AK_MOBBER

Taking off my stock headers today I encountered a bit of a problem.

After spraying all the bolts/nuts profusly with almost an entire can of WD40 and then waiting 15 minutes I proceeded to take the a-pipe nuts off. I started on the front since I figured it is easier accessed.

First 2 went fine but in the midst of wrenching off the 3rd one I felt the socket just twist. Put the socket back on and tried it again and it just twisted again

I called my asian honda tech and he asked me what kinda sockets I'm using. I told him craftsman. He said, "Thats your problem!"

He then told me a story about when he first started working at honda as a tech he used craftsman tools and he was stripping nuts and bolt all the time. He said one bolt was stripped and he asked another tech about it. The tech handed him a snap on socket and the bolt came right out.


So now I have to drive to the honda dealer and see if he can loosen it tommorow.



dammit I need air tools and a better socket set!!!

civic4982

two word.. impact wrench

CLpower

and air tools!!

Pure Adrenaline

iTrader: (2)

Craftsman is fine. I've used a set for numerous suspension jobs, headers, exhaust, you name it. Never slipped. You probably just weren't using the right size.

By the way, use PB Blaster next time instead of WD-40. Works 100 times better than WD-40.

beerknurd

where you using the 12 sided socket or the 6 sided socket?

Chopsie

Yeah sounds like you had the size right above the one you needed.

Titand19

Yeah man I got tons of Snap on tools, but sockets are sockets. I know the snap on sockets are harder, but there is no way that would have matteed since you stripped the socket. But hell, if you got loot for the snap on sockets go for it.

Ant7701

I've had that problem like a hundred times when I started doing this shit 4 a living. I used to fight these bolts all the time and it would either slip and/or break/twist off. I keep asking my forman for help and he would be like lemme get my sockets...came right off w/ no effort. That's why I have pretty much Snap-on everything right now. Believe it or not the tools make the biggest differences in that shit especially the extensions. I've found Craftsman extensions to twist way too much and you'd never know it unless u compare it to a Matco or Snap-on back to back. Good luck though...

AK_MOBBER

nah it was the right size... 14 mm The other 2 came off with not too much force... They were not stripped either...


yeah ant, while taking off the other 2 nuts I could feel the damn extension actually twisting... I thought it was gonna explode and send shrapnel in my face...

I'm gonna spend some bills on my next toolset and stop shopping at sears altogether...

Pure Adrenaline

iTrader: (2)

You know, I think Craftsman has lifetime warranty on their tools. If you could duplicate it in front of the manager or something, you could probably get a new set.

Ray Khan

uh, how do you get an impact wrench on headers? I could barely get my hands on most of those nuts.

Craftsman makes some stripped nut removers. I suggest getting those to get the nuts out. I hear they actually work unlike the Craftsman screw outs.

I also agree with using PB blaster instead of WD40...I wouldn't want to lubribate the surfaces, that will just add to the ease of stipping nuts.

Shawn S

That’s what I was gonna ask. We still haven’t gotten the answer yet either.

Definitely use 6-Sided sockets for any kind of work requiring lots of TORQUE.
I’ve been using Craftsman for 30+ years and I only ever had ONE socket fail.
About 10-years ago I was trying to remove a wheel lug nut that some ASS-HAT put on with about 500# of air pressure.
With a 3/4” drive on the nut I stood up on the handle of the ratchet.
The socket both came loose and SHATTERED at the same time.
I gathered up all the pieces I could find and took them to SEARS. I got a new socket with no questions asked.
The pieces were so small you couldn’t even read what size it was.

Shawn S

typeSb00st

i've used craftsman for everything. never had a problem, but only with their flathead screw driver. what really does suck though, is the cheap shit at kragen or autoworks. :thumbsdn:

lrutt

I've never had any craftsman product fail either. I'd bet he was using the 12 point or didn't have a good bite on the fastener head, one of the 2.

allmotor_2000

Umm... what does WD-40 help with? Use Liquid Wrench. WD-40 helps stop squeaks elsewhere, not with remove stubborn bolts!

EricL

WD-40 works great for plumbing projects where you need to get old corroded pipe fittings off...


If I install a bathtub in my CLS, I'll keep a small put-up in the glove box...

EricL

They fail...

They are very good about replacing parts that are clearly broken (cracked, broken, etc). They are not too good -- at least in my and another friend's experience -- replacing worn sockets. Good idea to keep a cold chisel around to finish them off for no-questions-asked refunds.

