Mechanics: what are your most common tools?

I have owned a grand total of three Japanese-brand cars. On all of three combined, I've found only one pair of bolts or nuts that had heads not in the 8, 10, 12, 14, 17, 19mm series, but were inside that range. That exception was the 16-mm heads of seat-belt mounting bolts of my '81 Mazda. Why did seat belt bolts have to use oddball heads? Luckily, 5/8-inch, worked on them.

 

Just because, they can!

 

Some cars have "tamper proof" bolts on the seat belt assemblies. Layers have to be satisfied.

JeffD

 

The latter. I was in a hurry and couldn't thing of the bolt size for a 10mm head. Thanks.

 

@Rebound is correct. It's 1/4". I have socket adapters in 1/4", 3/8", and 1/2" sizes. All the Ryobe adapters that claimed to be for impact broke after a few uses. The Dewalt ones I found later are fine.

Yep. I use the lowest setting to spin those in and then finish by hand with a ratchet.

Or break stuff. Last week I replaced a Gen 2 hybrid battery that was a used one put in at another shop. Three of the four cargo D-ring bolts were twisted off when I opened it up, so it only had one D-ring.

Actually, the studs in the EGR system are eTorx. As I recall, there are four of them and they use an e6 socket I believe.

I really came to appreciate Toyota's use of a limited variety of bolt head sizes when I removed the inverter from a Ford Cmax that was out back in our parts car area. I didn't try to count how many trips back to the shop I made to get unexpected sockets.

 

E8. The studs securing throttle body are E6 though. Torque values for both are pretty low, noted in attachments in first link in my sig IIRC.

 

Yep, my 10mm gets used a LOT for our Toyotas! (I keep it my little cordless ratchet)

My daughter got a Mazda CX-5 a few years ago and I was glad it uses old-school spin on oil filters but the oil change bolt is an 8mm Hex socket! Why, Mazda??? And the rear differential drain/fill bolts are located in ridiculous spots making it hard to get a tool in there. (Glad it only needs servicing every 3 years.)

 

They maybe heard your lament? What year is it? On our son's 2018 CX-5 I forget if it's 14 or 17, but it's definitely a regular hex-head.

 

It's a 2016 CX-5.....great little SUV but I've had a nightmare adding a new key fob for it. (It only came with one.) Apparently, Mazda's computer are notorious for making it VERY difficult to change the fob settings. (It's working but, sometimes, the computer decides not to let it work....so you have to wait a few minutes before it figures it out....but doesn't happen all the time.)
I was pleasantly surprised the AT, still, has a dipstick so you can check on the level...do you hear that, Toyota?????

 

It depends. If I want to "label" or "identify" a machine screw or nut, I go by the thread diameter. Particularly when I want to know what the approximate torque value is going to be for that fastener. So the intake manifold has 8mm bolts holding it to the head, but the coils use 6mm.

I only care about the hex size when I actually grab a tool to do work. Since I see Asian, US domestic, and some Euro, a bolt can have almost any size hex on it.

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Right, if you're removing/installing a bolt/nut, you need to know what size wrench
to use. This is what probably 90% of the people use when asking what size it is.
But you KNOW someone is going to whine about it....

 

Honda transmission drain bolts are socket-head cap screw style, but have a 3/8” square hole; you just a 3/8” ratchet drive or extension.

First time I encountered it I didn’t catch on, phoned the dealership to ask about the “special bit” you’d need; they set me straight lol.

 

HA! Yeah, I remember when I got my 2005 Tacoma (Taco) and went to change the oil and it had the cannister-type. I noticed the 3/8th socket fit that little drain part on the bottom but, instead, the whole thing just came off....I tried a few times but never did like using that little drain before removing the filter.

 

Cordless electric drill with quarter inch socket adapter. I can spend 10 mm nuts and bolts without stripping them and get the work done a lot quicker

 

This is one of many reasons why I hate eTorx: It's very easy to think that the wrong size socket will fit. I always use the smallest that fits, and I've learned the hard way to never use a power tool to remove an eTorx bolt.

 

I don't have one of these, believe the usual name is "Exhaust Hanger Bracket Removal Tool". Looks like this:


Used for pressing exhaust hanger hook out of the rubber support grommet. They're about $20~25 CDN on Amazon.ca for me. Definitely not a must-have, for me but...

Then, considering how often I might ever need it, the cheapskate in me says maybe make something, say like this, plywood scraps, dowel and fastener hardware:



(Maybe sub wing-nuts for the regular nuts shown. Use carriage bolts, with square shoulders, to lock the bolt from rotating.)

(hopefully not so bulky it's unusable)

(probably close to $5 for all the hardware alone, lol. But I like a project.)

 

I had two eTorx size 6 and two eTorx size 4 on a steering column ignition module that were loose that kept the engine starter from spinning. The size six came in a set, but the size 4 was a special order item.
A couple twists and the new starter spun up normally.
Two shops missed that and it took me a while to find it two. I needed to buy the etorx to install the module and still have the ignition module that I never had to install..

 

Last time I was under there, I saw one of the rubber hangers was partly backing itself off one of those pegs. I have no idea how that happened. So I had to improvise something to mash it back on. I don't remember exactly what I used, but I don't think it was very elaborate. Something like one of the bar clamps lying around for woodwork, and maybe a socket.

 

Channel lock pliers will work, not ideal, but...

Plus a little silicone spray, let it sit a while.

But now I want that tool, lol.

 

Clever tool. In our shop, we just use the "Armstrong method." It involves a large screwdriver and some brute force. Having replaced a bunch of stolen cats by now, I've gotten pretty adept at prying off the old hanger in just a few seconds and jamming on the new. We also use shorter rubber hangers when installing a cat shield so the cat won't rattle against the shield.

PS, we had another break in the other night. Someone cut through the chain link fence and got an aftermarket cat off a gen 2 in the back lot.