Register a SA Forums Account here!
JOINING THE SA FORUMS WILL REMOVE THIS BIG AD, THE ANNOYING UNDERLINED ADS, AND STUPID INTERSTITIAL ADS!!!

You can: log in, read the tech support FAQ, or request your lost password. This dumb message (and those ads) will appear on every screen until you register! Get rid of this crap by registering your own SA Forums Account and joining roughly 150,000 Goons, for the one-time price of $9.95! We charge money because it costs us money per month for bills, and since we don't believe in showing ads to our users, we try to make the money back through forum registrations.
 
  • Post
  • Reply
AnomalousBoners
Dec 22, 2007

by Ozma

Davus posted:

It's definitely doing its job, I'm not putting much strain on it with just a Honda longblock so I can't say whether or not it'd hold a big motor. Rated for 750 pounds though, so there should not be any problems. Hopefully I will use the engine hoist I got at Pep Boys soon, I've always wanted an engine hoist. :3:

I got the pep boys one and returned it, the fit was terrible which is amazing because it is retardedly simple to make.

Adbot
ADBOT LOVES YOU

DJ Commie
Feb 29, 2004

Stupid drivers always breaking car, Gronk fix car...
I've needed a digital oscilloscope for a while (since I'm doing so much Megasquirt stuff lately), so I picked up a Protek S2401U at Frys for $300.

http://www.protektest.com/ProdInfo.asp?prodId=S2401U


Its only 1MHz but has a built in battery and is dual channel. I can' wait to play with it more.

Lowclock
Oct 26, 2005

I think I had that exact same one. It does the job well enough, and it has no problem holding an LS1!

Jonny 290 posted:

Just don't wait four years, or it'll be old enough to go buy a pistol and get some revenge on your rear end!
I think it's black enough for it to be a hate crime.

Vin BioEthanol
Jan 18, 2002

by Ralp
What can I use to fill a transfer case? Well, fluid, duh, but how do I get it in there? The fill-hole is up high. The bottles don't have the barbed end on them you can put a hose on, some kind of adapter or pump I can get at HF, oreilly, autozone, walmart?

meatpimp
May 15, 2004

Psst -- Wanna buy

:) EVERYWHERE :)
some high-quality thread's DESTROYED!

:kheldragar:

I bought this thing a long time ago from one of the early online car shops (that's long-dead now, I can't even remember its name)... it's basically a cylinder with a plunger inside and a long tube attached to it. So, you suck the fluid into the cylinder and push it back out into whatever you're putting it into.

Hypnolobster
Apr 12, 2007

What this sausage party needs is a big dollop of ketchup! Too bad I didn't make any. :(

Wagonburner posted:

What can I use to fill a transfer case? Well, fluid, duh, but how do I get it in there? The fill-hole is up high. The bottles don't have the barbed end on them you can put a hose on, some kind of adapter or pump I can get at HF, oreilly, autozone, walmart?

HF will almost certainly have what you're looking for. You need something like this;

http://www.thegreathardwarestore.com/ProductDetails.asp?ProductCode=552135&click=2744

Hardware stores will probably carry them. I believe they're generally just called fluid pumps or transfer pumps.

e:
http://www.jamestowndistributors.com/userportal/show_product.do?pid=8035&BASE
That's another type you'll probably see.

Vin BioEthanol
Jan 18, 2002

by Ralp
cool, thanks ya'll.

InitialDave
Jun 14, 2007

I Want To Believe.

Wagonburner posted:

What can I use to fill a transfer case? Well, fluid, duh, but how do I get it in there? The fill-hole is up high. The bottles don't have the barbed end on them you can put a hose on, some kind of adapter or pump I can get at HF, oreilly, autozone, walmart?
Garden hose with a funnel jammed in the end. Just cut to the right length to have the funnel where you want it.

Vin BioEthanol
Jan 18, 2002

by Ralp

Hypnolobster posted:

HF will almost certainly have what you're looking for. You need something like this;

http://www.thegreathardwarestore.com/ProductDetails.asp?ProductCode=552135&click=2744


I looked up on https://www.harborfreight.com to see if they had anything like that, they did, price was 5.99 so I decided to go over there for the first time in a couple years and god drat if I didn't end up driving home $60 lighter.