Craftsman gets their stuff made from different vendors, and depending on when you got your stuff over that last 30-years, you could have great stuff or "ok-grade" stuff.

Depending on the "batch", the tolerances can vary. TTCV.

Ant7701

OK...lets clear this up. Not raggin on Craftsman tools...they are exceptional tools for the money and need...BUT when u do this shit everyday or use them everyday, THEY WILL BREAK UNDER MEDIUM TO HEAVY LOAD. Why do u think just about every auto tech in the world uses snap-on or mac or matco. We don't like buying expensive tools fo the hell of it, It's because they rarely break. Sure craftsman are warrantied for life---AS ARE ALL OTHER TOOL COMPANIES!!!But when ur in the middle of a job and shit breaks, u got stop what ur doing to go to sears to get it replaced. And auto tech's don't have that option to tell their boss it won't get fixed today cause I broke a socket. At home or side work craftsman are fine and a trip to sears won't hurt that much.

civic4982

Just the for nuts on the j-pipe connecting it to the cat and the header manifolds. Gotta do the other ones by hand.

EricL

I have a number of tools from Snap-on, Proto, & Mac.

And, here are times, at least in the past, that Craftsman has offered sockets and other tools that were as good as anything I've seen (I'm showing my age). Over the years, I've wondered over to Sears, and picked up a few bits depending on word of mouth and look and feel. (I also picked up a few sockets that I didn’t mind not seeing come back after lending them out.)

An interesting article:

http://www.team.net/www/morgan/tech/whotools.html

Excerpt:

“Until 1994 or so, Stanley also made Sears Craftsman tools. Sears Craftsman is now made by Danaher Tools. They beat out Stanley on the contract over price. Danaher also manufactures MatCo Tools, the third largest player in the Mobile Automotive industry (behind MAC and Snap-On). Odds are, if you own any Craftsman tools that are older than about five years ago, they were made by Stanley in plants in Dallas, Texas, Witchita Falls, Texas, and Sabina, Ohio.
Stanley also owns MAC Tools and manufactures MAC tools in the same plants. Now here's the kicker: MAC Tools, Proto Tools (a very expensive industrial brand), Husky Tools, and, (prior to five or so years ago) Craftsman Tools are all made from the same forgings in the same plants. Proto is unique because it goes through addtional testing and certification because it is used by NASA, the military, and industrial customers (including General Motors). “


link: http://members5.boardhost.com/insidetools/

sidemarker

crafstmans are the best tools out there!!!!

sidemarker

randomwalk101

I own Craftsman stocks....stop talking shit about Craftsman..hahaha

Believe it or not, some Craftsman craps are made in CHINA.....and you know how China shit goes....although I must admit that Ching-Chong-man are good at fried rice and egg rolls.

EricL

If 'ya want to save money, off it goes to China...

Some stuff, is ok. Other stuff looks like a pot metal with flakey chrome crust. :P

I'm working on my "door-hinge maint. certification" to be able to keep working in the US and insure job security... Lots of doors closing these days...

AK_MOBBER

I was using the 12 sided craftsman sockets

I took my car to my honda tech today and he put my car on the lift. He used snap on sockets with an impact wrench to torque the nuts/bolts off. He then hand tightened them so I could go home and take them off. Didn't charge me a dime!!

I used wd-40 to lubricate the nuts/bolts because I have dealt with exhaust systems many times before where the nuts/bolts would seize up from corrosion... It happens more than you would think.
I used the wd-40 because I had nothing else around at the time that would do a similar job of penetrating and lubricaing the nuts/bolts.

I still think it was the craftsman socket that messed me up but oh well. What can you do besides buy a better set when I loose a few more sockets around the garage to justify buying a new set...

My techs little demonstration basically convinced me that the snap on sockets were worth the extra duckets.

danny25

I had a similar problem with a craftsman socket trying to get my exhaust off. But the only problem was it was a 12 sided socket, I went to auto zone and bought a cheap 6 sided one and the nut came right off.

ChadT

Yeah 6 points are the way to go. When I got my Craftsman sockets I made sure to get the set that is all 6 point. Another thing I've noticed with exhaust bolts is that sometimes they shrink. I had a car that had one of the cat bolts shrink down a whole size from 13 to 12mm.

gto2050

It's never the arrow, it's the Indian!