Essential tools
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You are currently reading a thread in /o/ - Auto
You are currently reading a thread in /o/ - Auto
Just got jewed out of 300 dollars cause I needed brake pads. I just got my first car last month and I need to learn how to work on it. What essential tools should I have onhand so I can do basic mantainence and repairs?
Currently I have:
-floor jack
-ramps
-oil change supplies (drainpan and whatnot)
-socket and wrench set
-ODBII reader
-lots of duct tape
Where do I start /o/?
Screwdrivers (flathead, philips, torx)
Electrical drill (doesn't have to be big, will make wheel changes, numerous small screws/bolts and such so much less time consuming)
Spark plug wrench
Torque wrenches are nice to have
Air compressor
Magnetic bowls are a godsend when you've got a lot of small screws, nuts and bolts
Multimeter
Wire stripper/crimper
a good mechanic who knows about your vehicle and money .
short of oil changes and other simple stuff the Diy approach is very risky and generally not worth the cost IMHO
everyones forgetting hammer. its a must have tool in every mechanics tool box
>>13874931
Did you not even google how to change your brake pads before you shelled out 300 dollarrs.
You can change brake pads for 40 dollars, a c clamp and socket wrench.
>>13874931
If you have a jap car, JIS screwdrivers. Learned this the hard way
>>13874931
>300 dollar brake pads
What?
>>13875063
you just opened my eyes
i just remembered all those screws i stripped on my honda in the last 9 years. now i know
>>13875181
GM garbage you can do a complete brake job for $300
>>13874968
>wheel changes with electric drill
>>13874968
dude, organize that shit.
>>13874931
There are only three tools you need to work on your car.
>valve adjustment tool
>epoxy
>bandsaw
If you can't make something work with that, you are a shit mechanic.
>>13874968
I need to build a work bench in my garage... And clean it.
I just was getting Christmas stuff out of there today and there is potential.
>>13875201
Literally the same thing, but honda bike.
Thank fuck all the important stuff is a hex or socket/whatever you call it
>>13874931
Screwdrivers
Ratchets/Tool set in general
Epoxy
Use a dead HDD magnet on a string to pick shit up, just keep it away from electronics
Vicegrips
Zip Ties
Plastidip is decent at covering up fucked up paint if you're already driving a beater
C clamps are nice
Welding equipment is also nice but probably not something that you should start on
Wire strippers and soldering equipment can be a life saver
Floor jacks or if you're a rich guy with a lot of space you get get a floor lift for a grand or two. I want one.
depending on vehicle hex key sockets or torx sockets for caliper bolts.
>>13874992
Most things a person would do to a car is simple shit. I would only take my car to a mechanic if I needed actual repairs. Anything else is just maintenance, which everyone is capable of.
>>13874968
>Magnetic Bowls.
You have no fucking idea how useful these things are. Seriously, buy like 4 of them in varying sizes. I use them anytime I need to take screws out of anything.
>>13874992
Busrider detected.
>>13875063
>>13875201
>>13875268
fffffffff welp at least i learned
thanks anon
Mechanic here. I'll list some shit that hasn't been brought up yet:
Breaker bar (with a pipe that will fit over it)
Swivel sockets
Set of pliers (angled needle nose pliers are a godsend)
Flashlight
Ratcheting wrench set
Speeder wrench (makes shit like putting pans back on go by much faster)
Threadlocker (for drivetrain shit)
Wire brushes
Prying tools
Idiot wrench
Any specialty tools (O2 sensor socket, crankshaft pulley kits, etc.) can be rented, so don't bother with buying them.
Also, it's never a bad idea to have a multimeter on hand.
>>13875204
haven't had issues with my corded impact wrench, harbor freight version no less.
2 years and still going strong.
$40
>>13874931
OP, best advice I can give is buy cheap. Dirt fucking cheap. If you break a tool, replace it with a more expensive version.
>Multiple cans of degreaser
>Fuckton of rags
Anytime you go to work on your car clean it first, otherwise shit gets messy. Even if you are just going to do one job clean it, that one job will grow into 3-4
>>13874931
good socket, wrench, and screwdriver sets will get you through 90% of jobs.
you won't need duct tape though, kek. if you use duct tape on a car, you're doin' it wrong.