They forced me with their cool stuff for cheap to not let me leave with my fluid pump unless I also bought:
a tow strap (a gift for a friend, he doesn't know it yet but he receives it when I get stuck) $13
4 pack small ratcheting tie-downs (I gotta keep huge TVs compressors and poo poo safe when I jack them from gump-rear end suckas) $13
safety glasses $?
a 3/8" drive thumb wheel / socket handle thing (that I found out when I got home ratchets!) $?***
some 3 ton jackstands. (my 2 ton ac delco ones bend and make me nervous, they're made from half the amount of metal as my new ones) $20
and almost a creeper, those scoundrel motherfuckers will probably get me next time on that.


*** this: http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/Displayitem.taf?itemnumber=96216
If you don't have one, get one. Now. I used to have one, lost or something, it didn't ratchet and it was great for all sorts of things but especially spark plugs. Once you've broke free the old spark plug take your ratchet off and use this to take it out the rest of the way and to put the new one in most of the way. (old one didn't ratchet but did have one cool feature my new HF one doesn't. on the backside it had a female 3/8" square drive so you could put your regular ratchet on the other side.)

Vin BioEthanol fucked around with this message at 06:06 on Feb 17, 2009

Kynetx
Jan 8, 2003


Full of ignorant tribalism. Kinda sad.

Wagonburner posted:

I looked up on https://www.harborfreight.com to see if they had anything like that, they did, price was 5.99 so I decided to go over there for the first time in a couple years and god drat if I didn't end up driving home $60 lighter.

They forced me with their cool stuff for cheap to not let me leave with my fluid pump unless I also bought:
a tow strap (a gift for a friend, he doesn't know it yet but he receives it when I get stuck) $13
4 pack small ratcheting tie-downs (I gotta keep huge TVs compressors and poo poo safe when I jack them from gump-rear end suckas) $13
safety glasses $?
a 3/8" drive thumb wheel / socket handle thing (that I found out when I got home ratchets!) $?
some 3 ton jackstands. (my 2 ton ac delco ones bend and make me nervous, they're made from half the amount of metal as my new ones) $20
and almost a creeper, those scoundrel motherfuckers will probably get me next time on that.

As far as I'm concerned, those are all important things to have. Now go get yourself a 2.5 or 5-gallon bucket to store the tie-downs in. I also use them to store the mountains of scissor-clamps I have laying around.

Hypnolobster
Apr 12, 2007

What this sausage party needs is a big dollop of ketchup! Too bad I didn't make any. :(

Kynetx posted:

As far as I'm concerned, those are all important things to have. Now go get yourself a 2.5 or 5-gallon bucket to store the tie-downs in. I also use them to store the mountains of scissor-clamps I have laying around.

I think we have about 6 of the Homer buckets from home depot from when they were $1.50.

Chauncey
Sep 16, 2007

Gibbering
Fathead


I recently got a free double-diaphragm fluid pump. It moves something like 17 gpm which is way overkill for brakes, I'm sure. But it's free, and I'm wondering if using a ball valve to control the airflow into the pump, would I be able to use to to bleed my brakes?

I guess since it would drain my entire system in only 2 cycles, it's not gonna work. If that's the case, what else can I use this awesome pump for?

Here is the pump in question.

ModernDayDiogenes
Jul 3, 2007
"By and large, language is a tool for concealing the truth." - George Carlin
Does anybody have personal experience with Lisle tools? Definitely look more expensive than the stuff you'd pick up in HF, but is there enough quality and :patriot:-ness to make up for the cost?

I've been reading this thread sporadically since it started, but I don't think anybody's mentioned one of the most simple and necessary tools that I always keep in my car - a pipe. All the rusted and stuck bolts I've gotten loose, probably 10% have been removed with an impact hammer. The other 90% were taken out with a breaker bar and a three-foot steel pipe I picked up in the plumbing section of my local hardware store. Not looking forward to the day where it saves my rear end during a tire change on the side of the highway, but it'll come sometime.

