Overview: Mechanics' top tools cast of experts
Doing your own car repairs saves a boatload of money
and gives you bragging rights on Monday morning.
(Yeah, I replaced my crankshaft over the weekend—so
what?) But let’s be honest here—you’re really in it for
the tools, right?
That’s what I thought, so I asked three shop owners,
our auto mechanic field editors and my gearhead
friends to tell you about their favorite tools. As you
might expect, some are pricey. But they’re simply the
best tools around. Want one? Start reminding the
family right now how much money you’ll “save”!
Tool 1: David's portable power
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Close-up of battery-powered impact wrench
Blast off any nut or bolt with
a heavy-duty, battery-powered
impact wrench like this 1/2-in.-
drive Snap-on wrench.
David Marofsky and his auto salvage
yard crew spend most of their time
out in the yard yanking major components
out of junk vehicles. So it’s
no surprise that his tool of choice is a
portable 1/2-in.-drive
impact wrench. What does
surprise me is that all the
professional mechanics
featured in this story routinely
use battery-powered
impact wrenches—and not
just when they’re outside.
In fact, David owns several
of these workhorses and
always keeps one near the
hoist. He also owns a few Snap-on 3/8-in.-drive impact wrenches
for working under the hood (No. CT4450A; $422 with one
14.4-volt battery, case and charger).
I never thought I’d see the day when battery power replaced
compressed air. But David raves about the bolt-busting power (a
whopping 620 ft. lb. of breakaway torque) of the CT6850. He
even uses it on large 32-mm axle shaft nuts. “It hasn’t let me down
yet,” he says. If you’re ready for power on the go and in the shop,
check out a battery-powered impact wrench.
Meet a Pro! David Marofsky
David has owned Marco
Auto Parts, an auto salvage
yard, for 10 years.
Tool 2: Kurt's bolt blaster
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Close-up of air ratchet
Zap out nuts
and bolts with
a heavy-duty
3/8-in.-drive air
ratchet from
Snap-on.
Kurt Spohn shares my
love of tools, so it’s no
surprise that he picked
the same 3/8-in. drive
Snap-on air ratchet I
own. Spending over
$400 on an air ratchet may seem excessive,
but not if you’ve tried this baby. It puts
out 65 ft. lb. of nut-busting torque. That
means you can slip a socket onto a bolt head
and just press the trigger. The FAR7200 will
break it loose and spin it out in seconds.
But be careful when reinstalling nuts and
bolts. Make sure the threads are fully engaged
before you hit the trigger. Because if they’re not,
this ratchet is powerful enough to ram a cross-threaded
bolt all the way home.
Meet a Pro! Kurt Spohn
Kurt owns Action Auto
Repair in Minneapolis.
Tool 3: Paul's bolt spinner
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Close-up of flex-head ratchet
Bend the
handle of a
Mac Spinflex
ratchet so
it's at a right
angle to the
head. Then
spin the
ratchet portion
to zip
nuts and
bolts out.
Paul Selbitschka spends quite a
bit of time under the hood doing
tune-ups and computer diagnostics.
Since I already had nominations for power
tools, I asked him for his favorite hand tool.
He didn’t hesitate for a second. He simply
loves his flex-head ratchet. The ultra-thin
head lets Paul squeeze into tight spaces,
and the flex feature allows him to pivot the
handle to get maximum leverage for loosening
fasteners and spark plugs. The large
plastic handle lets him put more muscle into
the “break.” The ratchet really goes to town
once the bolt is loose. Paul just twirls the
handle 360 degrees and spins the nuts and
bolts out in seconds. It’s a cool tool—one
that belongs in every DIYer’s toolbox, gearhead
or not.
Meet a Pro! Paul Selbitschka
Paul owns a Precision Tune
Auto Care shop that specializes
in auto diagnostics.
Tool 4: Rick's super-sensitive listening device
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Wireless stethoscope in action
Track down annoying hard-to-find
noises with a wireless stethoscope.
Clamp the microphones near the
suspects and go for a drive. Then
note which transmitter is capturing
the offending sound.
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Close-up of wireless stethoscope
This wireless stethoscope kit contains four microphones.
Every day, customers ask mechanics to
find and fix strange vehicle noises. Lazy
mechanics just guess at the cause and
replace parts until the noise goes away
(on your dime, of course). But professional
mechanics use a stethoscope. So I
wasn’t surprised that several field editors
picked the automotive stethoscope as
their favorite tool. It’s an invaluable tool.
But it does have one drawback—it can’t
help you find a noise that occurs only
when you’re driving. So some mechanics
(like me) are jumping on the wireless
bandwagon. To find the source of
clunks, thumps and whirs, I
use a wireless stethoscope.
