c/auto-mechanics

Swapped my old impact wrench for a cordless one last month

I used a pneumatic Snap-on for ten years, figured air was the only way to go. Grabbed a Milwaukee M18 high torque for a job pulling axle nuts on a Ram 3500. Took me half the time and I didn't have to drag a hose around. Anyone else made the switch and not looked back?

Vent: Old school mechanic told me to stop using penetrating oil on rusty bolts

I had this guy, maybe 70 years old, at the parts counter in Portland last month swear up and down that penetrating oil is a waste and to just use heat on everything. I tried his method on a seized exhaust manifold bolt and snapped it clean off, took me 3 hours to drill and tap. Has anyone else gotten bad advice from an old timer that backfired on them?

Just realized I was torquing lug nuts way too tight for 8 years after a wheel stud snapped on a 2015 F-150 at 60 mph on I-35.

A guy at the shop showed me the spec sheet and I'd been going 150 ft-lbs on everything instead of reading the actual torque sequence.

4 hours on a simple vacuum leak on a 2015 F150

Chased a rough idle on a 3.5 EcoBoost for 3 full hours before I found the leak was a hairline crack on the intake Y-pipe behind the alternator. Parts cannon approach would have been firing injectors and coils instead of a $60 plastic repair. Anybody else spent way too long on a simple diagnosis that turned out to be something totally hidden?

PSA: A master tech told me I was greasing slide pins wrong for 8 years

A customer pointed out I was over-tightening oil drain plugs for years

Had a guy in a 2015 F-150 come back three times last month with a slow leak from his oil pan. I kept blaming the gasket, swapping it out each time. On the third visit he asked if I was using a torque wrench. I wasn't, I just did it by feel like most guys I know. He showed me the spec in his manual, 18 ft-lbs, which is way less than I was cranking on. I went out and bought a decent torque wrench that afternoon. Now I check the spec on every car I touch. It's wild how much difference that little change makes, no more comebacks on drain plugs. Has anyone else found a simple habit change that stopped leaks like that?

Switched from a 3/8 ratchet to a flex head for exhaust work

I used to fight with my old 3/8 ratchet trying to get those manifold bolts on a 2005 F-150, it took me 20 minutes just to break them loose. Finally grabbed a flex head ratchet last month from Snap-On and it made getting in those tight spots so much easier. Anyone else find a tool that changed how you work on specific jobs?

Warning: saw a oil return line go from fine to sludge in 8 months

Was helping a buddy swap a motor on his 94 F-150 last weekend and the return line was almost completely blocked with black gunk. He runs Rotella T5 and changes it every 5k on the dot. Anyone else notice this with certain diesel oils?

Pro tip: Swapping a breaker vs calling an electrician saved me $200

I had a blown breaker in my shop last Tuesday and almost called my guy out. Looked up the model on YouTube, spent $12 at Ace Hardware, and fixed it in 10 minutes. Has anyone else found a repair that was way easier than they thought?

Question about people who don't torque lug nuts by hand

I watched a guy at my shop in Tucson last week use an impact gun to slam all five lug nuts on a Honda Civic without ever touching a torque wrench, and then he wondered why the rotor warped after 50 miles, has anyone else run into this kind of shortcut in a pro shop?

Snap-on ratchet vs. Harbor Freight one really showed me the difference

I used to think spending $150 on a Snap-on ratchet was a waste. Last month I bought a $15 Pittsburgh one from Harbor Freight for a quick job on a Ford F-150. After using it for 3 days straight, the ratchet mechanism started skipping and slipping on the bolts. I grabbed my buddy's Snap-on from 10 years ago that he uses every day and it still clicks perfect. That $15 tool almost cost me an extra hour of work on a transmission pan. Has anyone else dealt with cheap tools wearing out way faster than you expected?

Hot take: paying $120 for a Snap-On scan tool was a total waste compared to my cheap Autel reader

I blew $120 on a used Snap-On scanner at a pawn shop in Phoenix that gave me two codes before it bricked itself, but I'm the sucker who ignored reviews and now my Autel reads everything for half the cost, so who else has been burned by brand hype in this trade?

Watch out for counterfeit brake pads from online shops

Last month I ordered a set of ceramic pads off Amazon for $45 and they looked legit in the box. But after installing them on a 2018 Ford F150, the customer came back in 3 days with a grinding noise. The friction material had basically separated from the backing plate on two pads. Has anyone else run into fake parts from third party sellers on there?