Lowclock
Oct 26, 2005

Chauncey posted:

I recently got a free double-diaphragm fluid pump. It moves something like 17 gpm which is way overkill for brakes, I'm sure. But it's free, and I'm wondering if using a ball valve to control the airflow into the pump, would I be able to use to to bleed my brakes?

I guess since it would drain my entire system in only 2 cycles, it's not gonna work. If that's the case, what else can I use this awesome pump for?

Here is the pump in question.

That pump looks like it might be able to evacuate with one side and pump with the other? If so, it would probably be pretty good for flushing transmissions and coolant systems.

ease
Jul 19, 2004

HUGE

ModernDayDiogenes posted:

I've been reading this thread sporadically since it started, but I don't think anybody's mentioned one of the most simple and necessary tools that I always keep in my car - a pipe.

Think about how many people out there who got a flat couldn't get their lug nuts off because the tire shop put them on with an 800lb impact, and had to call a tow truck.

My boss had to call us to help come change the tire on his volvo. The lugs were impossible to remove, and my coworker who can bench like 5 tons couldn't get them to budge. Luckily I had a 5' section of pipe in the van, and hammered it a little oblong to fit over the wrench. That made it easy, but god drat it, tire shops :argh:.

If you have your tires put on by a shop, you should probably have a pipe in your car that fits over your lug wrench.

InitialDave
Jun 14, 2007

I Want To Believe.

ease posted:

If you have your tires put on by a shop, you should probably have a pipe in your car that fits over your lug wrench.
First thing I do is undo the nuts at home and redo them myself with a torque wrench. I'm a pretty beefy guy, but I've had wheelnuts that took all my strength to get off. As in I twisted my crossbrace in doing so, and my shoulder ached for a day afterwards.

Also, make sure your wheels aren't seized onto the hubs while you're at it. That's an arse.

IOwnCalculus
Apr 2, 2003





Lowclock posted:

That pump looks like it might be able to evacuate with one side and pump with the other? If so, it would probably be pretty good for flushing transmissions and coolant systems.

Nah, one side is the air feed - it's powered by compressed air.

IsaacNewton
Jun 18, 2005

Anyone used one of those Ridgid 15 AMP 12" Dual Bevel Mitre Saw? It's got a large rebate @ home depot (250$ off, making it 199$) this is all CND.

Seems to be an awesome saw, but I'd like to get you guys opinion on it before buying.

Edit: linky http://www.ridgid.com/Tools/R4121-Miter-Saw/EN/index.htm

IsaacNewton fucked around with this message at 19:50 on Feb 20, 2009

pissboy
Aug 21, 2004
Yeah for Twinkies!

Fats posted:

On my way to the store yesterday, I noticed a small yellow box sitting in a ditch. It was still there on my way back, so I stopped to look:



I found a Fluke on a fluke! :v: It's dirty and a little beat up, but I did some scientific tests* and it seems to read accurately. I dunno if someone threw it out or it fell off a truck, but it sure beats my lovely Radioshack multimeter.

*Tested a couple of resistors and jammed the probes into a wall socket

Wow, nice find. I thought I did pretty good a year ago when I found a new set of HVAC gauges at a yard sale for $2. :) I had no use for them, so off to ebay they went.

grover
Jan 23, 2002

PEW PEW PEW
:circlefap::circlefap::circlefap:
:circlefap::circlefap::circlefap:
:circlefap::circlefap::circlefap:
:circlefap::circlefap::circlefap:
:circlefap::circlefap::circlefap:
:circlefap::circlefap::circlefap:
I found a ratchet strap on the road the other day, but apparently a truck had found it first. Was twisted well beyond working order. I never find anything cool like a fluke :argh:

Also, I *wanted* to swing by harbor freight today when we were in the area to pick up an HDTV, but we couldn't find it! Google maps has failed me utterly, it's sad.

sharkytm
Oct 9, 2003

Ba

By

Sharkytm doot doo do doot do doo


Fallen Rib
I finally bit the bullet, and gave up on being frustrated on Craigslist looking for a compressor. I've tried to get 10 compressors off CL in the past 1.5 years, and haven't gotten one. Either 5 mins too late, like the 240v 3hp 60G quincy that went for $200 last week, or the compressor was crap, like the Eaton I got info about today, and pictures (rusted tank, leaking oil from the head, encrusted in an inch of paint...)

