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55 votes
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What is the most efficient method of getting your car unstuck from snow?

tl;dr: You can use a spade or similar tool in order to dig the snow out of the way. What are some methods I can employ to make it easier to get unstuck in snow? Having said that, there are several ...
Max Goodridge's user avatar
51 votes
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Is it safe to use a hydraulic jack as a stand? If not, why?

There is no such thing as "absolutely, perfectly, 100% safe." Each tool has its proper and improper uses, and each works either in parallel with other tools to increase safety and dependability, or ...
Adam Davis's user avatar
  • 1,587
27 votes
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Why would I want to measure torque while loosening a bolt or nut?

Sometimes you want to measure breakaway torque. This can tell you if a fastener has started to loosen due to vibration, or was over-torqued and the bolt/stud may have stretched or weakened, or the ...
TMN's user avatar
  • 2,311
25 votes

Is it safe to use a hydraulic jack as a stand? If not, why?

TL DR: Nope, I'd say not. When I was a young man, my Dad always told me, "Use the tool which is designed for the job." For instance, if you are trying to remove a bolt out of your suspension holding ...
Pᴀᴜʟsᴛᴇʀ2's user avatar
24 votes
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Tool for impacting screws — What is it called?

It's (to my knowledge) called a screw impact driver, impact screwdriver, hand impact screwdriver, or just impact driver.
Pᴀᴜʟsᴛᴇʀ2's user avatar
22 votes
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What emergency gear and tools should I keep in my vehicle?

Aside from what you mentioned, I always carry: Portable air compressor (12v) Small tool set (common wrenches, screwdriver, grips, electrical tape and zip ties). A good flashlight Spare cellphone ...
race fever's user avatar
  • 3,353
20 votes
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Impact wrench on spark plugs?

In a word: NO! Please do not use an impact wrench on these. You run the distinct chance of stripping out all of the threads in the head, which will cause a huge nightmare for you having to have ...
Pᴀᴜʟsᴛᴇʀ2's user avatar
18 votes

Torque wrench or impact gun on large bolts

To answer your question directly, this is a "standard practice" but a VERY poor one. Getting the correct torque is by far more important than getting it done quickly. With the axle nut it is ...
Pᴀᴜʟsᴛᴇʀ2's user avatar
18 votes
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Why do you need to use a flare nut wrench instead of the open part of a combination spanner?

Flare nut spanners are designed to spread the load on the soft flare nuts. Ordinary nuts are made of a harder material. If you use the wrong spanner and round the flare nut off then you create more ...
Solar Mike's user avatar
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16 votes
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How to keep wheel ramps from sliding?

Duct Tape. Of course. Take a piece of duct tape and tape it to the lip of the ramp. Run it out 12 inches/30cm and then fold it over and run it back to the ramp. Stick this on the backside of the ramp....
user19474's user avatar
  • 276
16 votes
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Standard Practices for Use and Care of Click-Type Torque Wrenches

The main things I've always heard/done. Always unwind before storing. This helps to keep stress off the springs. If you leave it wound up, the springs can get weak and give inaccurate torque ...
rpmerf's user avatar
  • 8,403
16 votes
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Is each turn with a beam torque wrench additive?

If that would be possible, every 3-year old could fasten the bolt. He just has to try 100 times with 0.5lb-ft. You have to apply the full 50lb-ft, regardless of the torque applied before!
sweber's user avatar
  • 7,057
16 votes

Is it safe to use a hydraulic jack as a stand? If not, why?

No, I thought it could as well. One time I had a Corolla up in the air while I battled with a speedometer cable (which meant I was going in from the top of the car, underneath, and through the wheel ...
mickburkejnr's user avatar
16 votes

Why do you need to use a flare nut wrench instead of the open part of a combination spanner?

An open-ended spanner only engages on two faces of the nut. As you can see in the picture below, the inside of the spanner slot is not shaped to engage with the nut. Open-ended spanners are used ...
Graham's user avatar
  • 1,499
15 votes

What is the most efficient method of getting your car unstuck from snow?

A hand winch and a tow strap. You need something to attach it to (a tow hook on your car and something sturdy in the surrounding area) but it's about 90 percent as good as calling a tow truck. The ...
Jim W's user avatar
  • 1,935
15 votes
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Does using a ratchet size adaptor on a click-type ratchet wrench reduce the applied torque?

