A good set of tools has the potential to transform a person that only works on car during the weekends into a person that can actualy fix cars. If you dont have the right tools, though, then you will end up with bruised knuckles from the various rounds of tightening bolts that a car requires. Additionally, if you did not purchase the proper tools, you will end up with rounded bolts that were never properly tightened or loosened and you will eventually feel the shame of having to call a tow truck to remove your vehicle that you thought would take only thirty minutes to fix.
The number of tools that they own does not determine the quality of the tools that are in a persons toolbox, but by the quality of each of those tools. The following list of tools is the lineup of the tools that each person that desires to work on there own vehicle should own. The best mechanics own these tools due to the fact that they solve common problems that can occur on the vehicles, they save the owner of the vehicle time, and they prevent those owners from having to destroy valuable and expensive component of those vehicles.
Essential Tools Every Auto Mechanic Needs
One of the first tools that a car and auto shop owner should purchase is a solid socket set. All of the fasteners on a car have a hex head. Therefore, a socket set should include both deep and standard sockets that come in both metric and SAE sizes.
Both standard and deep sized sockets should range from 8 mm to 19 mm in size, as well as include larger sizes for area like the axle. Additionally, the ratchet that comes with the socket set should have a low profile head that allows it to enter the tightest areas of the car’s engine, as well as have a quick release button so that it can easily be released even when covered in grease. Cheap chrome-vanadium socket sets may look great to those who display their tools on pegboards in the shop, but they will break when attempting to apply the necessary torque to each component of the vehicle.
Additionally, purchasing a quality socket set that comes with a lifetime warranty will save the owner of the socket set money in the future due to the fact that the individual will not have to purchase replacements every six months.
1. Quality Torque Wrench
Another tool that is needed is a quality torque wrench. Using a torque wrench allows the owner to ensure that they secure each component of a car that is being assembled to the appropriate amount of pressure; using the wrong amount of pressure on components like head gaskets or wheel studs can destroy those components.
Both beam-type and click-type wrenches are common tools that can be purchased, but the click-type wrench is the better of the two due to the fact that it is easier to use in some of the more awkward position of a cars components. Additionally, a person should calibrate the torque wrench once each year to ensure that it is still registering the proper amount of torque being applied to each component of the car. Additionally, the torque wrench should be stored when it is in its lowest setting so that the spring within the tool does not fatigue over time.
Following these steps will save the owner of the car from having to replace the engine for a cost of around $2,000.
2. Digital Multimeter
Next is the digital multimeter. A car owner should purchase a digital multimeter the first time that the owner encounters an electrical issue within the car.
Many cars that are produced today are essentially computer on wheels. Electrical issues with the car usually cause problems with the car that seem to be mechanical in nature. A digital multimeter can measure voltage, resistance, continuity, and amperage, all of which can help a car owner to diagnose the problems that are occurring with the vehicle.
Additionally, learning to use the continuity beep on a digital multimeter will allow a car owner to quickly find any open circuits in the vehicle instead of spending hours searching for the problem component.
3. Impact Wrench
An impact wrench is another tool that is different than the other tools in the shop, but one that still belongs to a car owners tool box. Both pneumatic and battery-powered impact wrenches can deliver hundreds of foot-pounds of torque to the components of a car.
This tool can help loosen rusty components like exhaust bolts. However, just as with the socket wrench, an impact wrench should only be used to loosen components; a torque wrench should still be used to secure the components to the correct amount of pressure. Otherwise, the owner could end up with costly scrap metal component.
Another tool that should be purchased is a set of combination wrenches. These tools are used to loosen components where a socket wrench may not be able to reach the component. Additionally, both metric and SAE combination wrenches should be purchased since the components of a car can be of either type.
The set of combination wrenches should be stored in a roll-up pouch to allow the car owner to quickly find the specific size that they need without taking the time to search for the wrench while the car is on jack stands. Other tools that should be purchased are pliers of many different shape. For instance, people use needle-nose pliers for picking small objects, slip-joint pliers are for those that need to pick round objects, and locking pliers are for those who need a clamp tool.