>>13875457
impact wrench isnt a drill
>>13875475
Shit, yeah. Fair point anon. I assumed he was talking about one.
I couldn't imagine a standard drill having enough torque to pull off lugs.
>>13875224
take your ass back to >>>/diy/
>>13874968
>Torque wrenches are nice to have
Necessity tbqh.
>>13875457
>dirt cheap
Not too cheap or you'll wreck fasteners. Harbor Freight is a good level of cheap but dollar store spanners rarely actually fit.
i picked this up last week m8s, 100 pc air tool kit
http://www.northerntool.com/shop/tools/product_200649182_200649182
some cheap stuff in there but for the price i'd say its hard to beat
>>13875661
pic related
>>13875669
What do you call those sets with various drives? bottom right and there are 3 of them.
I need a bunch of JIS ones to fit my wrench
>>13874992
If you're too stupid to not ruin everything you touch, maybe you shouldn't be driving in the first place.
>>13875608
I bet you torque your lug nuts too.
>>13875006
>>13875181
Rotors were fucked cause the guy I bought the car from hadn't changed em in like 50k miles
>>13874968
>>13875280
>>13875453
Great lists, thanks
>>13875457
Cheap I can do
thanks for the suggestions everyone
>>13875181
It's more likely than you think
>mfw the $100 calipers I bought at a swap meet take $370 pads
>>13875707
driver set m8, just google JIS driver set
>>13874992
>Diy approach is very risky
uh what
>generally not worth the cost
uh what. the biggest cost in car repair is labor.
for example. anyone with a $100 set of tools and a $15 service manual can do a headgasket. yet the labor cost of doing a head gasket is $800 or more.
>>13875738
lol it's a stock mazda 3
50 for the pads, 70 for the rotors, 150 in labor plus 30 tax. I know I got jewed, but I needed it done today
>>13875722
I do torque my wheel nuts because I'm not a fucking idiot.
>>13875772
You are an idiot, ive always just used the lug wrench that comes with the car to take lugnuts off, i just tighten them down as tight as they'll go. Never had a pronlem.
>>13874931
haynes manual for your car
>>13875725
You can change your rotors in under a hour with just a socket wrench.
Thats 40 more dollars.
You paid 300 for what you can do in 80 dollars and a hour of your time.
>>13874931
get a cheapo electric impact gun on amazon. 60-70 bucks can get you a half decent one either cordless or corded.
>>13875725
This. >>13875855
If you replace the pads, replacing the rotors is literally a single extra step, removing the caliper. Fuck, you don't even have to replace them, take them to an Auto Store and have them machined, providing enough material is left (50k on Rotors isn't THAT much at all.)
You got ROYALLY fucked paying 300 bucks for a brake job.
>>13875837
No, you're the idiot.
>>13875843
FUCK no. FSM or bust.
>>13874992
Fuccboi detected.
Also get a First Aid kit and some bottles of eye wash solution, and safety glasses. Youll thank me later.
>>13875974
Adding on to that, buy a 50 pack of disposable gloves. Or a set of decent ones if you're into that.
Nothing worse that needing to go to the toilet and trying to avoid getting black smudges everywhere through your house
>>13875843
is that real?
thats awesome
>>13875992
>disposable gloves
To each their own i guess, ive personally never used em cause they always rip on me.
I just buy a massive container of Gojo and wear long sleeves.
>>13875994
No, it isn't.
>>13875772
>>13875837
>>13875966
not torquing gets the job 100% done
torquing is 110%
>>13876068
Dumbest shit I ever read.
>>13876068
ain't no need to half ass it anon
>>13874992
Kill yourself my man
I kinda skimmed this thread but a good pair of needle nose and regular vicegrips are super helpful at times
On a similar topic what tools do you guys keep in your car? Since I have a truck and go to college, i have pretty much everything ill ever need in there, but i really should get a socket set
>come-along
>chain
>tow strap
>jumper cables
>all manner of hand tools (pliers, snippers, wrenches, allen and torx sets, vice grips, adjustable wrenches, etc basically the whole gray bag)
>zipties
>for
>days
>compressor
>duct tape
>wd-40
>oil
>coolant
>big ol mag light
>knives
>contractor trash bags (very useful)
>rope
>ponchos
>paper towels
>emergency fedora/penis enlargement pills
>heavy duty ice scraper/broom
>kitty litter
>shovel in bed
>sledgehammer in bed (body work kek)
>map
other stuff i have because Ive needed it.
