Re: Looking for useful impact wrench on a budget...

[quk@isham-research.demon.co.uk (Phil Payne)]

In message <mailstart.1/7/99.8428.227.> gerard@dockside.co.za writes:

> Facom? Will look it up on the net as usual. What do you use
> when problems arise with rounded bolt heads and nuts?
> Yes, I found out that the nuts on the lower end of the
> flange vary a lot and I didn't have a socket that was long
> enough to cover the protruding bolt end, ie. couldn't get
> the socket to grip the bolt sides. What's the story on
> those Metrinch spanners?

Also a true 'deep' socket can be a pain to get on to the left nut.  It's
absolutely imperative that you use _six_ point sockets, not 12-point.

I usually deal with rounded nuts above 10mm by hammering on a 6-point
socket.  Below 10mm, I have a neat Vise-Grip device - '4LW'.  It has
one jaw with a 60 degree angle cut in it, and the other jaw has a
fitting protrusion.  You just need to find two reasonable faces on the
nut.

Otherwise, I've never found anything with jaws that worked.  If you
lose control with standard 6-point sockets - start cutting.

> > The gaffer tape makes the UJ stiff enough to place the
> > socket.  Once the socket is in place, you and an assistant
> > (using your wrenches on the top nuts) just fight each one
> > to and fro until the nut cracks and starts to wind down the
> > bolt.  With practice, a trained team can crack each nut
> > in less than twenty seconds.
>
> An assistant? Hmmm... didn't have one of those around at
> the time when I was trying to pull the WG in an evening.
> Hence once again, get out the air tank and impact wrench and
> blast the useless bolts loose.

It won't help - the bolt heads aren't captive.  This is the problem
with this joint - it isn't nut on stud, it's nut on free-to-turn bolt.

And don't be tempted to weld the bolt heads to the flange and thus
make studs out of them, once you've got it off.  You need the sideways
play to get the joint together again.

> > Roger has a source of heat-resistant stainless nuts and
> > bolts, which is what we refit.  Note that just breaking the
> > lower nut loose isn't enough, because the bolt head will
> > spin.  You need to hold the top, which almost inevitably
> > implies an assistant.
>
> Where'd you get these heat-resistant stainless nuts and
> bolts? Pricey stuff or relatively cheap? Those bolts holding
> the WG to the downpipe seem to all be of different length
> and even of different metric size. One of the jobs to be
> done to the car is check out the exhaust manifold and
> perhaps fit a 2-piece unit (cheapie!! honest!) and remove
> the WG to fit a new diaphragm, so might as well get equal
> sized bolts to fit the WG in place again.

Dunno.  Roger got a big box of 'em.

> Just to go off the topic of looking for a impact wrench
> which became removing wastegate bolts, how much would it
> take to remove the exhaust manifold? Inlet has to come off
> or what? Turbo has to come off and oil/h2o lines removed?
> Ugh...I can see myself botching that up!

You have to remove the head.  You _will_ have at least one sheared
exhaust manifold stud.  Besides, it makes no sense to do 85% of the
work needed and still leave the head iin place.

I did a checklist for the MB a while back, and Scott Mockry (I think)
adapted it for the MC.  I can't find it on Scott's web site, so I've
sent a newer version to him.  Perhaps he'll be kind enough again ..

(There are just a few differences in layout, e.g., the afterrun pump
 is bolted to the side of the MB's head and needs to be removed - on
 the MC, it swings in the air on its hoses behind the radiator.)

You'll then meet the second worst connector on the car - the lower
turbo water feed.

--
 Phil Payne
 Phone: 0385 302803   Fax: 01536 723021
 (The contents of this post will _NOT_ appear in the UK Newsletter.)