The Toolbox and How to Use It

[blue dog]

Excellent information. Very informative effort.

I want to agree with Blackworks on the tools and choices. I have a major tool addiction and have searched high and low for years for quality stuff that will not break the bank. Snap on = meh for me, i just can not justify the prices, yet i do own some SO stuff that i got used. My rollaway is just about all USA stuff, with the exception of some Knipex and NWS stuff from Germany { German-Hand-Tools Home Page } and some Nepros from Japan { the chrome on nepros is the mirror finish and the best you will ever see on a tool. { Nepros Tool : Setting the Standard for Quality Tools }
Please take note that craftsman tools are no longer made in the USA, yet if you search, you can still find some cman industrial stuff. I am personally a SK, PROTO, WRIGHT and ARMSTRONG tools guy, all quality tools made in the USA and not at truck brand prices.
Everyone needs a good dead blow hammer, i prefer the nupla with one steel face {Amazon.com: Nupla Sfs-2sg 2-lb. Steel Face1 End Dead Blow Hammer (545-10-027) Category: Dead Blow Hammers: Home Improvement } Keep checking amazon and you will find it down to $25.
Check out the armstrong ratchets at HJE, best bang for the buck you will find. { armstrong ratchets - Search - Harry J. Epstein Co. }
HJE is an excellent brick and mortar tool store in Kansas City, they ship anywhere and are just a great mom and pop store, Truly a last of its kind.
As Blackworks said, if you are not obsessed with tools or use them for work daily, they are cheaper choices that will suit you just fine without breaking the bank. I do not even want to know what i have invested in tools.

 

[blue dog]

How about a show us your tool arsenal thread ?

 

[BlackWorksInc]

Update-

Added a basic section on testing/daignosing Parasitic Draws

Post Note-

Is Xuhaiwen a reposter/bot? His posts seem to be copied posts from other threads...

 

[BlackWorksInc]

These are more of a Technician tool and honestly are useful if you have them

I tried to break down the levels of tools one could have, from simple wrenching to technician level. Modern cars take more than a spanner and ratchet to repair, and so a home mechanic's toolkit needs to expand as well.

I also realize a lot of these mini-articles are technical, as I said before the intention is to provide information to those who want to tackle a repair or diagnostic challenge on their vehicle and to provide them with the information and knowledge to do so. Not everyone is going to be able to do this and I am not trying to dissuade members from repairs on their cars. Rather I want them to understand what their mindset and toolset should be so that if they don't feel up to it, they haven't gotten their car half broken and half torn apart by the time they realize they might be in over their head. Its also to help members understand what they're paying for when they go to a mechanic and in some cases, to tell how competent said mechanic may be.

This is an evolving Sticky that I encourage members to help grow to provide the best modern vehicle repair/diagnostic information and methods in a way that most people can understand and possibly feel comfortable enough to tackle, I'm not trying to train you all to be mechanics... then what would I do for a living! LoL

 

[tony_4r]

Awesome information. Well written and explicit.

Just noticed a small typo:
Prybar Set (From as short as 12" to as long as 3")
You probably mean 3 feet, so 3'

 

[tony_4r]

My basic tool set is a 20 y/o Craftsman set that is virtually indestructible. I have complemented this set over the years with many brands. The last 5 years I have relied on Harbor Freight for those tools that you don't use often. If you use a tool often then pay more for the better quality, period. However, I think HF black impact sockets are pretty decent, again for low usage. The tool I used the most for auto, boat and home is my DeWalt 18v 1/2" impact driver. It is awesome and you can use it as screwdriver and socket wrench. However, it is too easy to strip screws with it, so care has to be used. For more torque applications I have a Milwaukee impact 1/2" 120v driver that is a monster, but still not as good as a top end air driver. For those tough nuts or those ones that are in a tight location where I can't use my drivers a HF 2' breaker bar works wonders.
At the end of the day you get what you pay for. However, smart shopping gets you very far. And, one thing you should never compromise is safety.

 

[dtyjdytujhu]

Alright, so I've been around the forum a while now as you all know

 

[gshadow325]

Update-

Added a basic section on testing/daignosing Parasitic Draws

Blackworks,

From the aftermarkets perspective:

This part has always been a thorn in my side when it comes with dealing with car dealerships. It seems like 99% of the dealerships out there blame aftermarket equipment when they see it in a vehicle. Technicians dont actually do anything to find out if the aftermarket is the cause of the issue or even look any further. then arbitrarily blame the aftermarket.

I found that parasidic draws are easy to diagnose and lots of times can be traced down to a old and tired battery.

I found that it is best to work together with a dealership having issues with a install I did. This way the customer is not put in the middle of a he said she said battle.

I know for every one good shop, there are 5 bad ones and 10 more DIY forum reading experts. When there is a issue with one of my installs, i encourage the customer to relay to the dealership to have me involved in the diagnostic/repair process. Together we can get our customer back on the road and everyone is happy.

