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For those that have been working on their cars at home for a while can you please give me some pointers on the must haves.
Here's what I already have on the list so far
Jack kit 3ton.... Jack, stands, and creeper
Extra jack stands
Wheels chocks
Torque wrench 3/8" and 1/2"
Oil drain pan
I already have a Metric socket wrench set, vise hammer, screwdriver at home. Is there anymore car specific tools I should pickup
Also I was planning to change my thermostat and flush my coolant in next little while. Has anyone had luck with the STANT or GATES thermostat from Rockauto. I have a feeling the stock Acura one is gonna cost a lot here in Vancouver.
not just tools, but these are the things i use the most:
nitrile gloves and mechanic gloves (protect your knuckles)
breaker bar
universal socket
socket extensions
flex head socket wrench (this allows you to tighten/loosen at an angle
extension tool with a magnet on the end
stubby socket set (for tight spaces)
zip ties (for tucking away wiring)
led light
anti-seize
wd-40 or pb blaster
one of those garden kneeling rectangles (soft foam to sit/kneel on)
i recently bought an OEM thermostat from my dealer but he price matches online prices i give him. i got is for 30 usd.
As DIYers we MUST have every tool! I always want more tools. Good ones so far, other honorable mentions:
Deep socket sets in 3/8 and 1/2
Standard and metric wrenches
Adjustable wrench/ monkey wrench
Feeler gauges and spark plug gaps
Micrometer set
Soldering kit and volt meter if doing electrical work
Impact wrench (I just have a cheapy electric one)
Hammer and punch set
Exacto knife sets
A good c-clamp or two
A lug nut star wrench can be nice
The big stuff is covered. I'll add some little things
Telescoping magnet and/or mirror to retrieve crap you drop or see stuff you can't see.
Various Trim tools.
Volt Ohm Meter (VOM)
Cheap stainless steel(SS) bowls in various sizes. They work great to hold all kinds of nuts, bolts, parts during a job. Being SS nothing attacks them and you can clean them with anything. You can also put solvents in them for cleaning things too.
Nice thanks for all the replies guy. A bit more on this list than expected
I have around $800 I can spare right now, so looks like I'll pickup a few thing to get started with and others once I need it. I'm just so glade the DIY in the garage also mentions all the tool you need for the job.
Originally Posted by sockr1
i recently bought an OEM thermostat from my dealer but he price matches online prices i give him. i got is for 30 usd.
The dealers here wanted to charge me $13 for coolant reservoir cap, and $50 for the knock sensor sub harness, so I guess this is gonna cost in the $100s. But thank for the info dude. I many just wait and grab it the next time I'm in the States
One of the best tools anyone can have is a Nut Driver impact tool. Its fast, powerful (easily snaps a 10 mm bolt), reliable, and portable. Light years better than an electric drill and pneumatic ratchet. Great for removing or running down bunch of bolts, nuts , or screws, etc.
A must have for auto and home use. If you've never try one, you owe it to yourself to do so. You will be pleasantly surprise.
CAUTION: Do not use this to tighten down small nut/bolts it will snap then. If in doubt just use it to run it down then hand tighten.
I bought a bag off ebay and it has a ton of clips for under $10. PB plaster really helps loosen them up before removal with a flat head screw-driver.
Can you please post a link to the clips you bought.... I been looking for some, but most of the one I find on Ebay and Amazon.ca are from China. There's like 3 different types right?
You can make the bitch clip by buying one at harbor freight tools for $4 bucks. Grind it down with a grind wheel and you should be good.
The one tool that I would HATE to not have is my 1/2 inch Dewalt Impact Wrench 18V. I use it every time to take the wheels off and put it back on. That itself is a time saver!
Then, I use it everytime that I need to break off nuts. Especially if it's something that spins, like bolts on the ps when i needed to rebuild. Or takign off the lawnmower blade to sharpen it. It's tough to do these with a ratchet because they spin. So, you'll have to find a way to brace it before you can apply hand torque. With the impact, I just put on gloves and let the impact hammer do the work. Honestly, it's also safer.
Used it to press in the new lower ball joints as well. Also used it to press out and in new bushings on the control arms. It's just awesome to have. You do need two fresh batteries though. Else, you won't get the max torque.
I'm surprised nobody mentioned this but a good source of light. I have 2 different flashlights, a snap-on magnetic LED tube style and a rechargeable pivoting head flashlight. The snap-on is great when you have space, its water proof and is easy to clean but its quite hard to work in tight spaces with it. The other one is great for tight spaces, you can bend the head and fit it between hoses or point it to a specific direction, but its not waterproof.
Also, swivel socket set, stripped bolt/screw removers and a car ramp. Sometimes driving your car on a 1 foot high ramp is all you need. One last thing, a platform on wheels where you can lie on and just roll easily under the car.
I also bought a socket set from Stanley Fatmax. It was a 229 piece set that included standard and metric sockets. It sells for 400$ CAN but they had a one day sale before summer that offered 50% off. Stanley FatMax 229 Piece Matte Black Socket Set | Canadian Tire
They might not be Snap-On, but as of now, i've use this to replace motor mounts, get flange bolts out, and a bunch of other very difficult bolts to get out and only had one issue, the 1/2 u-joint broke while replacing by rear motor mount (funny because I got the job finished with the 1/4 u-joint). Besides that, no socket has stripped, all ratchets still work A1. For the u-joint, I contacted Stanley and they sent me a replacement within 2 business days by UPS no questions asked, didnt need proof of purchase or anything else, they just took my name, address and sent me the u-joint. Very good service. Plus the entire set comes with a lifetime warranty.