No, it won't reduce the torque. Torque is equivalent to radius x force. As long as A, the force is applied at the same distance from the nut/bolt that you're tightening and B, it's applied in the same ...
Craig Lafferty's user avatar
14 votes
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What is a leak down tester and what can I do with it?

There are many leak down testers on the market. You can actually make your own with some hardware store parts and a fish tank. Operation of "most" leak down testers The procedure of operation ...
cloudnyn3's user avatar
  • 3,333
14 votes
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Spring tensioner safety

I use two part spring compressors like you show here on a regular basis.* I think you'll be fine but there are some good things to watch out for. Watch out for the threads. If the compressing ...
Bob Cross's user avatar
  • 24.4k
13 votes

Impact vs. Regular Sockets

Impact sockets are made with a softer steel that can handle impacts better. They are thicker because the steel is in fact softer and easier to bend (but not necessarily break). The reason softer steel ...
Gary's user avatar
  • 131
13 votes

How to keep wheel ramps from sliding?

Use an old towel underneath the ramp, such that your vehicle runs onto the towel first ramp |¯¯¯\ |____\ towel Owheel ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯ This is possibly the cheapest, simplest & least destructive ...
RozzA's user avatar
  • 231
13 votes
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Are there any risks if I use impact wrench to loosen lug nuts while the tire not touching ground?

That would be correct. There should be no issue of using the impact with the wheel off the ground. You are exactly right in that the tire should be on the ground when using a breaker bar or tire iron. ...
Pᴀᴜʟsᴛᴇʀ2's user avatar
13 votes

Is it safe to use a hydraulic jack as a stand? If not, why?

NO, and I don’t understand why you don’t refer to standard workshop practise which is to lift the vehicle and then put proper stands under it. Sadly there are too many accidents of either vehicles or ...
Solar Mike's user avatar
  • 34.6k
12 votes
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Multimeter - Basic Functionality and Howto

Basic Functionality Image In order to illustrate a typical Multimeter The Multimeter is specifically a multifunction tool. By definition it combines several, well defined instruments and multiplexes ...
crasic's user avatar
  • 496
12 votes
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Is it safe to place wood between a car and a jack stand?

This is a good recommendation The wood will compress a bit when you lower your car down onto it. The jack stand will dig into the wood as well. The benefits related to this related to the vehicle ...
DucatiKiller's user avatar
  • 32.9k
12 votes
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Impact Wrench Mystery – breaks loose axle nut, but can't undo wheel lugs…

Would I be right an assuming your car is equipped with alloy wheels? Also, have the wheel bolts been fitted with a small smear of grease? It sounds like the wheel bolts are reacting in a "springy" ...
Steve Matthews's user avatar
12 votes
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Torque wrench or impact gun on large bolts

Neither. Just get a 1m long bar (by extending a breaker or similar), stick it on the nut so that it is horizontal and simply hang 250N of mass at the end of it: (*) 250N = 56.2 lbs = 25.5 Kg 250N * ...
Lamar Latrell's user avatar
12 votes
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How can I remove perfectly round locking wheel lugs? What tool can I use?

There are sockets designed specifically for this job. Here is an example of one; they have a reverse thread on them and are made of hardened material so as you turn them anti-clockwise, they tighten ...
Steve Matthews's user avatar
12 votes

What emergency gear and tools should I keep in my vehicle?

To be a little more pragmatic than the other suggestions... what classifies as an emergency can be subjective. To me the emergencies I have experienced in a motor vehicle typically come in the form ...
DanK's user avatar
  • 121
12 votes
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Torx vs. Star Fasteners

"Torx" is a trademark, i.e. a name for a company and can be renewed indefinitely. The Torx design used to have a patent that expired in 1990. After the Torx patent expired, ISO 10664 was created ...
Zach Mierzejewski's user avatar
11 votes

Impact vs. Regular Sockets

Something which has not been mentioned in the other two posts about impact sockets is the mass. While the material used for impact sockets is more robust and will stand up to a lot more abuse, the ...
Pᴀᴜʟsᴛᴇʀ2's user avatar

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