Must Have Tools in your Toolbox!

[EnthuZiaZT]

For years I've been taking wheels off cars, for all sorts of reasons, to mend the car, clean the wheel Etc.
Some wheels come off easily, others are a right B******ds. Usually the wheel nut spanner supplied with the car is hardly man enough for the job, at times I extended the handle with bits of pipe, in order to get the wheel nut to come loose. Sometimes I've used a 6' piece of pipe and stood on it, to get the wheel nut to move. Over the years I've bent a lot of wheel wrenches trying to get the nuts to come loose!!!
Two years ago I bought myself an electric impact wrench, since then I had not had the need to use it, until this week, when I had to remove the wheel on our Mercedes A Class to identify the spring. Wow is all I can say!! how easy is this, five nuts undone in seconds, a real doddle. How did I manage without this tool in my life for so long!!





Mike

 

[Bozzy]

For years I've been taking wheels off cars, for all sorts of reasons, to mend the car, clean the wheel Etc.
Some wheels come off easily, others are a right B******ds. Usually the wheel nut spanner supplied with the car is hardly man enough for the job, at times I extended the handle with bits of pipe, in order to get the wheel nut to come loose. Sometimes I've used a 6' piece of pipe and stood on it, to get the wheel nut to move. Over the years I've bent a lot of wheel wrenches trying to get the nuts to come loose!!!
Two years ago I bought myself an electric impact wrench, since then I had not had the need to use it, until this week, when I had to remove the wheel on our Mercedes A Class to identify the spring. Wow is all I can say!! how easy is this, five nuts undone in seconds, a real doddle. How did I manage without this tool in my life for so long!!





Mike

I could have done with one of those yesterday Mike,I swapped the wheels over on my zed and on the last wheel just two of the bolts were immovable. I snapped a wheel wrench bar in the process of trying to move them ! .
So tootled off to my local garage with one odd wheel still on the car,they kindly handed me a 2 foot long wrench which just managed to shift them....these troublesome bolts didn't have any copper grease on but all the others did.

Steve

 

[EnthuZiaZT]

If only you were nearer, Bozzy, I'd have done it for you!!

Mike

 

[5harp3y]

ive got a plug in one as it was cheaper than the cordless. its an animal and helps out so much

 

[EnthuZiaZT]

I did wonder about getting a plug in one, but then there's never a socket around when you need it, especially in the middle of nowhere!!!

Mike

 

[t-tony]

I have an SIP. cordless gun Mike and it is very useful for lots of jobs. I used to take it to scrap yards back in the day when the GP were still allowed to remove parts themselves.
Just to add though a better addition to most tool boxes would be a torque wrench to tighten the wheels nuts correctly, as I'm sure Steve noticed when I fitted his calliper. Most wheel nuts/bolts that won't release are that way simply because they were over tightened in the first place.

Tony.

 

[EnthuZiaZT]

I have an SIP. cordless gun Mike and it is very useful for lots of jobs. I used to take it to scrap yards back in the day when the GP were still allowed to remove parts themselves.
Just to add though a better addition to most tool boxes would be a torque wrench to tighten the wheels nuts correctly, as I'm sure Steve noticed when I fitted his calliper. Most wheel nuts/bolts that won't release are that way simply because they were over tightened in the first place.

Tony.

Yes I agree Tony, for some years now I've used a torque Wrench to check the Wheel nuts have been tightened Correctly. It's a consequence of scraped knuckles and bloodied fingers trying to get the nuts undone. I thinks the wheel nuts on a Zed are tightened to 90 or 100 n/m depending on the model.

Mike

 

[Redline]

I have an SIP. cordless gun Mike and it is very useful for lots of jobs. I used to take it to scrap yards back in the day when the GP were still allowed to remove parts themselves.
Just to add though a better addition to most tool boxes would be a torque wrench to tighten the wheels nuts correctly, as I'm sure Steve noticed when I fitted his calliper. Most wheel nuts/bolts that won't release are that way simply because they were over tightened in the first place.

Tony.

I bought a torque wrench specifically to do wheel nuts. Gonna have to get a 1/4' one now aren't I?

Mind you 325Ib.ft. is going some. How do you hang on to that?

 

[Zeti]

I never let the guys in the tire service to tighten my wheels, as they are young boys , usually using a huge pipe , about 1.5 m and they use all the force they have! Probably get more over 30 daNm! When you're on the middle of nowhere there is no chance to remove your punched tire with the wrench in your boot!

 

[EnthuZiaZT]

I bought a torque wrench specifically to do wheel nuts. Gonna have to get a 1/4' one now aren't I?

Mind you 325Ib.ft. is going some. How do you hang on to that?

Well Redline, I guess if the nut is so tight the wrench won't undo it, the operator does the spinning. Amazingly no effort is required to hang onto the wrench!

Mike

 

[Redline]

Well Redline, I guess if the nut is so tight the wrench won't undo it, the operator does the spinning. Amazingly no effort is required to hang onto the wrench!

Mike

Indeed - Its Newtons third law in the face of a stuck nut that would present a moment of hilarity (no pun intended ).

 

[Zeti]

By the way, which tools you consider should be always in Zed's boot, on a long cruise? (Let's say like the Limborit, this year!)

 

[EnthuZiaZT]

Well not having much room in the boot Zeti, a bottle of tyre weld and a very small compressor, if that fails, rely on BMW Call out? After all it is a BMW.

Mike

 

[Zeti]

Maybe a diagnoze device, for those who own one?

 

[Bozzy]

I have an SIP. cordless gun Mike and it is very useful for lots of jobs. I used to take it to scrap yards back in the day when the GP were still allowed to remove parts themselves.
Just to add though a better addition to most tool boxes would be a torque wrench to tighten the wheels nuts correctly, as I'm sure Steve noticed when I fitted his calliper. Most wheel nuts/bolts that won't release are that way simply because they were over tightened in the first place.

Tony.

yes I did notice that you used a torque wrench Tony and it's quite surprising that they don't have to be mega tight.
I do have one in the tool kit but haven't used it yet .....slapped wrist !. I bought it for when I get round to replacing the the rocker cover gasket.
I might just add that the offending bolts were done at the garage I used to use when they fitted new tyres for me.

Steve

 

[Redline]

Well not having much room in the boot Zeti, a bottle of tyre weld and a very small compressor, if that fails, rely on BMW Call out? After all it is a BMW.

Mike

Thats all I have in the boot of mine. I have 1L of oil too. Anything else uses the RAC card.

 

[oldcarman]

I have two cordless impacts with clutch control for tightening plus an air impact for use with the compressor I'm building. Until now a little two HP compressor has done the job but I use the cordless' for all kinds of jobs. Having two tools with four batteries no job is kept waiting exception of course due to procrastination!! JIM

 

[Grumps]

I have an SIP. cordless gun Mike and it is very useful for lots of jobs. I used to take it to scrap yards back in the day when the GP were still allowed to remove parts themselves.
Just to add though a better addition to most tool boxes would be a torque wrench to tighten the wheels nuts correctly, as I'm sure Steve noticed when I fitted his calliper. Most wheel nuts/bolts that won't release are that way simply because they were over tightened in the first place.

Tony.

You'd be proud of me @t-tony. All mine are torqued to 120 I think..might be 130, can't remember!

 

[Redline]

140 for mine - Hoping thats right.

 

[t-tony]

According to the God that is Autodata, 120 NM + or - 10.

Tony.