Tools used to repair motor vehicles. Avoid shopping questions.
11
votes
2answers
167 views
How To Get Organized Without a Garage Workspace?
People I've seen who have garages have it made. They have a clean, dry workspace with all of their tools within arms reach. In the most organized garages, a mixture of rolling Snap-on Roll Cab with ...
7
votes
2answers
461 views
Do I Need to Compress the Springs to Install Strut Tower Braces?
I have a '99 Maxima.
I am considering installing strut tower braces. In order to do so, would I need to get spring compression tools to hold the springs on the struts, or will the weight of the car ...
7
votes
2answers
464 views
Should a mechanical “click” Torque Wrench be set to zero when not in use?
I have a standard click torque wrench. I was told I should set it to zero when not using it in order to keep the accuracy high. Is this true?
Secondly, I have not been doing this since I purchased ...
6
votes
3answers
240 views
Car enthusiast beginner kit
What is a good place to begin building a kit/set up for performing your own service?
For ex:
oil changes
waxing
detailing
What is the best starting equipment one can start on?
5
votes
2answers
3k views
What is a suitable air compressor for a home garage?
What type and size air compressor (HP, Tank Size, CFM, direct drive/2 stage... etc) would be suitable for a home garage where I'm going to do small amounts of maintenance but nothing major?
So I would ...
5
votes
1answer
721 views
How important is it to use a real flare nut wrench when removing the fuel line on an old Ford tractor?
An article on overhauling the carbs on a Ford 8N tractor says to use a flare nut wrench to disconnect the fuel line. How important is it use that kind of wrench, vs. an open ended wrench?
4
votes
4answers
3k views
What is the best overall ODB2 scan tool?
There are a number of different ODB2 scan tools out there, some PC based, some standalone units, some more for tuning and some more for diagnosing problems.
What are the different features that these ...
4
votes
3answers
454 views
How much oil will this fluid extractor extract?
The Griots Garage multi-fluid extractor is an example of a tool that certainly seems amazingly useful and convenient. If you haven't seen it before, the concept is that a semi rigid tube is inserted ...
4
votes
1answer
48 views
What is the difference between an automatic torque wrench and a click wrench?
What is the difference between an automatic torque wrench and a click torque wrench?
Right now the 1/2inch torque wrench I use on my Jeep is a really cheep one I bought on amazon and it clicks when ...
3
votes
3answers
85 views
How do I remove a pulley where I have no way of stopping it turning anti-clockwise, like I'm turning the nut?
I've been told I need an airgun, but I have no means of getting one. An alternative is a tool that looks like this. It has a handle of flat steel that splits into a wide U, almost Y shaped but the V ...
3
votes
3answers
684 views
OBD2 to bluetooth adaptor for 2001 Renault?
I have a 2001 Renault Clio 2 1.6 16V (French made) and I'm looking for a OBD2 to bluetooth adaptor to read computer's parameters. There are MANY available with all price ranges, but I'm not sure what ...
2
votes
3answers
389 views
How can I check if my 1995 Lancer CC GI has OBD-II
As my title say I want to know if my current car that I just purchased has an ODB-II port.
I have looked under the steering wheel and I can see what I think to be a OBD-II connector, but am unsure. ...
2
votes
1answer
45 views
Rounded bolt head on possibly broken bolt
I'm trying to remove the transmission casing on my belt drive scooter. All of the bolts have tiny 8mm heads, and are very cheap and soft - cheap Chinese manufacture - and one was already slightly ...
2
votes
3answers
50 views
Which is stronger: solid sockets, or two piece sockets?
My jeep has a lot of torx bolts that I need to remove and then replace some of. A while ago I bought a single torx socket from ACE hardware that is made from two steel pieces of metal. The other day ...
2
votes
2answers
157 views
What functions & features should I look for when buying a multimeter?
Going to be used for car maintenance/restoration work and around the house repairs.
1
vote
1answer
635 views
What resistance is typical across a small engine ignition coil?
I have a hedge trimmer I'm troubleshooting (link) and I'm wanting to rule out the ignition coil. What resistance should I measure across a typical small engine ignition coil? I would have thought down ...
1
vote
3answers
33 views
Remove rounded manifold bolt
I'm trying to take off the manifold bolts on an old Chevy 350 (the ones that connect the manifold to the header). I got 4 out of the 6 bolts out, but 2 are extremely struck and rounded due to all the ...
1
vote
1answer
310 views
What tools should every home mechanic have? [closed]
What tools should every home mechanic have in their toolbox? One item per answer please, upvote the best ones. This is intended to be a wiki-style question.
0
votes
2answers
116 views
Removing rust / prepping for repainting
I have several developing rust spots on my car.
What's the best way to remove the rust / prep the surface?
I picked up a wire cup brush with a 1/4", but it's limited to 4,500 RPM. My tool options ...
0
votes
1answer
51 views
What shop tools are most helpful for inspecting used cars?
I am curious what benefit a shop would provide vs a mobile inspection service. I know a lift is helpful in seeing certain parts of the car, and an engine code scanner is very helpful. Any others?
0
votes
0answers
29 views
Craftsman Bolt-Out and similar tools
I've seen Craftsman Bolt-Out mentioned in several questions/threads about removing stuck or rounded-off bolts, a problem I've run into many times. There's no particular problem I'm looking to solve ...