SO, I bit the bullet, and bought the clearance Campbell Hausfeld 80 Gallon, 5HP 240v compressor from Lowes. Originally $899, marked down to $599. Its way bigger than I need right now, but thats what AI is all about.

I'll get pics, but in the meantime: http://www.cpocampbellhausfeld.com/entire_selection/xp5810.html

Its loving huge, about 6 feet tall. I "walked" the pallet it was on down my ramps from the bed of the truck, and got it into the garage. I've got to clean off a spot, and wire up a 60A breaker and disconnect switch for it. It only needs 35A, but I'm probably getting a welder soon, and that'll need 60A service. I also got a cull cut of 6-3 w/ ground for 25% off, and its long enough to get where I need it. All told, the bill was $700, and I still need a regulator/filter, and a couple of small lubricators, and a lot of copper pipe to run the air lines.

Anyone have a good source for a regulator? I need one that'll handle 175psi.

fatman1683
Jan 8, 2004
.

sharkytm posted:

Anyone have a good source for a regulator? I need one that'll handle 175psi.

Grainger would be a good place to start looking. They have nearly everything you can imagine in terms of tools and shop equipment, and at reasonable prices.

AnomalousBoners
Dec 22, 2007

by Ozma
Ive found MSC and McMaster Carr are cheaper than Grainger. I typically only use Grainger because theyre 5 miles away.

mod sassinator
Dec 13, 2006
I came here to Kick Ass and Chew Bubblegum,
and I'm All out of Ass
It's not a tool but drat do I love Meguiar's gold class liquid wax. I'm an idiot when it comes to cleaning and waxing but even I can get awesome results with this stuff. I want to lick my car it so shiny and smooth now.

oxbrain
Aug 18, 2005

Put a glide in your stride and a dip in your hip and come on up to the mothership.
Answering from the resource thread.

Pooperscooper posted:

How do you know what a good tire gauge is? Every time I go to a car place they seem to over inflate my tires or my gauge is poo poo?

Are you driving somewhere before checking pressure? Are they exceeding the max safe psi on the tire, or the recommended psi on the door sill sticker? As long as they're within a couple psi it shouldn't be a problem. If they're filling way over you should complain.

Get yourself a digital gauge. I have this one,

http://www.amazon.com/Accutire-MS-4021B-Standard-Digital-Gauge/dp/B00080QHMM/ref=pd_bbs_sr_2?ie=UTF8&s=hi&qid=1235383228&sr=8-2

Lowclock
Oct 26, 2005

So do I! I got it for like 5 bucks like 10 years ago and it works awesome. I can go back and hit the same tire over and over and it comes up the same, and matches my other two nicer analog ones, a CH and a VDO.

trouser chili
Mar 27, 2002

Unnngggggghhhhh
I much prefer a good analog dial tire guage. They're much more accurate and usually have a button to release air from the tire to get things perfect, a good one will hold pressure after you remove it from the tire as well.

trouser chili
Mar 27, 2002

Unnngggggghhhhh
What do you guys think about this guy? I'm pretty hot on it to replace my HF 8 gallon that randomly stops working until I hit it with a hammer.


Drunk Pledge Driver
Nov 10, 2004

trouser chili posted:

What do you guys think about this guy? I'm pretty hot on it to replace my HF 8 gallon that randomly stops working until I hit it with a hammer.




What's it run for? Ideally I think I'd want something with more HP as I think those SCFM readings are a bit optimistic for the motor.

trouser chili
Mar 27, 2002

Unnngggggghhhhh
I think they want $429 for it and I think the HP rating is wrong or something because it looks to be the exact same motor as what's on the higher rated units they've got sitting next to it in the store. Except the higher rated units are 240v only. Which makes me think this unit will perform best if I give it 240v.

trouser chili fucked around with this message at 18:14 on Feb 23, 2009

Big K of Justice
Nov 27, 2005

Anyone seen my ball joints?
Anyone mess with any of the discharge/charging tools for HVAC service?

