Car mechanical tools needed

[Memmeddu]

A good jack and axle stands are a must. A foam kneeling mat too for us oldies.
3/4 socket set isn't needed for cars, I wouldn’t bother. 1/2" is fine even for axle nuts in 99.9% of cases.
An impact gun (battery or air) will be very handy though, and a selection of impact sockets - you can save money and buy thin wall impact sockets instead of chrome and use them by hand as well. I’d strongly recommend one.

3/8 is not really needed if you already have 1/4 and 1/2 but can sometimes be handy for tight spaces. You need both deep and standard length sockets and a selection of extensions and universal joints etc. Consider buying a good set which has everything in.
You are unlikely to need a 1/4 torque wrench, most stuff on a vehicle is not that critical to torque and in well within the range that one decent 1/2" drive torque wrench will cover - or if you really want, just get one 1/2 and one 3/8 to cover a range of torque.

Spark plug sockets would be a good idea, it is unlikely you will need any spark plug pliers.
e-Torx sockets are a must on newer vehicles

Ball joint splitter (and possibly an air hammer) if you intend to do any suspension work.

For most jobs you will only need basic hand tools, more tools makes life easier but you can usually get by with quite a minimal toolkit.

Ball joint splitter is probably one of the first thing I'll buy ,this morning I've had to remove the steering joint to remove the hub and it's been a pain with Just 2 hammers .
Spark plug pilers are very useful on my car because the position where wires etc are routed.
Especially for cylinder 2 and 3 , rubber grommet are well in deep into the head , between the intake manifold ports and the injectors rail , wiring etc ,I can easily removed only the #1 the other ones are a pain because they tend to stick onto the spark plug and requires a lot of force to be removed.

 

[Memmeddu]

Unless you are going high end/decent quality breaker bars/ratchets and extension 1/4" drive gear should stop at about10mm, 3/8" drive at 19mm , 1/2" drive at 24mm and then move up the the 3/4" drive gear.

Bob

Yes that's another reason why I'd like to have all reasonable sizes .

 

[Memmeddu]

Original poster is in Sardinia, don’t think they have Halfords over there.

But we have Lidl and I've found their sockets set very good for their price plus their warranty is something great, not really cheap cheap but I repeat good money for the price ,I never use the ratchet directly to break loose bolts,I use the tee handles supplied with the set
Then there's the rule , if it breaks replace with a brand name.
I've needed to buy a socket set in a hurry to replace parts on my car , budget was already compromise and I've given a chance to them ,59 euros , they worked,then I've dismantled my 126p engine , they've worked, and my car now which is most likely been overtighten with an impact
I'm very satisfied with it the sockets are marked "SK" which I've searched online and found out that's actually good stuff (quite expensive too) .
We have a low cost USAG (facom, Stanley) sockets set at work and it's falling a part after few months of work ,it costs 3 times the Lidl set

 

[Memmeddu]

For most jobs you will only need basic hand tools, more tools makes life easier but you can usually get by with quite a minimal toolkit.

Yes for most jobs the 1/2"&1/4" sockets set is enough, plus an hammer and a spanner set,few screwdrivers and that's really all you need for most maintenance.

My goal with tools is firstly satisfying my needs (repair the car in this case), save money (avoiding the car mechanics nearby me which already prove to be not honest), and the goal with having more tools is save time which I believe is much more valuable than money , because it simply goes no ways to get it back.
I'm really happy that I'm working on my car,it feels very satisfactory to me.
Excluding the PITA to have to work on it because obviously I'd like it to be always in perfect shape but I'm saving 500 euros by doing it by myself but everything needs maintenance over time.

 

[Memmeddu]

a couple of decent work lights would be high on the list .

I have two of those , pretty handy I use them often both for working on stuff and for fishing too

Plus on of those used to have two , that's a fishing item but I'm using it these days to work on my car too

 

[Arc Tourist]

......................
I'm replacing them with endless and surprisingly cheap 2mm thick brass ones

Before purchasing, test the plugs with a magnet. I had to replace freeze plugs in my tractor a second time in less than two years because the ones I previously installed turned out to be brass plated pot metal instead of solid brass.

 

[SierraV6]

Unless you are going high end/decent quality breaker bars/ratchets and extension 1/4" drive gear should stop at about10mm, 3/8" drive at 19mm , 1/2" drive at 24mm and then move up the the 3/4" drive gear.

Bob

Agreed in regard to 1/4" drive gear.

In 3/8" drive I usually draw the line at 22mm, and in 1/2" drive I'll go to 27mm (although My Elora set goes up to 36mm). Obviously it all depends how tight and rusty everything is!

On cars I only really use 3/4" drive gear on hub nuts. I have what looks like a large 3/4" socket set, but it's actually a collection of individually bought pieces in metric, imperial and BS sizes bought for particular jobs over the years. All quality brands though, obviously!

 

[AVI_8]

Do you mean e torx?

Yes that’s exactly what I meant

 

[PhillipM]

I've never used 3/4" on any car yet, 1/2" will handle everything up to and including hub nuts and crank bolts.
I'd also disagree with not needing a 3/8" set if you have a 1/4" and a 1/2" - my 3/8's sets get used probably twice as much as the other two put together - access and size of tools to get into places is everything on modern cars.