The pliers should have cushioned grips for the owner to avoid any damage to their palms when using the tool for long periods of time. Additionally, as with other tools, the pliers should not be an ultra-cheap purchase. Cheap pliers will develop a play in the middle after only a few uses of the pliers; the worse the pliers are made, the more likely that they will fail when working on a vehicle.
4. Breaker Bar
A breaker bar is a tool that a car owner does not want to use too often with the components of a car. However, a breaker bar will save the owner of the car if it is needed. A breaker bar has a handle that does not have a ratchet, allowing the owner to place it into the same location as a wrench and exert massive amount of leverage to loosen a component that is otherwise sticky and difficult to loosen.
Additionally, if the owner uses a breaker bar with a six-point socket, it can remove rust from a component that has been in place in a car for twenty years. However, once the owner uses the breaker bar to loosen the component, the owner should switch to a ratchet tool to continue working on the component. Another tool that is available to car owners is a scan tool.
Scan tools were once a tool that only car dealerships would own. Today, consumers can purchase scan tools that will allow them to read the codes and components of the cars that were manufactured after 1996. Scan tools will allow the car owner to read live data from the cars systems.
Even better scan tools will allow the car owner to conduct tests on the cars components. The code that is reported from the cars systems will allow the car owner to understand the issues with their car before they have to take it into a shop for repair.
5. Floor Stands and Jack
A set of floor stands and a jack are two of the most necessary tools for a car owner. Although they may not be the most flashy tools, they are essential for lifting the car. A floor jack should be able to lift the car that weighs up to 2,500 lbs, and the jack stands should be able to hold the car in place at three tons each. Additionally, a car owner should never use the jack that came with their car; it is not designed to lift the car with any strength.
6. Oil Filter Wrench
An oil filter wrench may seem like a trivial purchase for those who own cars. However, when underneath the car, oil filter wrenches are needed to tighten the oil filter when the oil filter is refusing to be tightened. Additionally, an oil filter wrench prevents oil from the hot oil filter from dripping onto the car owner’s arm.
The strap-style oil filter wrench will work on most car models, but the cap-style oil filter wrench will allow the owner to purchase the correct size for the oil filter that is present on their car. Additionally, purchasing an oil filter wrench prevents the oil from spraying out of the oil filter and the oil and metal filings from becoming stuck to the owners screwdriver.
7. Allen Keys
A set of Allen keys are needed to loosen a variety of components on a car. For instance, Allen keys are used to loosen the interior trim of the car. Additionally, the ball-end design of the Allen keys will allow them to be placed into areas where other Allen keys may not reach. Both metric and standard sizes of Allen keys should be purchased since many car manufacturers will use both sizes of Allen keys on the same car.
8. Vacuum Gauge and Compression Tester
Finally, a vacuum gauge and a compression tester can help a car owner to diagnose problems with the engine. A vacuum gauge can be placed on the intake port of the cars engine to read the vacuum level of the engine at idle. A low vacuum level indicates a possible head gasket leak, and fluctuating vacuum levels may indicate a problem with the engines valves.
Additionally, a compression tester can help determine if the valves are the problem or if the rings are the problem. These two tools are inexpensive purchases that will help the car owner to accurately diagnose engine problems that may occur so that they do not end up purchasing a used car with an identified problem, or one that may require expensive repairs. While none of these tools will immediately turn an amateur into a master mechanic, they will eliminate the various excuses that an owner of a car will use to explain their lack of skills with the vehicles that they own.
Each of these tools has a specific job within the world of car and engine mechanics, and knowing which tool to use during which aspect of repairing or assembling a car will save that car owner from creating new problems in their vehicle. When the owner fills a car shop drawer with quality tools, the owner will feel more confident about their skills working on their cars, and the cars will begin to feel more like a machine. As such, each of these tools is worth its purchase price to the car owner.
