I didn't know my slide hammer could do this

"Urambo Tauro" (urambotauro)
11/12/2018 at 12:00 • Filed to: wrenching, toolopnik, tools

So that’s what that adapter is for!

Another delay on the Saab- ran out of argon. D’oh! So, I started wrenching on !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! , now that the parts are in for it. Started w ith the halfshafts, which were surprisingly stubborn. The inner joint pulled apart instead of coming out of the transaxle in one piece.

Couldn’t get a good grip to pop it out with a pry bar, so I hopped on the YouTubes looking for tips & tricks. Found exactly what I was looking for !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! . HOW DID I NOT KNOW ABOUT THIS?

This adapter was already included with my slide-hammer kit, and threads perfectly into my locking pliers. Am I lucky for buying Irwin Vise-Grips, or do other brands use the same thread size? I dunno, but it worked like a charm. Wham bam thank ya ma’am!

Got both axles changed, and put all back together with new brake pads & rotors. Fresh fluid, too, even to the rear drums, which were still in good shape. This car spent much of its early life in Tennessee, but despite several years in Michigan, all of the brake bleeder screws behaved.

Changing the water pump and timing covers will have to wait for another day, but I at least got the idler pulley re-secured so it won’t do any more damage. All four of the bracket bolts were loose, and one of the bottom ones was already missing. This lower one was worn the most from rattling around, and the holes in the block wouldn’t accept a new bolt anymore. I couldn’t even clean them with a thread chaser.

So I used a cutting tap instead. I was afraid that it wouldn’t follow the original threads, but somehow I managed to bullseye the old thread path, removing a minimal amount of material. A quick rinse with brake cleaner, a blast of compressed air, a second rinse & blow, and the holes were ready to accept new clean bolts. And this time, they went in with threadlocker, so they won’t walk out again. (I’m still not sure how they loosened up in the first place. Maybe whoever changed the timing belt last forgot to tighten them?)

Next, the radiator had to be drained. But lo and behold, its leak turned out to be just a bad O-ring on the drain plug.

Well that’s an easy fix. Always look before you fire the parts cannon, kids!

DISCUSSION (9)

RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht > Urambo Tauro
11/12/2018 at 12:40

|Vise-Grip with slide hammer

what.

wait.

what.

how.

it.

the thing.

is this real life

Urambo Tauro > RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht
11/12/2018 at 12:46

Mind = blown.

When I googled this to see if it’s common knowledge that I somehow missed out on , I stumbled upon this fella who welded his slide hammer to his locking pliers and can’t use other attachments now.

BeaterGT > Urambo Tauro
11/12/2018 at 13:17

Ingenious!

BigBlock440 > Urambo Tauro
11/12/2018 at 13:27

My slide hammer may be more useful than I thought.

Nom De Plume > Urambo Tauro
11/12/2018 at 14:45

BFSH

I like cars: Jim Spanfeller is one ugly motherfucker > Urambo Tauro
11/12/2018 at 18:11

Had a joint come apart when I replaced cv axles on my Golf. I wish I had a slide hammer. Getting the rest of the joimt off was a huge PITA.

MM54 > Urambo Tauro
11/12/2018 at 19:51

Well, I need that now. D o you happen to have a part number for your slide hammer kit? I have the same vice grips (in rounded jaw, flat jaw, and needle-nose!) so I am confident it would fit my needs.

G_Body_Man: Sponsored by the number 3 > Urambo Tauro
11/12/2018 at 20:41

Holy fuck that’s amazing. I need one.

Urambo Tauro > MM54
11/12/2018 at 20:48

Well, here’s the thing- apparently brand name isn’t enough. Most of my Irwins won’t fit, because the thread size is different. Out of all the Irwins I own , only the 10" Vise-Grip s will work, having a 7/16"-14 adjuster screw thread. The 9 " and 7 " ones are 5/16"-18, and the 6 " and 5 " Vise-Grips are 1/4" -20.

That said, my slide hammer kit is a Tekton 5645. It ca me with a decent range of attachments, but the case is very conspicuously molded to fit one more hub adapter which wa s not included. If I was to buy a new set all over again, I would seek a more complete kit .