>Shit ton of ratchet straps
>extra intake tubing
>heat sheilding
>sandpaper
>3m sanding block
>wiring harness tubing
the following cans
>2x rust converter
>maf cleaner
>primer
>GM Fine Silver Birch Metalic paint
>bedliner
>this all fits under rear seats
TYBASEDBENCHSEATS.jpg
r8 my load out /o/
>>13876105
Literally the car version of this guy
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zsLPIMr6MWc
>>13876105
everything but the pic i wanted to post
>>13875453
>Idiot wrench
You mean adjustable crescent wrench?
I prefer pic related. We call them the "Alabama Socket Set"
>wrenching with buddy
>"I need an Alabama Socket Wrench!"
>Buddy just says "wut?"
Keep one of these in your toolkit for oil changes. Its drawer liner, wrap it around your oil filter and you'll basically turn into GI Joe with Kung Fu Grip.
>>13876105
You only carry one spare fedora? You are taking some real chances there my good friend. I bet you don't wear rubbers either.
>>13876118
I own that exact channel lock tool kit (not with bag obviously). Actually i think we own 3.
good shit
>>13876140
its for weight reduction.
>>13876118
Aye, that's right. My grandpa calls them that anyway. Great for bending shit back in place and not much else.
![31Tj3HRVIeL[1].jpg](https://i.imgur.com/o6aZOw8.jpg "31Tj3HRVIeL[1].jpg")
>>13876118
This is a crescent wrench. Those are pliers.
>>13876118
channel locks are so handy to have, pic related is whats with me every minute at work
I work in a corn mill where a lot of the machinery is pretty damn old, a good amount from the 60s
and having a pair of channel locks in your pocket is pretty much a necessity for taking off access doors, opening/closing valves with broken off handles, grabbing hot shit, using as a hammer, etc.
Pretty much just this and a torque wrench. I'm only just starting, but this has pretty much everything I need so far.
>>13875482
If it did that would be scary as hell when that torque is transferred into the handle. That's why impacts are used in large torque situations.
>>13876148
Kek. I'm tryin to bring the term back
>>13876158
No, those aren't pliers. Alabama socket set.
>>13876188
>using as a hammer
The back of the top jaw works wonders sometimes. What a glorious tool. If I had to choose between channel locks and duct tape, I'm not sure what I would do.
>>13876217
>channel locks and duct tape
Pick the needle nose vice grips
>>13876237
I still dont get how to use them, so many things
>>13876237
That's like the one thing missing from that pic. And maybe a rubber mallet and c-clamp.
>>13876257
>c-clamp
this
don't be that shitty shade tree mechanic that uses a pry bar to push back the brake caliper
>>13875204
Much easier to drag around the garage than an impact wrench, easier to set the torque and I only use it to remove and put in the bolts, never to tighten or untighten which I do with a normal solid breaker bar
![abn_202319_20pic_202_ab4733b5-9d81-4538-b96f-6d612731e47a_1024x1024[1].jpg](https://i.imgur.com/DCGzh9I.jpg "abn_202319_20pic_202_ab4733b5-9d81-4538-b96f-6d612731e47a_1024x1024[1].jpg")
>>13876249
They come in handy when used in conjunction with pic related to remove stubborn hoses if a surface on which to put the pliers is too far away.
>>13875837
it takes no more effort, are you mentally damaged?
> tighten them down as tight as they'll go
holy kek
>>13874968
additionally
rubber mallet
ball pein hammer
clamp for replacing brake pads
>>13876526
how do you put a socket on a drill
>>13876660
>>13876660
>>13876787 <------
>>13876787
well i learned something today, intradesting
>>13876823
The 1/4" Hex driver to 1/4" socket adapter is one of the greatest things known to man. Especially when you have a small driver like the little Dewalt in pic related. Will save so much damn time. Just taking plastic engine covers to get to an actual part becomes so much faster.