This kit comes with four
transmitters and microphone
clamps, a receiver,
headphones and hook-and-
loop straps. Just
clamp the microphones to
the most likely suspects
in the general
vicinity of the noise. Then take the
vehicle for a spin. Listen to each microphone
until you hear the noise. That’s
your villain.
If you’ve got an annoying vehicle noise
but aren’t up for buying one of these kits,
find a shop that owns one.
Steelman No. STE97202Wireless Chassis
Ear Kit; $200 from tooldiscounter.com
Tool 5: Vacuum pump, bleeder, pressure-testing kit
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Kit components
This multi-use vacuum kit contains parts for many tests and operations.
A hand-operated vacuum pump is simply a “must-have” tool. And
this Mity Vac kit is well built, reasonably priced and comes with all
the attachments you’ll ever need.
Use the vacuum pump to test your vacuum-controlled sensors
and motors. Or find a leaking vacuum line by plugging each
one and applying vacuum. If it holds, it’s good. You can also use
the gauge to find a vacuum leak. Just spray carb cleaner
around the possible leak sites. The gauge will
flutter if you spray a leaking area.
Want to bleed your brakes yourself?
Just attach the fluid transfer bottle and
vinyl tubing to the pump. Next, use the
refill adapters to keep the master cylinder
filled while you suck brake fluid
out of the bleeder screws. Keep
pumping until you see fresh
fluid. You can also use the
pump to flush power-steering
fluids.
Mity Vac, No.MV8500;
$54 from mechanicstoolsupply.com
Tool 6: Battery carrier
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Battery carrier in action
This battery carrier adjusts to fit most batteries.
Old car batteries weigh a
ton, and they’re always
wedged in tight. The days of
wrestling one out with your
nice clean hands are over.
Just open the jaws of this
battery carrier, slap it over
the battery, and lift up and
out. Now you can carry the
battery at your side and
away from your clothes.
Then use it to load in a new
battery. Your work’s done—and your shirt lives to see
another day.
Kastar B600, $19;
amazon.com
Tool 7: Light up the hood
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Clip-on light in action
This fluorescent light clips onto most car and truck hoods.
Light up the entire
engine compartment
with this clip-on
light. The Underhood
Lite fits car
and truck hoods
from4 ft. to 6 ft. 6 in.
wide. Spring-loaded
J-hooks snap it onto
the hood of your
vehicle. The hooks
are foam-covered,
so you can scratch
the scratch worries.
Central Tools No.
13003; $130 from
amazon.com
Tool 8: Hang 'em high air tool holder
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Air tool holder
This air tool holder has a latch to keep the tools secure.
Air tools don’t come with hooks, and they don’t
nest well in drawers. So plunk down 23 bucks on
this locking air tool holder and your life will be complete.
Having second thoughts about that neighbor
you entrust with your house key when you’re away?
Throw your bolt cutters in your suitcase and snap a
padlock on the rack. There, it’s done.
Lisle locking air tool holder, No. 49960;
$23 from amazon.com
Tool 9: Screw pitch gauge
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Close-up of screw pitch gauge
This tool helps you measure both English and metric screw sizes.
You’ve lost a bolt and now
you’re rummaging through
your old bolt collection and
trying every one that looks
like a contender. It turns in a
few threads and then
stops. Darn, you’re trying
to ram an “English” bolt
into a metric
hole. Stop
wasting time
and buy an
inexpensive
screw pitch
gauge. The gauge
reads both metric and
English thread sizes. Every shop owns
one and you should too. Just find the
“leaf” that mates to the threads on the
nut or bolt and read the screw “pitch”
(for metric fasteners) or the teeth per
inch (TPI) for English fasteners. Record
the number and run to the hardware
store, or use the measurement to match
up an old bolt from your collection.
Hanson pitch gauge, No. 12017;
$7 from toolsource.com
Tool 10: Finger ratchet for tight places
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Close-up of finger ratchet
This pint-sized ratchet can get screws out in tight spots.
Carmakers love to install relays and control
boxes in deep, dark places under
your dash, and there’s no way to get big
tools in there to loosen the hex-head
screws. That’s where this 1/4-in.-
drive SK Hand Tools
(1-1/2-in. diameter)
finger ratchet
comes in
handy. If you
can get your
hand in place,
you can get the
fastener out. The
fine-tooth ratchet mechanism
lets you rotate backward
to get another “bite,”
without turning the screw
back in. You won’t use this
tool often, but when you
need to, it pays for itself.
SK Hand Tools 1/4-in.-drive
ratchet, No. 49270; $20 from
toolfetch.com