Youre right, i missed that. But to add to your code scanner, I'd say a bluetooth OBD2 reader. By far the best bang for your buck. If you have an android phone, for 10$ you can have a complete tool for reading and interpreting the data from the sensors. Code scanners are expensive, over 100$, and don't anywhere near as much as a cheap ELM327 adapter
Youre right, i missed that. But to add to your code scanner, I'd say a bluetooth OBD2 reader. By far the best bang for your buck. If you have an android phone, for 10$ you can have a complete tool for reading and interpreting the data from the sensors. Code scanners are expensive, over 100$, and don't anywhere near as much as a cheap ELM327 adapter
Most cheap OBD2 scanner can be had for under $30 now...
Example:
that ones currently going or $15 which is dirt cheap. do you have this one and if so, do you recommend it??
I do not, my bad if it was confusing. I however own another (can't remember the chinese brand) that looks very similar) and also a ELM327 bluetooth one which I use most of the time out of sheer convenience + Torque Pro on Android.
Usually more compatible than cheap ELM327 bluetooth readers (which I also own) with J1850-VPW/PWM.
Not totally true. I have a vgate elm327 bt adapter. It's a cheap Chinese device but it works and has beeen for 5 years. There are TONS of those on ebay for 5$ and add another 5$ and you get one that also does wifi
Not totally true. I have a vgate elm327 bt adapter. It's a cheap Chinese device but it works and has beeen for 5 years. There are TONS of those on ebay for 5$ and add another 5$ and you get one that also does wifi
I have no idea what you're saying that is not totally true.
It is known that many ELM327 devices have issues with these specific protocols, It's pretty much hit and miss. There's nothing to discuss there, cool if you got one that works, sucks if you don't.
I have no idea what you're saying that is not totally true.
It is known that many ELM327 devices have issues with these specific protocols, It's pretty much hit and miss. There's nothing to discuss there, cool if you got one that works, sucks if you don't.
About the cheapest adapter for 30$. I also purchased a few adapters for friends and family and so far they all worked. Anyways, a good portion of people buying those adapters is for Torque, just check seller feedback and you'll see if any have issues.
About the cheapest adapter for 30$. I also purchased a few adapters for friends and family and so far they all worked. Anyways, a good portion of people buying those adapters is for Torque, just check seller feedback and you'll see if any have issues.
Cool story. Have you tested them specifically with J1850 protocols? That's where most of them fall short.
Cool story. Have you tested them specifically with J1850 protocols? That's where most of them fall short.
I tested them with torque. That's all that matters to me. I don't know which protocols are used, and personally I don't care, as long as torque shows me green everywhere.
I tested them with torque. That's all that matters to me. I don't know which protocols are used, and personally I don't care, as long as torque shows me green everywhere.
Those that think paying 6x more will get you anything more... Here is what a cheap 5$ adapter gets you. Now, I'm not saying they all work this well, I'm saying seller feedback is important to look at before any purchase on ebay
Once again, you're failing to comprehend. The TL does not use the J1850-VPW or J1850-PWM protocol, it uses the ISO9141-2 protocol.
What does this mean? It means there's a great chance you can plug this adapter in GM/Ford cars and up and the ELM327 won't connect to the ECU.
Does it work with the TL? Yes.
Does it work with all cars? Not necessarily.
Hence why more expensive OBD2 readers exist. Because they actually work, for sure, with all cars rather than with a select few.
Well isn't it crazy that we're in an Acura TL forum talking about tools to repair an Acura TL? What I fail to comprehend is why bring this up when it doesn't concern anybody? And no, it's not only working on a select few, a select few won't work with this. This adapter has been tested on a Mini, Benz GLA, G35, Subaru impreza, Toyota Echo, Jeep Cherokee, Dodge Minivan, Mazda and I am probably skipping a few friends that had CEL which I checked and cleared.
Well isn't it crazy that we're in an Acura TL forum talking about tools to repair an Acura TL? What I fail to comprehend is why bring this up when it doesn't concern anybody? And no, it's not only working on a select few, a select few won't work with this. This adapter has been tested on a Mini, Benz GLA, G35, Subaru impreza, Toyota Echo, Jeep Cherokee, Dodge Minivan, Mazda and I am probably skipping a few friends that had CEL which I checked and cleared.
I second the electric impact wrench. I have the Craftsman 19.2V impact wrench and it works great on the 80 ft-lb lug nuts (removing). I do my own rotation, so it saves me a lot of time.
I also have the IR W7150 which will come in handy for my 2nd TB change next month or so
Hey man. Don't be mad because I buy things according to how useful they will be to me. I just don't see how to justify a 600% price difference just to have an extra protocol that works with cars I will never own nor do I know anybody owning. Plus, a lot of the 5$ adapters do work with those cars, including my cheap one bought half a decade ago.
Hey man. Don't be mad because I buy things according to how useful they will be to me. I just don't see how to justify a 600% price difference just to have an extra protocol that works with cars I will never own nor do I know anybody owning. Plus, a lot of the 5$ adapters do work with those cars, including my cheap one bought half a decade ago.
Anyways. You can get back to rambling now.
I have the expensive ass and bulky obd2 reader with the screen and the button controls so you can scroll through and delete codes. But I got mine like eight years back when bluetooth dongles were not a thing. Either way if you go cheap or expensive they are absolutely invaluable for diagnosis. Sure beats going to auto zone and spending twenty minutes with a guy that knows nothing about my car to have him print out a thing on receipt paper that may or may not even be accurate.
