Better than impact driver

[Guest]

And if you call in the next fifteen minutes you'll get a free inpact driver with your purchase of Grabbit\\/
I need to try a grab it. Impact drivers work great for me though. I use a Craftsman.

 

[newrider]

This is a new tool for me, and I have been totally unsuccessful at getting mine to work. Do I need to be using a heavier mallet, or should a standard household hammer do the trick? I for one would love an impact driver tutorial as suggested earlier in this post should someone be willing to provide it.....

 

[Guest]

I would think that rubber would cushion the blow. I use a regular hammer and I hold it from the end of the handle for greater impact. Don't be shy, hit it! Except on Carbs

 

[darkwolf]

There may be those among you out there that poo poo this methodolgy, but as proof let me offer that I recently remove all of the phillips screws on the engine and replaced them with allen heads using this procedure.

I swear by allen screws. I just replaced a few my carbs, after removing them to add in the air box.

As for what I did to remove my stubborn screws, I used an EZ out, a bit of elbow grease, and a straight blade screwdriver. The screws were seized to bad to do anything, so I started the EZ out, and successfully removed all traces of the phillips part of the head. LOL Then I tapped in a regular screwdriver into the soft metal, and backed them right out.

At this point, I'm a firm believer in allen screws, as they just save you time and energy.

 

[smithbm]

An impact driver has saved me many headaches in the past. I don't push mine in then hit it. I let the blow of the hammer push the driver into the screw. The bit twists as you push it in, so with you pushing it in then hitting it the bit wont turn and your bolt wont budge.

As for whether or not vicegrips and a screwdriver are better than an impact driver.... it depends on the job at hand.... there are no absolutes in life... (there is that old adage about death and taxes though )

Enjoy

I agree. On another note, has anyone used an impact driver for hex head bolts? I'm about to jump into an exhaust manifold replacement (on a Dodge Dakota) and I'm not sure if I should get a set of impact sockets or just use my standard sockets. These particular bolts are notorious for snapping under minimal torque.

 

[rek]

i too have had excellent luck w/ the impact. there is one tool that i haven't heard mentioned here that is easy to make and beats them all hands down is a bit holder welded to an air hammer chuck with a grab handle attached. once i was working on some C-130s that had more seniority on the earth than i, when a set of corroded sense antenna screws refused to budge. i used a 3/8" 90' air impact until it blew a gasket, then i got a monster1/2 90' motor that turned me around in a circle.
i was stumped until one of the old timer metalsmiths handed me one of those contraptions and in no time they all came out no fuss, no muss. i have recently aquired air power for the shop and will make one of these soon.
the air hammer beats the fastener and keeps the bit in while you just start applying torque to the grab handle and loosen the screw.

 

[jaberwok]

I agree. On another note, has anyone used an impact driver for hex head bolts? I'm about to jump into an exhaust manifold replacement (on a Dodge Dakota) and I'm not sure if I should get a set of impact sockets or just use my standard sockets. These particular bolts are notorious for snapping under minimal torque.

Not sure I understand your question but I'll share one of my experiences anyway... hope it helps.

I have an adapter for my impact driver that takes it from a 1/2" to 3/8" and can attach my sockets to it. Worked fine for me on stubborn bolts, but now I have a breaker bar and haven't used sockets attached to the impact driver since.

Cheers

 

[courier11sec]

My trick to avoid stripping screws is to dip the tip of my screwdriver in valve lapping compound. Works very well.

 

[smithbm]

Not sure I understand your question but I'll share one of my experiences anyway... hope it helps.

I have an adapter for my impact driver that takes it from a 1/2" to 3/8" and can attach my sockets to it. Worked fine for me on stubborn bolts, but now I have a breaker bar and haven't used sockets attached to the impact driver since.

Cheers

I was just wondering if regular old sockets will take the abuse of a hammer whack.

 

[Clone]

Use a ball-peen hammer, not a mallet, and not a claw hammer (they often are too long in the head and I hate having a claw swinging by my bike).

 

[jaberwok]

I was just wondering if regular old sockets will take the abuse of a hammer whack.

Mine did... just plain ole' craftsman... and if they had broken you can take them to any Sears and get new for free.... the only good thing about craftsman is the lifetime guarantee... I've gone through about 5 ratchets in 4 years...
just inherited a nice S&K set that my Dad had since he was 18 (42 years ago) and never had a problem with it.... i like the metal case over the plastic one my craftsman came in... I'm like a kid in a candy store when it comes to tools :shock:

Cheers

 

[neil young]

the reason these screws get striped in the first place is our north american phillips screws are differant than japanese ones.
http://www.stanleysupplyservices.com/product-group.aspx?id=7899

 

[Matchless]

As mentioned earlier in the thread a light air impact driver works without any effort. For allen key heads you can use a standard socket with an allen key bit. Buy one of those kits that contain a 100 various replaceable bits. They usually contain bits that fit your Philips screw exactly and are very cheap. These bits usually have hex shafts. Now get a 1/2" socket that fits the shaft and put the bit in deep, it must be stopped at the back from sliding into the socket. Or just weld it in. You can also use a smaller socket and adapter to fit your air gun.
No set you air impact driver to run less aggressive than usual and apply firmly to the screw and it will come out with no effort.

NEVER hit a screw in aluminium with a hammer, impact driver etc after it is partially loose as you will damage the threads for sure.

If you use a screwdriver in the normal way on tight Philips screws, use the longest handle you can get and make sure the tip is in like new condition. This eliminates slipping and stripping the head if you happen to move the handle slightly sideways while turning.

Thus if you have an air impact driver, make up a socket with the proper philips tips for it and get ordinary allen key sockets for the allen heads and you will never again be intimidated by a stuck screw!

 

[TheCafeKid]

Another little tip...Hex heads are great..but even they can strip...try using a torx bit that fits TIGHTLY inside...some of you might cringe.. but its a lil trick my grandpapy showed me..it will take some time to figure out which ones fit which hex heads, but it graps ALL of the corners twice...great for breaking a tough one loose...it may get stuck in the head of the bolt..but all you do is tighten it back just tight enough for it to let go and then go on with your allen head wrench.

 

[Pharkmeh]

The post is entitled, "better than an impact driver". Sometimes the vice-grip thing on a screw driver works for difficult philips screws, but I think saying that it better is a bit of an overstatement. Sometimes in my experience its a lot worse.

must agree - Ive shattered a couple screwdriver handles using the posted method....:shock:

then Im pretty impatient which makes meh a cr@p mechanic..... another 30 mins letting the CRC soak in mighta helped...