If it does end up being a mistake I made, I carry $2million in insurance And i am capable of paying/repairing my mistakes We only human.

BTW: I always value and respect your knowledge and opinion. thanks for taking the time out to write this.

 

[BlackWorksInc]

Blackworks,

From the aftermarkets perspective:

This part has always been a thorn in my side when it comes with dealing with car dealerships. It seems like 99% of the dealerships out there blame aftermarket equipment when they see it in a vehicle. Technicians dont actually do anything to find out if the aftermarket is the cause of the issue or even look any further. then arbitrarily blame the aftermarket.

I found that parasidic draws are easy to diagnose and lots of times can be traced down to a old and tired battery.

I found that it is best to work together with a dealership having issues with a install I did. This way the customer is not put in the middle of a he said she said battle.

I know for every one good shop, there are 5 bad ones and 10 more DIY forum reading experts. When there is a issue with one of my installs, i encourage the customer to relay to the dealership to have me involved in the diagnostic/repair process. Together we can get our customer back on the road and everyone is happy.

If it does end up being a mistake I made, I carry $2million in insurance And i am capable of paying/repairing my mistakes We only human.

BTW: I always value and respect your knowledge and opinion. thanks for taking the time out to write this.

I think the majority of the time people blame the aftermarket things is because the majority of the time they are installed improperly; i often see relays or tapping into the wrong power source to be the cause in those cases. But you are also right about the lack of proper testing equipment, most dealerships don't have a DSO and the techs don't use much more than a DVOM, with maybe an amp clamp. There's also a mentality of "its not [insert brand here] stuff so we don't bother with it" at a dealership, I work on all the used cars we get on top of Toyotas, so for me I enjoy the challenge of diagnostics and repairing many different quirky cars; my co-workers don't care for doing much more than just simple stuff on them.

I'm glad that you are such responsible owner and that you make quality a top priority, not a lot of stereo shops and aftermarket installers really care about the customer after they have installed what ever it is they bought. Personally, when I get an alarm or stereo that I think is causing the issue (assuming its a customer) I try to get the wiring diagram to verify the part is indeed suspect; but I'm not the majority when it comes to dealership technicians.

 

[gshadow325]

I
I'm glad that you are such responsible owner and that you make quality a top priority, not a lot of stereo shops and aftermarket installers really care about the customer after they have installed what ever it is they bought.

when there are issues that require a dealer phone call or trip to the dealership, This creates another opportunity for me to get more sales from both the customer and dealership with a POSITIVE experience.

Since what i do is NOT normal, i have gotten more and more wholesale work because of these customer service tactic!

Every consumer know there will be problems down the road. Every sane human being knows things dont last forever. They just want it fixed hassle free.

Customer service is king!

 

[450exc115]

I don't see you suggest or talk about torque wrenches at all. Modern cars require more attention to detail when it comes to torquing down parts. For the entry level mechanic a beam style torque wrench is a good investment. 1/2 drive up to 200 ft lbs and 3/8s drive for the smaller stuff. Those that want to buy set able torque wrenches just be warned that they should be calibrated every few years and that you get what you pay for. This is why I suggest beam torque wrenches, no calibration required. I personally have 5 torque wrenches. One cheap 1/2 for lug nuts. 2 beam for engine builds and 2 specialty for low torque requirements on my race bike motors and suspension where accuracy is required.

 

[BlackWorksInc]

I'll be honest with you, I was a big "hey lets torque lugnuts and all that stuff down to exactly what it has to be!" When I first started in the industry... But many mechanics I have met don't really mess with their torque wrenches, its a sort of odd acceptance in the large circle of flat rate mechanics that I have run into over the years (for better or worse). Now, when we start getting into rebuilding engines, cylinder heads, transmissions, VVTi assemblies; mainly stuff that is highly technical (vs. say changing struts or bolting on a new control arm, refilling a transmission, ect) then we start getting into torquing stuff down right. But that brings up another issue; many cars these days aren't "just torque it to this ft.lbs/newton" they go to "torque to X, then torque again to XX and follow by torquing to angle X, ect" may of these critical and technical portions of the vehicle I don't expect your average weekend warrior to be attempting.

I didn't want to delve too deeply into the torque wrench thing because in reality on a professional level you should have either a combination of click torque wrench(es) and angle torquing tools or a digital torque wrench(es) that can calculate all required torque settings; and the cost of which can be from expensive to, "yeah... I'll need a credit line."

I'm not saying you shouldn't torque stuff down to the right spec, I'm guilty as much as the next guy and I do try to strive for better; but honestly how many people are torquing their brake caliper bolts, their lug nuts, their engine cover nuts (yes there is a spec for that). I'm trying to maintain a balance of helping members out, but not turning this thread into T4R.org/Wyo-Tech, my intention isn't to train people; there are far better venues for that. I agree with you a simple beam style or affordable click style torque wrench is a valuable tool, but I think its something that edges closer to more technical jobs that to be honest most members will never get to.

