Thread: Impact Socket question

since I'm poor and won't spend $500 on an air impact, i had no choice than to go to corded. my brother was doing his front struts on his 2006 altima and was having a hard time removing bolts due to being rusty and really torqued down. if we had an impact, he wouldn't have had such a hard time. since that corded one i bought has a large back end and the room isn't all that great, those extensions and swivels would have been the first choice. sure its not the safest, but its better than busting knuckles trying to break a bolt free with a ratchet. i see where you're coming from, but aren't they ok if the extensions or swivels are lightly used, like once or very quickly? how often does something like that break or "explode"

I have this Impact:
http://www.harborfreight.com/air-too...nch-68424.html

If I worked on cars for a living, I would get a quality one over a harbor freight one, any day. I've used many Snap-On Impacts before, and they are amazing. Lol. But this Harbor Freight one has never served me wrong. Has gotten any bolt, I've ever needed to come out, to come out.

I personally like Air powered Impact's over Electric, and craigslist has quite a few Air Impacts for cheap.

It ain't often but its random, thats how it gets ya. You get to feeling safe then one explodes. Just keep hands away is all. Eye protection is often recommended right ON the socket, wonder why that is? Yep. Harder things are more brittle.

Just use your head any time a great deal of force is being generated. Plan for things to slip or break before you trigger an impact or push a wrench. If a tool won't hold up to a job its advertised to do, such as any kind of impact extension or flex joint, you have a warranty situation if it was used in the proper way. So just yeah- use that stuff only where absolutely necessary and do so with caution. As I've said before: the danger is not in standing on the edge of a cliff, but in being careless there.

Anyone that's ever entered my garage and handed me a socket has heard the speech. Hand me the deep socket first, if I need a shallow (uncommon) then I'll be specific. The deep well socket as most have mentioned is convenient more often than not.

As for impact/non, sure I use non impact in a lot of cases with an impact gun. However I have a nice set of 1/2" impact sockets for the big impact gun. You can't go wrong with impact grade sockets unless you have aftermarket wheels with super tight lug nut holes. Speaking of, wrap the last 1.5" of your 19mm with electrical tape to keep from scratching up any rims while you are removing lug nuts. Easy..cheap and works great.

Sizes.. on your GM car you will use 8mm (side post battery connection), 10mm damn near everything, 13mm, 15mm, 18mm, 19mm, 34mm/36mm (axle nuts) and one or two in the twenties. Now.. let's talk about these larger sockets like the 20+ mm. It's ok if the socket is a mm or two off. Those nuts are so large that a perfect fit isn't necessary. It's nice to have, but not going to stop you in a pinch.

Ever wanna talk about tools that are nice to have or the necessities of your car, holler.

Originally Posted by bobc455

Nope. Sears knows to inspect sockets to see if they've been used with an impact gun if you try to ask for a warranty claim.

That's only at the evil manager sears, I've warrantied them for a bunch of stuff. The warranty expresses that you can't be a commercial business and that you must be satisfied with the product. Simply...be unsatisfied.

but all the sizes missing for the deep wells are not used on the grand prix?

16, 20, and 23mm? No I don't recall any bolts on these cars (impact worthy) that use that size.

Idk what you're paying for this set or the quality. Just for thought, I bought this set for at home use just today. http://www.amazon.com/Craftsman-Piec...act+socket+set

Got it for $69.99 on ebay new since it was a tad cheaper. All it has over the set you're talking about is a 16, but that's no big deal. And quality possibly, but I can't say. Your questioned set includes a 30 and 32 which this one doesn't. More sizes not found on these cars.

Here's a set similar to what I have.
http://www.homedepot.com/p/Husky-1-2...11PC/202934848

Simple point is that Husky was a better price than Sears and at the time Home Depot would replace anything you broke right on the spot. Now they don't.. but I've yet to break an impact socket.

I was just checking out the Stanley set from Wal-Mart, seem good. Includes all the sizes I want except 15mm. I know the dog bone mounts are 15mm, but I'm not sure about anything else. Though I would never use an impact socket on a dog bone bolt. I'd have to be made of straight bones to not take it off, which I basically am lol.

Dog bone nuts are self-locking so no impact. you got that right. I like ratchet wrench on those. So did you ever go get a manual like we talked about? I still think you could get through that coolant thing and many others if you had one.

Theres quite a few Stanley items in my toolbox, nothing awful to report. Actually I think both my favorite ratchets are Stanley. But nothing I have of theirs is for impact use.

15mm is a very common and important size, I cannot begin to explain why so many cheaper sets leave it out. It pisses me off since all I had until today were cheap handmedown sets excluding 15mm. Always had to grab my chrome 3/8ths drive 15mm and 1/2-3/8 adapter. Lets just say that chrome 15mm is useless now.

Originally Posted by idrivejunk

Dog bone nuts are self-locking so no impact. you got that right. I like ratchet wrench on those. So did you ever go get a manual like we talked about? I still think you could get through that coolant thing and many others if you had one.

Theres quite a few Stanley items in my toolbox, nothing awful to report. Actually I think both my favorite ratchets are Stanley. But nothing I have of theirs is for impact use.

No I'm sad to say. Money is kind of tight at the moment and even though the book is about $20, every penny saved will benefit me. It's funny now cause all the coolant on the engine is being burned so when I go driving, the whole engine bay smokes lol. At least I hope it's just the pooled coolant in the crevices. I mean it's not leaking from the upper hose, thermostat housing, or radiator cap (those were the parts I took off that coolant could come from) so its gotta be all the stuff left behind. Car gets hot A LOT quicker now. Now I'm not driving it at 260 degrees, it hasn't got quite up to full temperature yet, but it gets up there quicker. MUST keep an eye on it otherwise my engine will be toast.

Originally Posted by 02NavyBlue

15mm is a very common and important size, I cannot begin to explain why so many cheaper sets leave it out. It pisses me off since all I had until today were cheap handmedown sets excluding 15mm. Always had to grab my chrome 3/8ths drive 15mm and 1/2-3/8 adapter. Lets just say that chrome 15mm is useless now.

So you think I could just buy and individual 15mm impact socket? Do they even sell them like that?

You could, if the Stanley set means that much to you.

Well it's the cheapest I've found so why not. I'm not using them for professional use so it doesn't matter that much to me. Just need them to do work (something I won't f*ck up like everything else).

You can go to a parts store and fill in the missing sizes if they ever come up. Skipping 15 though is beyond asenine, its asa-ten (my new word). I always wondered what 16s were for until I started taking Benzs apart. Skipping 17 or 18 is the one that chaps me most.