 

[tom2207]

My fault translating.
We call them tappi(caps) di fusione (melting) so misspoken them .
And yes we are talking about the same thing.
I'm replacing them with endless and surprisingly cheap 2mm thick brass ones

Why are you changing so many core plugs , ??? do you gys not use anti freeze , it has a lot more uses than preventing frost damage , In a life of using tools Ive probably not changed more than a few dozen coreplugs , and most of those would have been on engine rebuilds . and as for 3/4 drive on an m12 ,,, lol the only thing Ive seen that needed a 19mm socket on 3/4 to undo was old 508 merc van wheel nuts .
Ive six 1/4 drive torque wrenches , 4 preset and two adjustable but thans only from working on air frames and I use them more now for pedal bikes , a lot of cam cap bolts are in the 4 to 8nm range but most engine work these days is 3/8 drive, well mine is and thats land rover audi and bmw.
Add a couple of good plastic dead blow hammers to the list , I have snap on and Thor , I use the Thor most for metal work and the likes , the snap on ones work well for trim and bumpers etc.

 

[MetalMonkey]

Why are you changing so many core plugs , ???

I've had them rot from the outside in - if rebuilding an engine I want to keep I always try and swap for brass, if you can find them.

 

[PhillipM]

, In a life of using tools Ive probably not changed more than a few dozen coreplugs , and most of those would have been on engine rebuilds .

Same, not many modern engines need the core plugs touching ever unless it's 'just because' in an engine rebuild.

 

[Memmeddu]

Why are you changing so many core plugs , ??? do you gys not use anti freeze ,

My car is 23 years old it probably never seen antifreeze before me owning it .
I'm replacing one cause it's gone
The others because I have access to them and tbh I don't want even imagine to have to do all this work again soon because I've skipped to replace them, it would be hard to accept

 

[Arc Tourist]

My car is 23 years old it probably never seen antifreeze before me owning it .
I'm replacing one cause it's gone
The others because I have access to them and tbh I don't want even imagine to have to do all this work again soon because I've skipped to replace them, it would be hard to accept

I agree with you, and especially if future access would be difficult.

 

[zx9]

Same, not many modern engines need the core plugs touching ever unless it's 'just because' in an engine rebuild.

The one that has stuck in my mind is the one on the back of Ford cross flow, the one that after you have replaced all the other visible ones that were pushed out by the freeze causes coolant to flow from the bell housing. That was not a nice job in the car park of our flat in the cold, in the near dark supporting a gear box on my chest, thirty years on it still make me shudder.

 

[Memmeddu]

The one that has stuck in my mind is the one on the back of Ford cross flow, the one that after you have replaced all the other visible ones that were pushed out by the freeze causes coolant to flow from the bell housing. That was not a nice job in the car park of our flat in the cold, in the near dark supporting a gear box on my chest, thirty years on it still make me shudder.

That's exactly what I'm doing.
The failed core plug is right behind the flywheel .
It's cold , it's raining and I'm doing it in the parking lot.
It becomes dark quickly and I'm working after the 6pm after work.
Today is holiday so I've worked on my car in the morning but unfortunately started raining till few minutes ago .
I loose a day of work cause to the rain .
Tomorrow it should not rain so I hopefully be able to Remove the gearbox and right after replacing the core plugs I have to wait the locktite to cure so I'll replace the clutch slave and master cylinders but tbh I'd like to be able to reassemble it tomorrow.
I can't because I have to check for leaks too

 

[AVI_8]

I remember those days well when you’re lying under a car on a Sunday, in the rain, Sod’s Law it’s winter trying to fix a car because you need it to get to work on a Monday, oh the joys !

 

[Memmeddu]

I remember those days well when you’re lying under a car on a Sunday, in the rain, Sod’s Law it’s winter trying to fix a car because you need it to get to work on a Monday, oh the joys !

Tbh I'm enjoying it , despite all the difficulties.
There's something special about my car , it's my first one , I've learned how to work on cars with it .
And even with the head gasket gone spitting water from the exhaust burning oil , it always took me home.
Gearbox gone ? it took me home
Only 1 cylinder working due to ignition failure, it took me home.
She didn't left me once... I can't

 

[PhillipM]

I remember those days well when you’re lying under a car on a Sunday, in the rain, Sod’s Law it’s winter trying to fix a car because you need it to get to work on a Monday, oh the joys !

It's not all bad, I remember being upside down under my brothers Escort welding the rear chassis crossmembers up two days before Xmas, in about half a foot of snow, with it still coming down hard by torchlight at 1am.
Some cute young lady came home in a taxi, then 10 minutes later came out with a cup of hot cocoa, a sandwich and an umbrella for me, and stood there keeping the snow off for an hour, chatting. I had a great Christmas that year...

 

[northwest]

3/4 drive is seldom used on cars , having said that 1/4 is seldom used either ,, so save those for the end , a couple of decent work lights would be high on the list .

I don't think I have ever disagreed with you Tom but I use almost exclusively 1/4" drive now.

3/4 breaker bar plus appropriate hub nut sized socket is usually a good investment. Snapped a few 1/2 heads through the years but never a 3/4 on cars

This is the only reason I would have a 3/4" drive set.

1/4" drive gear should stop at about10mm

16mm

Some cute young lady came home in a taxi, then 10 minutes later came out with a cup of hot cocoa, a sandwich and an umbrella for me, and stood there keeping the snow off for an hour, chatting. I had a great Christmas that year...

Sometimes the stars do align and you do get you just reward. Sadly no longer with me though, it is probably the only downside of marriage, you can't bring birds back, well I suppose you could, but it isn't going to end well.