 

[450exc115]

I guess I was just thinking you talk about head gaskets and other more specialty related tool work but didn't see much in the suggestion of torque wrenches and when to pay attention to them. Yes everything has a torque value but as you pointed out not everything requires proper torqueing. This is my list for when I use a torque wrench.

Anything related to sealing on the engine, transmissions and drive train. Gaskets/oring require proper torque for them to work at their best.
Lug nuts. Mostly because if I have a flat on the road I find a impact gun is overkill and hard to remove. Plus putting 4runner wheels on it is best to hand tight all lugs to center the wheel on the hub before appling torque and using a torque wrench just reminds me to do it right.
Some suspension parts as they may require special torque values to work properly for this I just consult the manual
The rest I just wing it. One thing to remember is if you use the appropriate wrench size for the bolt then the torque value will be close. For 8mm heads I use a 1/4, for 10-12mm I use a 3/8 and 14 and bigger I use the 1/2 wrench but this all comes from years of snaping bolts using too large of a wrench and adapter when being lazy.

For the once and a while mechanic I suggest beam wrenches as they don't require any calibration and will be good enough for most jobs.

You mention specific torque methodes using angles and values, this is based on the premise that it is a much more acurate method of torquing. There is a big variation in torque values from wet torques to dry torques and then add it corosion on used parts and the torque values could be all over the place. Snugging down to a perscribed torque and then using an angle to get the final torque has shown greater acuracy. We use it in the Aero Space industry alot. This is also why strech bolts are used. A strech bolt will only apply xx torque as the bolt yeilds or strenches if any more force is applied.

I'm not trying to take away from the thread just trying to add good info on a topic that is often over looked. It's has a ton of great information in it and can help those that want to start getting into maintaining and working on thier own vehicles.

 

[CHawks_12]

I have read this thread many times and I find things I have missed the previous times read. I finally just copied and paste it to word so I can refer back to.

Question I have is short of going to the dealership and buying it (if they even sale/ rent them) where can I get the SST that are recommended for the task being performed (if a SST is recommended) from the service manuals? ainkiller::twitch:

 

[BlackWorksInc]

I have read this thread many times and I find things I have missed the previous times read. I finally just copied and paste it to word so I can refer back to.

Question I have is short of going to the dealership and buying it (if they even sale/ rent them) where can I get the SST that are recommended for the task being performed (if a SST is recommended) from the service manuals? ainkiller::twitch:

Typically they are only sold to dealerships from my understanding, at least for the most part.

You can try looking up the SST via its part number and I believe you can also contact OST (our typical SST tool provider) and see if you can get them. I can tell you though that they are not at all cheap and can make Snap-on stuff seem affordable.

 

[bob3dsf]

SST eguivalents / alternates

Since this was intended as a interactive thread to post ideas about tools and their use, I had a though while looking over it again.

I Was thinking it would be useful to identify equivalents to the SST's mentioned in the service manuals. I realize that some of them may have already been touched on in specific repair/replace threads.

For example, I know that a slide hammer is in several jobs and is ID'd as an SST. I'm also thinking of the puller mentioned in the front wheel bearing section of the FSM.

So with that in mind, and considering that some SST's might be obvious as to what they are, I figured there might be others that are less obvious or at least have alternative tools which can accomplish the same thing but be closer to the budget of your average DIY'er.

What'd ya think??


Bob

 

[BlackWorksInc]

Since this was intended as a interactive thread to post ideas about tools and their use, I had a though while looking over it again.

I Was thinking it would be useful to identify equivalents to the SST's mentioned in the service manuals. I realize that some of them may have already been touched on in specific repair/replace threads.

For example, I know that a slide hammer is in several jobs and is ID'd as an SST. I'm also thinking of the puller mentioned in the front wheel bearing section of the FSM.

So with that in mind, and considering that some SST's might be obvious as to what they are, I figured there might be others that are less obvious or at least have alternative tools which can accomplish the same thing but be closer to the budget of your average DIY'er.

What'd ya think??


Bob

Its not a bad idea, I'd have to look into it myself; there's a lot of SST's I'd have to comb through and figure out alternative tools/methods for. But its not out of the realm of possibility.

 

[BillBoost37]

While I'm a newb to the Toyota stuff, I've done nearly everything out there and have plenty of stories like Paul and the others here that work on stuff a bit too much. When it comes to specialty tools, some days it's looking at the job and knowing what is in your box that you can improvise in the situation. Oddly enough it's like torquing, certain things, I will always torque, others are simply never going to happen.

Paul.. we need to up the tool level. I'm already at Pro status and wondering where the Gearwrench 82248 was going to be mentioned. I absolutely love that freaking prybar. (Look it up and you'll understand).

Great write up and thanks to all that post good informative stuff for others to use.

 

[asdfman7]

What to carry?

Forgive me if this has been discussed before, I didn't see it in this thread; I'm going on a road trip in a few weeks and was wondering what would be best to carry in the truck as an emergency tool kit?

 

[xzgfhgh]

This is a great idea! Thanks for your effort on this.