I have a leaking high pressure A/C line, which I have known about for a few months but now I'm running low on R134, and I'd like to discharge the system safely, then replace the hose assembly myself, then take it to a dealer or shop to recharge with new refrigerant. My truck takes about 3-4 lbs.

Basically I'd be happy to do the RnR work myself, and let someone else handle the recharge.

Any suggestions?

I'll probably need a new dryer and a set of manifold guages.. but what else?

Big K of Justice fucked around with this message at 18:47 on Feb 23, 2009

sharkytm
Oct 9, 2003

Ba

By

Sharkytm doot doo do doot do doo


Fallen Rib

trouser chili posted:

What do you guys think about this guy? I'm pretty hot on it to replace my HF 8 gallon that randomly stops working until I hit it with a hammer.




Ditch it. Its only 1.6 HP, look at the CFM specs. My 1.6HP oilless direct drive Craftsman that I'm selling makes 4.9CFM@90psi.

Do what I did, and buy a good compressor. The one I bought is a great deal, 240v, 35A, 14.6CFM@90psi, and $599.
Just because it looks the same means nothing. Motors of the same framesize can range from 1hp to 7.5hp. Same size base, same size cover, different motor.

BigKOfJustice posted:

Anyone mess with any of the discharge/charging tools for HVAC service?

I have a leaking high pressure A/C line, which I have known about for a few months but now I'm running low on R134, and I'd like to discharge the system safely, then replace the hose assembly myself, then take it to a dealer or shop to recharge with new refrigerant. My truck takes about 3-4 lbs.

Basically I'd be happy to do the RnR work myself, and let someone else handle the recharge.

Any suggestions?

I'll probably need a new dryer and a set of manifold guages.. but what else?

There's a great thread on Honda-Tech about A/C work. You'll need a vacuum pump, a new receiver/dryer, the correct refrigerant/oil, and a good set of gauges.

sharkytm fucked around with this message at 19:13 on Feb 23, 2009

fishmech_1.1_RC
Jul 22, 2003

ModernDayDiogenes posted:

Does anybody have personal experience with Lisle tools? Definitely look more expensive than the stuff you'd pick up in HF, but is there enough quality and :patriot:-ness to make up for the cost?

Lisle makes pretty good stuff, most of what they make are specialty tools - as far as I know they don't make wrenches/ratchets/hex sockets, but other hand tools and weird sockets (think inverse torx).

trouser chili
Mar 27, 2002

Unnngggggghhhhh

sharkytm posted:

Ditch it. Its only 1.6 HP, look at the CFM specs. My 1.6HP oilless direct drive Craftsman that I'm selling makes 4.9CFM@90psi.

Do what I did, and buy a good compressor. The one I bought is a great deal, 240v, 35A, 14.6CFM@90psi, and $599.
Just because it looks the same means nothing. Motors of the same framesize can range from 1hp to 7.5hp. Same size base, same size cover, different motor.


Well, I'm trying to buy a good compressor. But I need portability, and that means the ability to run 120v. I can put 240v in the garage, so if it switches that's great, but the numbers on that unit seem pretty good compared to what's available in portable units for the price. Additionally, it's seperate pump and motor, which means I can always bolt a more powerful motor in it's place. DeWalt makes the D55168 which compares to the unit I've posted, but it's oiless and I'm not sure why I'd want to spend more on it.

sharkytm
Oct 9, 2003

Ba

By

Sharkytm doot doo do doot do doo


Fallen Rib

trouser chili posted:

Well, I'm trying to buy a good compressor. But I need portability, and that means the ability to run 120v. I can put 240v in the garage, so if it switches that's great, but the numbers on that unit seem pretty good compared to what's available in portable units for the price. Additionally, it's seperate pump and motor, which means I can always bolt a more powerful motor in it's place. DeWalt makes the D55168 which compares to the unit I've posted, but it's oiless and I'm not sure why I'd want to spend more on it.

