Modern engine bays, with tight tolerances and complex intake and exhaust systems, make removing spark plugs difficult to say the least. Faced with an afternoon of busting knuckles and contorting like a gymnast, even the most patient shade tree mechanics might prefer to bring their cars in for tune-ups. Now, HeaderSockets give mechanics easier access to their plugs, because the sockets are designed with a cut-out.
Instead of disassembling an obstruction to get behind it, sometimes you can get around it with an indexable ratchet. The ratchet head on this 1/2″ drive model from Pittsburgh swivels 360° and locks into various positions allowing you access to locations otherwise impossible to reach. This might not be a tool for every day, but when you need it you’ll be glad you have it.
Pittsburgh makes the reversible ratchet from heavy-duty chrome vanadium with a polished chrome finish. The ratchet measures 12-13/16″ long, and the handle features an ergonomic rubber grip.
On special, I’ve seen this ratchet go for as low as $13. Sure, you can buy quality indexable ratchets from respected companies like Stanley Proto and MAC — but unless you use it regularly, you might be better off with this economical version.
Indexable 1/2″ Ratchet [Harbor Freight]
Street Pricing [Google Products]
With lawn and garden season fast approaching, it’s time to fire up the garden polluters, and by that I mean the tools powered by two-stroke engines. Luckily, Green Earth Technology has developed its new line of Green Oil, a “Green alternative” to your regular motor oil. Green Earth Technology makes their G-Oils from American-grown base oil that’s “enhanced with the power of nanotechnology and dehydrogenation”.
G-Oil contains bio-additives such as amino acids, plant and vegetable extracts, non-ionic surfactants, and plant-based fatty acids in a base of colloidal micelles. It all adds up to produce a range of oils that’ll work in anything from your lawn mower to your heavy-duty turbocharged and super-charged diesel.
Auto techs who’ve heard the above from customers, rejoice! This week Mac Tools announced a car data recorder that plugs into vehicles’ OBDII data plug and records the entire OBDII data set in a continuous 24-hour loop. Jack this sucker in, send the customer out for a drive, and when they come back you’ve got software access to everything the car knows about the issue.
Raise your hand if you actually re-pack your trailer’s wheel bearings once a year as recommended. Yeah, repacking bearings by hand can be a greasy mess — who really wants to put globs of grease in their hands, except my three-year-old? Do yourself a favor and pick up a bearing packer like this one from Lisle for $8. A bearing packer evenly injects new grease into the bearing, which forces out the old grease and flushes out any other contaminants.
MAC Tools is partnering with Challenger Lifts to produce a range of “professional grade” two-post lifts priced just right for newly-opening shops — and low enough to tempt even an amateur like me.
When stacking oversize materials against the cab of your truck, it might be a good idea to protect the roof from scratches and dents. Wouldn’t you rather spend $30 for the Cab Pad than pay a lot more to fix the dents in your truck’s roof or touch up the paint job?
The flexible rubber Cab Pad conforms to the roof, and non-slip suction cups on the underside hold it in position without marring your truck’s finish. Besides protecting the cab, the side wings also help to keep the load in place under weather conditions ranging from Minnesota winter to Arizona summer.
Earlier last summer we mentioned that this wrench system was handy to have around the shop — that hasn’t changed. In fact, in the time since then, we’ve never put ‘em away. We carted around our XL pass-thru set to every automotive project we took on, and each time, it performed like the champ it is.
The pass-thru concept is simple enough — since the sockets and extensions are hollow, you can pass any sized bolt through the top of the socket and even through the extension and the wrench itself while you’re turning the nut. When you finally use one on your car, you smack yourself on the forehead and wonder how you ever lived without one.
A timing light belongs with your automotive essentials, especially if you’re helping a friend get his troubled vehicle moving. When you ask him where his timing light is, the last thing you need to hear while standing in the cold trying to get the damn thing timed out is, “Um, I don’t have one.” You can get a light like this Xenon Automotive Timing Light for not much scatch — it’s a good idea to keep it with your portable set of auto tools.
It’s a bare bones unit, but that’s a plus in this case. Trigger-activated, with a clamp-on inductive pick-up, it features a xenon bulb — other than the xenon, we’re almost sure it’s the same model you could pick up for cheap about 20 years ago at Kmart.
R20724L Timing Light [Tool-Sale.com]
We’ve written numerous times about the art of pulling dash and other modern plastic interior pieces. But no amount of care will prevent damage if you don’t have the right tools. Here’s your chance to stock up in one shot: Eastwood’s 10-piece nylon pry tool set.
Just because you own a car doesn’t mean you’re forever barred from entering the lumber yard. You might be lucky enough to have a roof rack on top of your car, but if fortune doesn’t favor you, pick up a pair of Side Rax to help carry home that longer lumber — up to 44 lbs. of it.
When a pipe wrench just won’t cut it — whether it just can’t get a good grip or won’t fit in the given space — grab your trusty chain wrench. A chain wrench wraps around hard-to-reach or irregularly shaped objects to give you the grip you need.
As as strange as it sounds, ScrapeRite manufactures plastic razor blades. Why on earth would you want a plastic razor blade? Designed for the automotive detailing industry, these blades can remove most stuck-on paints, adhesives, or other muck without damaging the surface like harder steel razor blades.
There was a time in the US when you could buy a small truck. It’s true! They usually had a modest inline four, a bench seat, and A/C and a radio if you were lucky. They weren’t the gigantic, six thousand pound, glorified station wagons that lumber their way to soccer practice and make the yearly trip to Home Depot in order to justify their existence. They were big enough to fit at least a sheet of plywood and strong enough to get it where it needed to go.
Does bigger mean better when it comes to work trucks? Do you miss the days of the Ranger, the S-10, or the Nissan Hardbody? Trucks like the Ranger and the Toyota Tacoma are still in production, but they’re fairly chubby compared to their former selves. What do you all think? Drop us a line in the comments.
Electric jacks are an interesting idea: Have your car jack itself up so you can save some sweat and knuckle busting. We’ve seen a few on the market that advertise a two ton lift capacity, and they plug right into your 12V power outlet.
To be honest, we haven’t heard any horror stories about electric jacks that crapped out and left the motorist digging for the stock jack — we also haven’t heard any stories of the powered version saving the day with it’s wondrous motorized lifting action.
So what do you Toolmonger readers think? Is the motorized car jack destined to become standard equipment on motor vehicles, or is it just a passing fad of little interest? Let us know in comments.
Street Pricing [Google Products]
Whenever you wash your car, truck, or motorcycle, you’re taking a chance at damaging its finish. Some of the dirt washed off the vehicle inevitably ends up in the bottom of the bucket just waiting to scratch your paint. The Grit Guard keeps your wash mitt or brush grit-free by allowing dirt to settle to the bottom while the mitt stays elevated.
If your car’s check engine light comes on, you’re probably going to pay about $50 for a diagnostic if you take it to your neighborhood garage, or more if you go to the dealership — a lot of scratch for a problem that might be as cheap and easy to fix as a faulty temperature sensor. If you have a 1996 or newer vehicle that’s OBD II compliant then check out this standalone scanner.
With support for multiple trouble, pending, generic, and manufacturers’ codes, it’ll interpret that annoying check engine light and show you the results on an easy-to-read backlit LCD display. It’ll also reset and clear codes. Amazon’s selling the scanner for $37.
Via Amazon (B000LEPT5G) [What’s This?]
Street Pricing [Google Products]
UIF Technology [Corporate Site]
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