Impact wrench opinions please.

[H.G.P.]

I'm investigating purchasing an impact wrench. Dummy regarding them. I'm looking at this one : http://www.sears.com/sr/javasr/product.do?BV_SessionID=@@@@2013170092.1083634761@ @@@&BV_EngineID=ccjgadclgjfkhhkcehgcemgdffmdfko.0&vertical=TOOL&pid=00927997000

The qualities I'm looking for are:

1. Electric (no desire for air right now).

2. Ability to remove bolts/nuts, in tight areas (such as CV bolts)

3. Powerful enough to remove outside hub nut.

4. Universal enough to handle any bolt/nut on the Porsche.

5. Finally what does 1/2 "drive" impact wrench stand for?

6. Can the above wrench work/have attachments, for Porsche metric bolts?

Thanks!!

[RoninLB]

I think the limited torque for big stuff.. and being oversized for small stuff will limit the time you'll want to use it.
Ingersoll-Rand should have a nice electric for about $600

[Gary J]

H.G.P Consider the cordless impact wrenches . They are a bit more versatile for moving around without a cord limiting your movements. Get one with a higher voltage for more power and a longer life battery. 18 volt is good. Milwaukee has one for 240 ft lbs. of torque and a reversible battery in case on way has the battery in the way. It comes with 2 batteries and a charger so it can always be ready. Makita and Ryobi and others have one also.
1/2 inch refers to the drive at the end. 3/8's is pretty standard for hand tools unless you wrench for a living but there are adapters to reduce the 1/2 inch to 3/8's if thats what most of your current sockets are. That adapter will lengthen your tool and make it harder to fit in tight spaces but thats part of the trade off for not getting a new set of sockets. High impact sockets are best due to the quality and resistance to breakage but Craftsman doesn't say you can't use ther standard sockets for impact purposes.
Costs are $300.00 and below, depending on brand name, voltage and quality.
Spend the money and keep the economy going.

[UTKarmann_Ghia]

Wow, you guys are PRICEY! I bought one on clearance from Walmart for $25 and it's supposedly 250ft lbs (air) and I bought a 4 gallon compressor from Checker which 6.0cfm @ 90psi for $89. I got outa there for under $120...$600???

Harbor freight also has an electric one for like $70 which is somewhere around 150ft lbs. Sorry, but sometimes cheap is good...

[fred cook]

For just a little more than you might pay for an electric high torque wrench, you could probably buy an air compressor and one of the Ingersol Rand 1/2" drive air wrenches. The 1/2" drive designation means that sockets or extensions with a 1/2" square hole in them will fit the wrench. Air wrenches generally come in 1/4", 3/8", 1/2", 3/4" and 1" drive sizes. As you might imagine, the larger the drive size, the more torque the wrench will develop. The problem is that the air wrenches with the larger size drives (3/4", 1", etc.) are much bulkier than the 3/8" or 1/2" sizes. On a typical automobile, there is not much that should require more that 400 foot/pounds (ft/lbs) of torque to remove. A couple of years ago Ingersol Rand came out with a 1/2" drive air wrench that will develop 600 ft/lbs of torque in reverse. This is the air wrench that I have and have been throughly impressed with its capabilities. I use it with a Sears electric air compressor that has a 4 or 5 hp electric motor and a 25 gallon air tank. Most of the time, whatever I am trying to remove will come off before the tank pressure drops enough to cause the compressor to come on. I think the air compressor cost about $400 and the I-R air wrench was about $180.00. In addition, you will need special sockets that are made to use with impact wrenches. Regular sockets are too thin and could crack if used with an impact wrench. The impact sockets are usually finished with a black coating and are thicker than regular sockets. The same goes for extension bars that can be used to extend the reach of the air wrench.

Good Luck!

Fred Cook
'80 911SC coupe

[ChrisBennet]

Originally posted by H.G.P.
I'm investigating purchasing an impact wrench. Dummy regarding them. I'm looking at this one : http://www.sears.com/sr/javasr/product.do?BV_SessionID=@@@@2013170092.1083634761@ @@@&BV_EngineID=ccjgadclgjfkhhkcehgcemgdffmdfko.0&vertical=TOOL&pid=00927997000

The qualities I'm looking for are:

1. Electric (no desire for air right now).

2. Ability to remove bolts/nuts, in tight areas (such as CV bolts)

3. Powerful enough to remove outside hub nut.

4. Universal enough to handle any bolt/nut on the Porsche.

5. Finally what does 1/2 "drive" impact wrench stand for?

6. Can the above wrench work/have attachments, for Porsche metric bolts?

Thanks!!

1. Air is good, air is very good.
2. You don't use an impact wrench for CV bolts.
3. The hub nut torque is pretty high - higher than that wrench goes I think. You should only use an impact on the hub nut if you are replacing the bearing. Impacting that nut is bad for the bearing.
4. I use mine for steel lug nuts, shock absorber nuts, suspension bolts, transmission and engine rebuilds.
5. 1/2" drive refers to the size of the square shaft that comes out of the wrench. A 1/2" drive tool uses attachements (sockets, extensions) that have 1/2" square holes to snap over the drive shaft of the tool. Common drive sizes are 1/4, 3/8,1/2.
6. Metric and "Inch" sizes are available for 1/2" drive tools.

I think that an impact wrench would be a poor tool to get at this point in your mechanical learning curve.
-Chris

[UTKarmann_Ghia]

1. Air is good, air is very good.

Heck ya. I've been doing mechanic work for about 15 years and I JUST got an air compressor. It's not that heavy-duty, but it's worked great on many of the things I've used it for such as my tranny rebuild. Air tools are pretty inexpensive also which gives you sooo many more options.