You won't be able to bolt up a more powerful motor without probably pushing the compressor out of efficiency. If you need 120V, you are stuck with low-power units. I'd save your money, buy a Craftsman oilless that puts out 4.9SCFM@90posi for $175 or less on CL. You aren't gaining much by spending $500 on that Kobalt, other than the capability to run it on 240v at half the amps. Its not like if you run it on 240v, you'll get 2x the HP, or 2x the airflow. Thats the way the cookie crumbles, unluckily. If you were closer, I'd sell you my Craftsman for $125.

The only advantage that Kobalt has for it is that its going to be quieter, and last longer than a direct-drive oilless unit. It doesn't put out any more air, it doesn't draw fewer amps, it costs a lot more, and you can technically run it on 240v, but you'd have to swap lugs and plugs for it to do so gracefully, and it doesn't even gain you anything.

You are in the same boat that I am. Instead, I bought a small nailgun compressor for house-fixing tasks, and a monster 80G 240V compressor for the garage and shop. I'm not trying to be elitist here, just hoping to save you the cost and headache of a pricey compressor that doesn't perform like it should.

trouser chili
Mar 27, 2002

Unnngggggghhhhh
No I believe you, man. But I also wanted quieter and longer life, because the garage is under the kid's bedrooms and I usually keep my stuff a long long time.

This is the unit I have today.

http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/displayitem.taf?Itemnumber=40400

It's ok. Changing tires, running the air ratchets(iffy), inflating tires. But it shakes itself to pieces and everything has broken on it at least once and sometimes it just refuses to run. The tank only inflates on mine to 105psi indicated. So it's weezing right out the gate, and I don't feel there is any way it's pushing 5 SCFM @ 90 PSI.

944
Sep 23, 2008

by Ozma

trouser chili posted:

It's ok. Changing tires, running the air ratchets(iffy), inflating tires. But it shakes itself to pieces and everything has broken on it at least once and sometimes it just refuses to run. The tank only inflates on mine to 105psi indicated. So it's weezing right out the gate, and I don't feel there is any way it's pushing 5 SCFM @ 90 PSI.

I have this one:
http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/displayitem.taf?Itemnumber=93271

Its garbage, but for $110 on sale, it's just fine. I painted my car with it, and had enough the entire time with an HVLP gun. Same issue as yours though...it's 115 PSI so for ratchets you're starting out bad, and getting worse. Using a D/A with it was a challenge - I spent a LOT of time waiting for it to re-fill.

Ericadia
Oct 31, 2007

Not A Unicorn
Once again, I am blown away by Sears' seemingly retarded (from a business standpoint) liquidation processes.

Picked up a brand new craftsman 10" miter saw w/stand for $36, normal retail price was $179. They ought to just sell like this all the time, then maybe I would buy more stuff from them.

EnergizerFellow
Oct 11, 2005

More drunk than a barrel of monkeys

trouser chili posted:

No I believe you, man. But I also wanted quieter and longer life, because the garage is under the kid's bedrooms and I usually keep my stuff a long long time.
I went looking into 120V portables a while back and the Makita MAC2400 looks to be the best out there. Tank volume may be a bit low for what you need, so do double-check that. Street price is around $320.

http://www.amazon.com/Makita-MAC2400-Horsepower-4-2-Gallon-Compressor/dp/B0001Q2VPK

Adbot
ADBOT LOVES YOU

sharkytm
Oct 9, 2003

Ba

By

Sharkytm doot doo do doot do doo


Fallen Rib

EnergizerFellow posted:

I went looking into 120V portables a while back and the Makita MAC2400 looks to be the best out there. Tank volume may be a bit low for what you need, so do double-check that. Street price is around $320.

http://www.amazon.com/Makita-MAC2400-Horsepower-4-2-Gallon-Compressor/dp/B0001Q2VPK

Thats one of the best nailgun compressors out there for sure. I don't know how it'll handle automotive duties though. Small tanks make it very portable, but not a lot of "staying power". TC, tell us exactly what you'll be doing, and we can come up with a better option.

  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • 4
  • 5
  • Post
  • Reply