Air tools

I'm curious how many of yuze guys use air tools. I've had a compressor (11 gal tank on wheels for painting) for yrs but never bothered with air tools,. After splitting a 12mm socket on the tranny mount I went out and bought a cheapo chinese air impact wrench a few days ago and was so smitten I picked up an air ratchet wrench today. I just used them to install a new crank pulley in no time, got both tools for less than $60 and they came with metric impact sockets. BTW, the new crank pulley has made a big difference, the timing is now at 12degs and the engine has stopped shaking. I was ready to buy engine mounts thinking that was the cause. Runs like a clock now. The guidance from this list has been a tremendous help, the last time I worked on a car it never ran again. Regards, Gerard

Hi Gerard, I hope that the last time you worked on a car was before asking form help here!! Can't help on the air tools as I do not have any. They remove the pleasure of tearing open the knuckles!!

Air Tools 

No, don't use them either. As you say, migrator, it detracts from the tactile pleasure. Actually, my son has two compressors and some tools, but as I have to work on my cars in the road it makes using a compressor a little inconvenient.

Working in the road 

Great to know that someone else is condemned to work in the road. I thought I was the only one. When I grow up, I'm going to have a garage, and an inspection pit, and a hoist... Interesting to see, Turboboy, that you're in Twickers. I was brought up in Richmond, and my dad's family was an old waterside family. When I was a kid, my grandparents lived at 34 Grosvenor Road, just behind the cop-shop. My grandfather was a waterman, a skuller, a swimmer and an early stunt man in Twickenham Studio films. He coached rowing all over Europe and at Harvard, became an unsuccessful bookmaker, and reprobate wife-beater and alcoholic.

knowledge 

I bring the compressor to the rear kitchen door and run 2 x 25 foot air lines outside. Unbolting the trannie rear housing was a bear , Volvo uses a thread sealant on the bolts, even when half backed out they required plenty of effort and the worst ones are up in the tunnel above the drive shaft. An air ratchet would have made ez work there, it gets in tight spots and requires no swing room. Last time I worked on (and killed) a car was in 1980, ,a toyota corolla (coroded boner) that was long before the internet as we know it and yeh I had a haynes manual. Haynes shows what to remove but not how, the photo of the tech removing the crank pulley with 2 fingers kills me. !

I use airtools at work and in my workshop at home, i love my compressor as i restore vintage tractors aswell, much more versatile and cheaper to run than leckky tools

Haynes still uses that picture in its Toyota manuals. I use the air wrench; then 4 foot lever bar; then hit it with a bloody hammer photo series myself. Have to buy a new pulley every time I take it off. I bought my air wrench just for getting the crank pulley off a Toyota. As for using it on the Volvo, everywhere I wanted to use it, either there wasn't enough room, or it was just easier to use a socket wrench. I got a gift card for a tool place for Christmas. That air powered ratchet might just be what I use it for.