Finally what does 1/2 "drive" impact wrench stand for?

Whew, I think I would have been dangerous with an impact wrench before I knew what a 1/2" drive was

[mtburman]

I have an assortment of air and electric tools, impacts, grinders, drills, the works, but I still find it more satisfying to use my wrenches for the most part. I wouldn't miss them if they were gone for the most part.

[mtburman]

but what I could use is a second elbow to allow easier access to that bottom air cleaner clip.

[Randy Webb]

Don't use regular sockets on an impact wrench.

You only need one whn you have a frozen nut or bolt. I don't have one but use one at my mechanic's place (air) when I need to. Once you get all the fasteners broken frre this decade you won't need one again. I have an old manual one that usually does the trick.

They also come in handy on things that can't be held in place well -- the F shock mount comes to mind.

So altho "impact is your friend" I agree with the above not getting one at this point.

[axl911]

Have anyone used this?

http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/Displayitem.taf?itemnumber=45252

I know it's cheap and probably not high quality, but to be used once in awhile on those tough suspension bolts, will it work?

---
anthony

[Rick Lee]

I got the cordless one from Harbor Freight. I think it's made by Pittsburgh. It lasted about one year before the pinion gave out. I snuck in just before the 1 yr. parts warranty expired. They told me I had to disassemble it and find out which part I needed and then they'd send it to me. I told them to send me all the parts to build a new one - no dice. It took almost 3 mos. to get the part and by them I had forgotten how to reassemble the damed thing. Now I have it working again, but it just has no power like it used to. I think I'm gonna spring for a Snap-On. Once you have a good cordless impact driver, you'll wonder how you made it so long without one.

[Westy]

Electric = $$$$$. Air does not. You might not be ready for air yet, but it comes in handy all around the house. I've had my air compressor from Sears for 15 years and it keeps running strong. A compressor, some line, a few air tools like a butterfly, a ratchet, and an impact, and you're still around the same price as just a good electric impact. Air nozzles are also great for drying things when you clean them, and also keeps the dog away when parts are all over the floor.

[derek murray]

Originally posted by ChrisBennet
1. Air is good, air is very good.

If you are serious about getting into p-car DYI follow Chris' mantra (its a good one). Start off with a medium duty compressor from Sears (30 gal/ 6hp < $400.00) which comes bundled with a 1/2" impact wrench (albeit not an IR)... then let the tool / attachment buying / upgrading begin... have fun.

[H.G.P.]

Thank you for the responses. The nearest expert Porsche mechanic, to my understanding, is over 100 miles round trip from us.
With the very minor exception of one outer CV boot having been installed at a tire and brake shop, which is no longer able to do such now, I have had to do ALL of the mechanics on my 911 myself, now into three years. This has included:

I have thus far, dropped the engine twice. Installed new flywheel, flywheel seal, and installed new clutch.

Installed new starter, changed out several fuel pumps (until I have the one to my liking.)

Have a "new" Lincoln Welder, which I used to repair my alternator hub, and have used it for other.

Now to save my arm energy, the impact came to mind (and the tight space to reach those inner CV bolts). Also, the possibllity if ever of again dropping the engine and re-sealing it if necessary. And for other hard to remove stuff.

The advantage, is the longest I have the Porsche out of commission has been six days.

I am not a linear thinker, so yes my "learning curve" may not relate: http://brain.web-us.com/brain/LRBrain.html. This may have helped me to in some things on the Porsche though.

I guess I'll continue to investigate the air route instead. I do have an appointment with an expert Porsche mechanic (100 miles roound trip) about three weeks from now. This will be the first time a real knowlegable Porsche expert will look at my car.

Thanks

[dotorg]

I got my Harbor Freight one (made by Chicago Electric) for $50 the other day.

We've used them for a long time on our rally team... they break, but you can break a lot of them before you reach $600! And we aren't gentle with them!

[Elombard]

I bought a new one on Ebay for like $30. I think it is rated at 240 ft. lbs?? It does everything I need, once in a while it wont take off a lug nut so I have to grab a wrench. Its noce to have but I like real wrenches and dont use it near as much as I thought I would. I want to get air soon, there is so many cool tools that can work with air.

[Randy Webb]

HGP - Get that guy to break lose every big or likely to be frozen nut on the car. Should cost maybe $50. Then torque them back down. You'll be set for the next decade or two and won't need to get an impact wrench.

[ChrisBennet]

H.G.P. I hope I didn't insult you. Your questions #5 & #6 made me think you had little experience. Air is the way to go.
-Chris

[H.G.P.]

Chris: No problem, even after the 1/2 in. explanations in this thread, I will still have to actually see and install the sockets on an impact wrench.

Originally posted by Randy Webb
HGP - Get that guy to break lose every big or likely to be frozen nut on the car. Should cost maybe $50. Then torque them back down. You'll be set for the next decade or two and won't need to get an impact wrench.

Randy: So far I've scheduled to have all four boots replaced, which means all the CV bolts will have to come out and re-torqued. That's a start. Furthermore, I will have the brakes bled and inspected (never done yet). The reason for the brake work is so I myself don't blow the rubber seals at the master. I also have a pesky leak seemingly beneath the pressure relief valve beneath the flywheel area. I've sealed the top stuff (breather gasket etc.,), so it might be the oil cooler. This guy is suppose to be one of the best. Next inquiry to him/them, will be what I will need to track (Vintage racing).