![gearwrench-9509-main-2-lg[1].jpg](https://i.imgur.com/EqhmADq.jpg "gearwrench-9509-main-2-lg[1].jpg")
racheting wrenches are far superior to regular box wrenches
>>13876912
i bought a metric set from home depot i believe. husky brand, fuckin love em
>>13876912
so are the long necks and stubby ones and offset ones
once you go ratchet, you don't go back and you also question why the hell didn't I do that sooner
No home is complete without a corded drill and a 25ft extension cord.
>>13875453
You forgot the most important, overlooked item.
A vice.
>No one suggested beer
Do you all work on your cars without a cold one in your hands?
>>13878163
I'm allergic.
Also, drinking is for fat slobs.
>>13878163
This tbqh, and music. Makes the shed a much more enjoyable place to spend time listening to music as opposed to your own cursing.
>>13875843
>based on a complete teardown of a new Typhoon, this manual provides complete instructions with diagrams and pictures of the assemblies
>>13875837
Wow you're retarded
>>13876939
no kidding. after i bought rachet wrenches, i never used my regular box wrenches ever again and just sold them.
theyre usually 50% more expensive than the regular box wrenches. but take it from me, its worth it. id even buy it for twice the price.
>>13878963
You're going to regret that.
When? Can't tell you. Don't know. But you will. Ratchets have fatter heads than regulars. You'll need the clearance one day.
>Replacing rotors
Why do people do this? All they need is a resurfacing
>Torque wrenches
What range do you need for working on a car. The one I have for my bike is 2-24 N·m.
>>13878170
>fox and grapes syndrome
>>13878158
A vice is not the most important by far. But one works wonders in ANY workshop environment.
>>13879016
Maybe they're warped.
>>13879018
My crank snout sits at 94lbs ft. My lifters are 26 inch lbs iirc.
If you are not planning an engine tear down you can get by with the higher end as suspensions components are often not in inch lbs.
>>13879213
Warping rotors? Extremely rare only on severe circumstances
Majority of them need resurfacing or have nothing to do with the rotor itself
>>13875837
>>13875722
>>13876068
Great source of warped rotors and sheered lug studs here.
>>13876110
Oh God. Thanks for this.
>>13879016
OP here: They were fucked
>>13879016
How many thou should I go down for this?
>>13874992
> the Diy approach is very risky and generally not worth the cost IMHO
You've never bothered to look under your hood have you? You poor soul.
>>13874992
>Work on car myself
>Cost = time and cost of parts
>Pay mechanic to work on my car
>Cost = £50 an hour + cost of parts + 25% markup on those parts
100/10 you're a fucking genius
>>13879479
where the fuck do you find a mechanic that works for 50 an hour?
>>13874992
I take it you believe sucking dick is a much safer alternative, then?
>>13876213
I have an old DC corded drill and can confirm that fucker will get out of control and will break anything of yours it grabs.
>>13879855
Either britbongs pay more than 50GBP/hr for mechanics or you didn't see the currency symbol.
Both are pretty disgusting tbqh.
>>13878163
i just drink liquor
>>13879018
10-150 ft-lbs is a good starting range for a Torque Wrench on cars. There will be some outlying situations, of course, but that covers a great deal of shit.
>>13879224
>>13880373
What's that in SI units?
>>13878163
I don't like being bloated
also
alcohol kills gains normie
>>13880459
www.google.com
Or for you specifically
www.google.co.uk
>>13874992
There's a lot of mechanics that take short cuts that you would of not taken while doing it yourself.
I worked in the industry for several years, but now work on heavy machinery instead.
I honestly would not trust half the mechanics in the dealership I used to work in to fix my Bicycle let alone touch my vehicles. They never take any extra care that really helps you down the line.
CRAFTSMAN RATCHETING WRENCHES!!!
These things have literally saved me 100's of hours while working on vehicles.
Magnetic pickup is also very useful, I always seem to drop stuff in the engine bay.
>>13880495
>The UK is the only place that uses SI units
Please, they don't even do a very good job of it.
Here's a link for you:
http://www.bipm.org/en/publications/si-brochure/
>>13880919
It is more that he can only get by by being spoon fed everything.
A strong britfag trait.