I'll take a manual transmission swap over automatic any day

Everyone in my shop kept telling me to go with the automatic swap on my 98 Civic because it's easier and customers don't care. I decided to manual swap it instead over a weekend back in March. Took me 18 hours and I snapped two bolts on the pedal bracket but the car drives way smoother now. Has anyone else dealt with clutch pedal alignment being off by a quarter inch?

Pro tip: stop using your impact gun to tighten lug nuts

I had a moment about 2 years ago at a shop in Phoenix where a customer's wheel stud snapped clean off while I was torquing down a Toyota Camry. Turned out I had been zipping lug nuts on with my Milwaukee impact for years, thinking it was fine. The shop foreman walked over and showed me how the impact can over-torque them way past spec, especially on aluminum wheels. He handed me a torque wrench and said to use it for final tightening every time. I still use the impact to run them down, but now I finish by hand with a click-type torque wrench set to 80 ft-lbs. Has anyone else had a stud snap on them from impact over-tightening?

Rant: Spent 2 hours on a brake job that used to take me 45 minutes

Switched to a new brand of rotors last month and the damn bolts were seized worse than anything I've seen in 10 years. Has anyone else noticed quality going downhill on basic parts lately?

Lost a transmission job because of a cheap torque wrench

Had a customer's 2015 F-150 come in last Thursday, needed a new torque converter. I did everything by the book, but used my old Harbor Freight torque wrench for the bellhousing bolts. Took it for a test drive and it started shaking like crazy. Found three bolts had backed out. Now I only use Snap-On torque wrenches for anything critical. Anyone else ever get burned by trusting cheap tools on big jobs?

TIL I've been bleeding brakes the wrong way for 8 years

Watched a 2 minute video from a Snap-on rep and realized I was letting air back in every time I pumped the pedal. Has anyone else had that forehead slap moment with a basic job?

My shop vac ate a 10mm socket and I still can't find it

Last Tuesday I was swapping out an alternator on a 2012 Civic and dropped my favorite 10mm deep socket right into the shop vac while it was running. I heard that awful rattle for half a second and then silence, now I gotta dump out a full bag of drywall dust just to see if it's in there. Has anyone else lost a tool to a vacuum and actually found it, or should I just buy another set?

Found a dumb trick for seized caliper pins

Chased a sticky brake caliper on a 2015 F-150 for 3 hours last Saturday, tried heat, PB blaster, even a slide hammer. Ended up using a cheap impact screwdriver I had for stripped screws, one whack broke it loose. Anyone else got a weird tool that saves you time on brake jobs?

Called BS on that $40 ultrasonic cleaner from Harbor Freight but it actually got my fuel injectors spotless after 3 cycles.

Ran a set of injectors from a 5.3 in there with some Simple Green and the carbon just fell off, has anyone else had luck with cheap ultrasonic cleaners or did I just get lucky?

Control arm bolt seized in the subframe on a 2010 Camry yesterday

Spent 3 hours with a torch and an impact gun before I finally drilled it out. Any tips for getting these out without destroying the whole bushing?

That moment when a battery terminal decides to explode in your face

Last Tuesday I was swapping out a dead battery on a 2012 Ford Focus, nothing special. As I'm wrenching off the negative clamp, the whole terminal just disintegrates and sends a chunk of lead flying past my ear. Turns out the previous guy had cranked it down so hard the post was cracked for months and just waiting to snap. Has anyone else had a battery terminal commit seppuku on them like that?

I finally changed my mind about impact gun brands after a talk with a FleetPride guy

I was at a FleetPride in Omaha last Tuesday picking up some air dryer parts and started talking to this old timer who was grabbing a rebuild kit for a Bendix valve. He told me he's used the same Ingersoll Rand 2135 for 27 years and never once had to send it back, just regular oil and a rebuild kit every 5 years. Anyone else have their head turned by a random conversation like that, or am I just easily convinced?

Vent: A simple oil pressure fix took me 5 hours yesterday

I was working on a 2004 Silverado with a bad oil pressure reading. First I swapped the sending unit, no change. Then I checked the wiring all the way back to the ECM and found nothing wrong. Turns out the screen inside the oil pump pickup tube was clogged up with sludge. After 5 hours of chasing, a $6 part and some cleaner fixed it. Has anyone else spent way too long on a basic diagnosis like this?