20 dollar cam tool

[speedkillz]

Hey Jim,
My tool box has a few pieces of pipe in it too.

[Oldporsche]

I bought the same socket at the pawn shop. I used an air grinder to hollow out the 3/4" square drive to let the end of the cam stick through it. I then welded the socket to a piece of 1/4" X 2" stock about 3' long. This with an 18MM wrench allowed me to take get the cam nut loose by hand.

Love those pawn shop tools.

David Duffield

[911pcars]

FWIW, I bent the metal handle of my cam holder tool trying to get the nut off with the crow foot wrench. They can be a beyatch to remove.

The modifications mentioned here are great improvements over the base tool.

Sherwood

[Henry Schmidt]

I get that buying a factory tool to build one engine at home is excessive and I appreciate ali the cleaver means to avoid doing so. What I don't get is the suggestion that these tools function better than the factory tool. I'm been using the factory tool for over 30 years and can't remember having a problem with it. '
It is a fact that I'm getting old, maybe I have C.R.S.

[Jim Williams]

Hi Henry,

I had the factory tool in your photo, and was annoyed with the way it handled. It seemed to be rather bulky and cumbersome, and fit loosely, and often slipped off at unopportune moments. After having built and used the Snap-on modified crow-foot, I sold the factory tool, as it only sat in my tool box, unused.

I really can't speak for the other DIY cam nut tools, but the Snap-on derived tool I described has been used to remove and install a lot of cam nuts, certainly a lot more than "building one engine at home". For me, it functioned better than the factory tool.

Some of us are always looking for better ways to do things, included better engine sealants than the factory recommends.

It's also a fact that I'm getting old, and I might have C.R.S. too, if I knew what it was.

[Henry Schmidt]

Originally posted by Jim Williams
.....It seemed to be rather bulky and cumbersome, and fit loosely, and often slipped off at unopportune moments...........

What you describe sounds like a personal problem.
Let's try not to blame the tool for your lack of manual dexterity.

Originally posted by Jim Williams

It's also a fact that I'm getting old, and I might have C.R.S. too, if I knew what it was.

C.R.S = Can't Remember *****.

[snowman]

Henry,
What was that C.R.S post for? I forgot.

[speedkillz]

Hey Jim,
What do you think you spent on your wrench??? Its a very good idea and makes a safer open style wrench that a crow foot. When my engine is ready to reassemble I plan to use my socket set up. We'll see how well it works for that.

[Jim Williams]

Hi Craig,

The latest Snap-on price list I have (1999) says the crow-foot cost $25.50. The welding was free.

[safe]

Why use a crowfoot at all?

I used this $10 tool, that I bent in the right place:

[RiskyBusiness]

That bend job on the wrench is excellent. I love to see how people solve problems. I'd like to see more options of how to fabricate alternatives to expensive Porsche tools.

Thanks for sharing!

[speedkillz]

Great Picture...$10 bucks. I looked for a wrench that big, couldn't find one. Im with Riskybusiness, What other tools /ideas have the readers came up. Please share.

[Jim Williams]

Magnus,

Looks like something I would have done myself, if I'd thought of it....

What is the length of the wrench? I was wondering how much leverage it provides for loosening those really stubborn cam nuts.

[snowman]

I have a chineese tool exactly like it. Just looking for my picture. If I find it I will post, but why, its the same.

[safe]

Originally posted by Jim Williams
Magnus,

Looks like something I would have done myself, if I'd thought of it....

What is the length of the wrench? I was wondering how much leverage it provides for loosening those really stubborn cam nuts.

It was 543mm (~21.4 inches) before the bend, I guess itīs about 2 inches shorter now. I got quite a good leverage with it. Loosened my cam nuts with that and big breaker bar on the cam holder on my own.

The cam holder socket is another topic, it bent and slipped on my cam.... Worst piece of crap I have seen anyone call a tool....

[kenikh]

Originally posted by Jim Williams
Craig,

The cam holder I can't lay claim to building. It is the Porsche factory tool.

I thought I had a photo of this pair of tools in use taking off a stubborn cam nut, but I can't find it. For that pupose, these tools are supplemented by another set of home-made tools, a couple of pieces of 3/4" galvanized pipe. One piece fits over the end of the cam holder and reaches from there to the floor at about a 45 deg angle, off to the left. That is the cam holder. The other piece of pipe (about 3' long) fits over a 1/2" ratchet handle attached to the crow-foot. This makes pretty easy work of over-tight cam nuts.

I have never had consistent good luck with using an impact wrench in this application. There's not much mass in the cam itself, so you need to counterhold the cam with some sort of tool. Of course you could use the breaker-bar-on-the-cam-holder like I use for this purpose, but then you don't really need the impact wrench if you have another piece of 3/4" pipe. ;^]

I just used this method tonight...OMFG!!! It was a piece of cake. I did it solo in a couple of minutes with no busted knuckles or anything. Thanks for the valuable tip!

[shbop]

Great ideas! But, how about putting things back together? Other than the crow's foot, how are you applying the correct torque?

[kenikh]

I'd think the crow's foot or modified socket are the only way.

[ChrisBennet]

I have the factory tool also. Granted, I have poor hand eye coordination, but I find the factory tool a little clumsy as well.
I wonder if Henry's 30 yr old factory cam tool is a better fit than the "factory" (reproduction?) cam tools we get now?
-Chris

[kenikh]

Clumsy yes, but the galvy pipe makes it work.