SimonB Posted August 24, 2008 Share Posted August 24, 2008 The Halfords Professional range are just as good and also have a lifetime guarantee. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Swampy442 Posted August 24, 2008 Share Posted August 24, 2008 Aircraft stuff is imperial only innit wayne?? Used to be, not any more bud. Sure theres some crossovers like 5/16th and 8mm but I work on Merlin choppers and its all metric Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wez Posted August 24, 2008 Share Posted August 24, 2008 The Halfords Professional range are just as good and also have a lifetime guarantee. Didnt know that, I have always replaced the broken bits out of my own pocket Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Homer Posted August 24, 2008 Author Share Posted August 24, 2008 Didn't manage to find any crow feet sockets today, seems only screwfix stock them locally (£27 for a full set of draper sockets, so not so bad). Didnt know that, I have always replaced the broken bits out of my own pocket Whoops They really do honour the guarantee too. I broke a socket and a ratchet last year and they changed them without question. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wez Posted August 24, 2008 Share Posted August 24, 2008 Whoops They really do honor the guarantee too. I broke a socket and a ratchet last year and they changed them without question. Buggery bugger, I will know next time Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CarlT67 Posted August 25, 2008 Share Posted August 25, 2008 The Halfords Professional range are just as good and also have a lifetime guarantee. I would have to disagree with you there, don't get me wrong they are good tools, but the quality of the fitment of the snap on tooling is second to none. On the really tight stuff etc, it wont slip.. Used to be, not any more bud. Sure theres some crossovers like 5/16th and 8mm but I work on Merlin choppers and its all metric Most commercial aircraft are imperial, however like you said some a/c are not, I believe the Harrier is also metric They really do honour the guarantee too. I broke a socket and a ratchet last year and they changed them without question. Last time I went to halfords to replace a allen driver piece of a friends, they wouldn't replace unless we had a proof of purchase, for a 2 year old tool , luckily we knew someone who worked there but I think they might be tightening up now Can you recommend anywhere that actually sells snap-on? I'm after a metric set but haven't managed to find them for sale anywhere! You can only by snap on form their website or one of the dealers vans, or grab a bargin on ebay and it still holds its guarantee Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thorin Posted August 25, 2008 Share Posted August 25, 2008 Yes snap-on are good, but overpriced. I also think Halfords Pro range are just as good. I also second (third?) the, just wallop the *$&"(^ thing with a hammer, method. It's served me well for many years Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
movistar Posted August 25, 2008 Share Posted August 25, 2008 snap on are the best out there imho...expensive to those who dont make a living out of using them....watch out as the cheap crows foot can spread and split quite easily...if you can get a short six sided socket on it use that, with a nice long power bar. again make sure the socket is not made of butter..good luck! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scooter Posted August 25, 2008 Share Posted August 25, 2008 I also second (third?) the, just wallop the *$&"(^ thing with a hammer, method. It's served me well for many years as the angle is difficult for this unless you have a ramp i'd suggest another powerful method is to use a trolley jack under the end of the spanner/breaker bar etc......... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
turbonut Posted August 25, 2008 Share Posted August 25, 2008 ..... I broke a socket and a ratchet last year and they changed them without question. You been playing at Popeye??! Try good 'ol WD40, as mentioned previously Lx Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SimonB Posted August 25, 2008 Share Posted August 25, 2008 as the angle is difficult for this unless you have a ramp i'd suggest another powerful method is to use a trolley jack under the end of the spanner/breaker bar etc......... Ah yes, that one has helped me out a few times. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TLicense Posted August 25, 2008 Share Posted August 25, 2008 (edited) Homer, As has been suggested, put a spanner on the bolt then using a decent size metal hammer (copper faced would be best) give it a good hard thrashing. If you struggle then the trolley jack is a good quick bodge. If the spanner jaws keep opening (if you can't get a ring on it or have to rely on the crow feet) and the bolt is rounding off you can tack weld the spanner to the bolt then give it a good thrashing. Your a fair sized fella so there will be very little that you can't physically undo with a bit of heaving and leverage. As far as tools go, Snap-on is great. If I had more money than sense or made a living with the tools I was using then I would always go with Snap-on. However for 99% of the people on this board, then it's totally overkill. Hafords professional range is bloody good stuff and has the same lifetime guarantee but is a fraction of the price of Snap-on and a lot easier to get on a Sunday afternoon. Edited August 25, 2008 by TLicense (see edit history) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris Wilson Posted August 25, 2008 Share Posted August 25, 2008 A decent ring spanner will shift it, with a tube over it. Anything else, other than the impact ring illustrated in an earlier post will open and slip. A single hex ring (rare and expensive) is the ultimate, but you won't need it.The filler plus is definitely 17 mm. if it's silly tight a bit of heat on the cae AROUND the filler will help. The plug is a taper thread, over tightening can split the gearbox casing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Homer Posted August 25, 2008 Author Share Posted August 25, 2008 Thanks again to everyone for the advice Penetrating fluids made no difference, the plug is overtighented so it's not a case of it being frozen on there. I tried the hammer track (no copper hammer so used a nylon one, then a lump hammer) but that didn't help. I then bent the ring spanner with only human stength so although I considered it I don't think the jacking method would make any difference. Need to get a decent quality spanner or try one of those crow feet ones to see if that works, i'll try the heat as recommended by Chris (and thanks for the tip, I'd have ended up heating the plug, not the casing!). I was very wary about using heat on the gearbox. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris Wilson Posted August 25, 2008 Share Posted August 25, 2008 If you can bend a ring spanner with only muscle power (no tube extensions, and no side force) it's a junk one! You can't harm the case with a normal butane D-I-Y blow lamp, you can, quite easily, with an oxy-acetylene one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Homer Posted August 25, 2008 Author Share Posted August 25, 2008 If you can bend a ring spanner with only muscle power (no tube extensions, and no side force) it's a junk one! You can't harm the case with a normal butane D-I-Y blow lamp, you can, quite easily, with an oxy-acetylene one. It was one with a slight offset angle and an extension, it kind of bent over... It's a draper one, so not what I'd consider a 'quality' item! The kit of 12 spanners cost the same as a single snap-on one The lamp I have is butane, no oxy stuff here, God knows the damage I could do with one of those! Thanks for the reassurance Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thorin Posted August 26, 2008 Share Posted August 26, 2008 I then bent the ring spanner with only human stength If you can bend a ring spanner with only muscle power (no tube extensions, and no side force) it's a junk one! Or he has super-human strength and he's just being modest. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Homer Posted August 30, 2008 Author Share Posted August 30, 2008 This isn't goin well at all The crows foot spanner just ended up spreading and started to round the bolt off, so have given up with that... Any other ideas - is there some sort of crows foot spanner but with a complete ring that can attach to a 3/8 or 1/2 ratchet? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TrickTT Posted August 30, 2008 Share Posted August 30, 2008 Are you working on the ground, or is the car up in the air? Can you get the car on a lift or over a pit, then a good quality spanner, 4ft scaffold pole slipped over the end and a length of wood braced against the nut to hold the spanner in place will shift anything. Edit: do not try this on axle stands or you will pull the car onto your head. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kranz Posted August 30, 2008 Share Posted August 30, 2008 Darryl, try heating the casing then immediately freezing the plug while the casing is very hot. This will shrink it out of there. An air duster used for cleaning computers should do if turned upside down so freezing liquid comes out. Try and get a CO2 one for the best chilling effect. The air duster is good for removing dents in bodywork too Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Homer Posted August 30, 2008 Author Share Posted August 30, 2008 Cool, thansk Steve, sounds like a plan. I just bought a halford professional ring spanner and tried it with a car jack, it just started rounding the bolt off Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kranz Posted August 30, 2008 Share Posted August 30, 2008 This is the filler plug you're trying to get out?? If you need to just refill then getting an oil drain/pump tool will do. There's all sorts out there and you can go in through the drain plug! Just search for oil suction on fleabay. I have the simple syringe type... its about 1 litre. You can make up a fitting like a grease nipple in the drain plug so it will fill through there...... assuming you can get that one out??? lol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Homer Posted August 30, 2008 Author Share Posted August 30, 2008 This is the filler plug you're trying to get out?? If you need to just refill then getting an oil drain/pump tool will do. There's all sorts out there and you can go in through the drain plug! Just search for oil suction on fleabay. I have the simple syringe type... its about 1 litre. You can make up a fitting like a grease nipple in the drain plug so it will fill through there...... assuming you can get that one out??? lol Yes, I only need to top up the fluid (lost most when we removed the engine and box). I'll go have a search on ebay, thanks again Steve, good idea! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Homer Posted October 10, 2008 Author Share Posted October 10, 2008 Sorry to bring this one back from the dead, but this drain plug is STILL not budging! I borrowed a neighbours gas torch, got the casing very hot, then cooled the bolt down (couldn't find any CO2 bottles locally so just used some ice!), but the bugger is still not moving. My neighbour, who's a decent mechanic, had a go at it too and couldn't move it either. He says it'll probably need drilling and therefore the box opened. Are there any further bright ideas on how to shift this, or am I going to have to take the gearbox out? It's very frustrating, the car should have been on the road last month, but this problem is stopping everything Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike M Posted October 10, 2008 Share Posted October 10, 2008 If it were mine I'd have the best fitting ring spanner on it i could find with the trolley jack under the other end to apply tension then making sure the ring is still sitting square batter feck out it with a suitably heavy hammer and increase the tension. Had to do this with a driveshaft nut on her clio as I was bending a large breaker bar myself. Another trick is to try and hit the bolt straight on a couple of times which can be enough to free the threads slightly but not too hard since its in the alloy casing. Probably wont get access though if i remember right from mine. I suppose if the nut has started to round then its gonna be more and more difficult to get off. Welding a large nut onto it may be the answer. Good luck with it theres nothing more frustrating well apart from a nagging g/f. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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