, you're totally right. It turns out Sears' website didn't recognize "6 point" as a search term but recognized "6pt." instead. Dumb.

So on that note, I'm just conflicted hearing that Craftsman Pro still might not be considered a "good tool". I see NAPA has one of these for $37



I've read good things about Carlyle tools, in that they might fill that space between Craftsman Pro and MAC or Snap-on. $37 is a lot for a wrench, but it'll be the last 13/12mm ratcheting box wrench I'll have to buy, right?

I follow you completely! As soon as I get this wrench sorted out, I'm going to try this technique.

Cheers!

You want a slim, round head to go over the nut. Something like this. Not expensive:
Great deal on GearWrench - 85912 at ToolTopia.com

Success! It only cost me two wrenches...and some jackass scratched the paint on my Golf in the sears lot.



Now, I just need to find some m8x1.25 hex flange nuts. Any suggestions?

glad you got your nuts off. LOL, couldnt resist.

Your Sears in CO must be ultra busy. The ones near me are deserted, you could streak across the parking lot and no one would see you for hours.

Congrats.

Try the local hardware store or one of these locations:
https://www.fastenal.com/locations;j...D2EF.fcomjvm01

does that have any depth to it? if not you can just buff it out.

Not really, so that's hopeful! I've been meaning to take it in for paint correction and a ceramic coating since I got it, so this might just hasten that a bit more. I've never owned a new car and I've been learning that new car paint and clear coat is a lot weaker than say a '97 4Runner's! Ah well.

You...don't...even...know. The parking lot was practically empty...and I chose, yes chose, to park next to a tastefully modded Cadillac AT-S. I EVEN SECOND GUESSED IT OUT LOUD TO MYSELF. Something along the lines of "Don't be dumb, there are a ton of empty spaces..."

As you can tell by this thread, I learn lessons on the daily. Anyway, I'm going to go to a couple real hardware stores with wide selections of lose nuts (yup...) and see what I can find. I'm glad to know they aren't super specialized too. Credit to my local Autozone, I learned the threading was m8-1.25 and that it's a hex flange nut all on my own with their little self-help screw/nut station.

Thanks for making me laugh (no sarcasm). I needed it. Many a nut jokes went back and forth between me and my Dad last night. Male bonding at it's finest.

So in another wtf sigh moment...I'm super happy to learn about Fastenal. However, they only have 13mm head m8-1.25 nuts! W.t.f. I'm still going to check out a couple hardware stores before sucking it up and pay $1-3/ea at the dealership, but, yeah, just thought I'd let you all know in case you need to replace yours in the future.

Oh, also, I want to try to find something with a longer head, but I know the threads were barely poking out on these ones, so maybe I should just stick with the same? Also, I'm guessing I'll want something zinc plated or stainless for corrosion resistance, right?

if you need it back together quickly, just go with the 13mm nuts.

ideally, for a very stuck fastener, a 6pt is the way to go. that said, I have removed a ton of those fan nuts over the years, and never once have I NEEDED a 6pt. my point is, those 13mm nuts, with just your standard end wrench for install will be just fine.

I don't think they need any extra protection, the old nuts looked ok.
a bit deeper wouldn't be a bad idea though, you get a bit more purchase on it with the wrench.

And cue someone turning this sentence dirty too. Like 4 opportunities here that I'm not creative enough to utilize.

Yeah, I'm also not realizing that I shouldn't have to take these things off again too frequently. Water pump was replaced 2 years ago, and I just did the fan clutch...

I'm telling you, these things were STUCK. I see now that the hex flange nut is intentionally designed to bite in, so I'm guessing the shop over-torqued them when they replaced the water pump. What ended up working for getting them lose was wedging the new and shiny 12pt deep offset box end wrench on a nut to the left from the one I was removing and the 6pt was on the one I would be loosening. Then I crossed my arms so my right was on the box end wrench, and my left was on the 6pt wrench, and busted out a can of whoop ass as I tried to bring the two together (without slipping and slicing my hand open on the fan or anything else). I felt like I was turning green with Hulk strength, but damn if it didn't feel good when it all worked. I'm sure the copious PB Blaster helped too.

I think I'll try to find them locally with a 12mm head, but I won't freak out if I have to make due with 13mm. I think just having the quality tools will help prevent stripping them in the future. I have no idea how I'm going to properly torque them back down, but I'll just make sure they're like half the strength I needed to remove them.

Rofl. Yes yes yes, nuts, heads, shafts...