Ratchet Wrench not working?

"gmporschenut also a fan of hondas" (gmporschenut)
03/27/2020 at 19:45 • Filed to: Toolopnik, repair

I thought the pawl was stripped as the selecter, would just flop around. B ut it was the pawl spring gummed with grit . I advise to do this over a tray, in case you drop the ball bearing.

craftsman ball bearing sizes.

1/4" 44807 K2X - 0.094"
3/8" 44811 T3V - 0.146"
1/2" 44809 VR - 0.172"

DISCUSSION (19)

atfsgeoff > gmporschenut also a fan of hondas
03/27/2020 at 19:50

Good on you for repairing it instead of just tossing it or taking it in for a replacement. Not enough people know that ratchets are, in fact, serviceable tools.

I just took apart a used ratcheting torque wrench a got from ebay a couple days ago, needed some lube to work reliably.

Nothing > gmporschenut also a fan of hondas
03/27/2020 at 20:04

The Sears store near me replaces a USA made ratchet with a rebuilt one if you bring it in. China one, they just toss and tell you to grab a new one.

Good for you rebuilding it yourself! I should give it a try, I have an unhappy 1/2” .

Urambo Tauro > gmporschenut also a fan of hondas
03/27/2020 at 20:06

Huh, i t never occurred to me to look for videos on this when I took my ratchets apart. D’oh! I just started out by carefully disassembling an old beat-up one that I had found in the road, and u sed that experience to guide me through rebuilding my other ratchets. They weren’t really all that gummed up or broken, but I did notice an improvement in each one after rebuilding them . Very satisfying !

415s30 W123TSXWaggoIIIIIIo ( •_•))°) > gmporschenut also a fan of hondas
03/27/2020 at 20:08

Snap On makes rebuild kits, I did mine a few months ago.

VincentMalamute-Kim > gmporschenut also a fan of hondas
03/27/2020 at 20:12

Thanks. I didn’t know it was that easy. I’ve got a couple of ratchets and torque wrenches that skip.

I don’t think they said - are you supposed to perform regular maintenance?

gmporschenut also a fan of hondas > atfsgeoff
03/27/2020 at 20:20

Ive had pawls wear out where they just stopped catching. W hat made this case different was it would randomly grab/not grab

facw > gmporschenut also a fan of hondas
03/27/2020 at 20:21

Neat. Personally though I’d get it replaced under that lifetime warranty.

gmporschenut also a fan of hondas > VincentMalamute-Kim
03/27/2020 at 20:27

IDK. i imagine it would depend on how dirty the enviroment its used in.

Thisismydisplayname > atfsgeoff
03/27/2020 at 20:40

My craftsman torque wrench ratchet head needs to be disassembled and regreased every year or so, even with minimal use. It starts skipping otherwise.

Just went through a couple other ratchets I had a few months back and was able to salvage all but one, so not too bad. A couple were from my old man’s collection so I was happy to get them back to working right. Probably never use them though, they feel like they have 30 teeth, probably 60, but after the newer 80+ and 120 tooth ratchets, it’s hard to go back to those other ones.

gmporschenut also a fan of hondas > Nothing
03/27/2020 at 20:48

I’d be cuious how many of those rebuilt were ones that just needed a good cleaning.

The Ghost of Oppo > Nothing
03/27/2020 at 21:26

I’ve heard about mixed experiences but Lowes will apparently warranty Craftsman stuff.

Dead_Elvis, Inc. > gmporschenut also a fan of hondas
03/27/2020 at 21:40

Nice! I’ve got a 3/8" Craftsman ratchet that I’ve had for at least 30 years that’s become indifferent to staying selected. Where’d you get the bearing, or did you just clean, grease, & reassemble?

gmporschenut also a fan of hondas > Dead_Elvis, Inc.
03/27/2020 at 22:08

I cleaned, greased, then when ressembling, lost the ball bearing. H ense the tray recomendation . I had to rummage to find a replacement. I think some hardware stores have them. Otherwise you’re buying a 100pack

gmporschenut also a fan of hondas > Dead_Elvis, Inc.
03/27/2020 at 22:25

To clean I soaked in mineral spirits, then went over with an old toothbrush . One thing, the blind hole that the spring is in, was crammed with gunk. Had to take a toothpick to clean it out. For the spring, just swished in a jar with mineral spi rits.

Dead_Elvis, Inc. > gmporschenut also a fan of hondas
03/27/2020 at 22:55

Yeah, kinda figured it’s unlikely I could just buy one. Or at least, I’m not going out anytime soon for non-urgent errands.

Hopefully it’s just gunked up & keeping the spring from doing its thing. I don’t have any sentimental attachment to it, but a couple of newer ones - Craftsman & otherwise - have died on me. Complete failure, where the gear or pawl (both?) stripped.

gmporschenut also a fan of hondas > Dead_Elvis, Inc.
03/27/2020 at 23:17

If it’s an older one I’d hang on to it. Some even have repair kits offered

glemon > gmporschenut also a fan of hondas
03/28/2020 at 00:07

I just take mine back to....oh crap, never tried to rebuild. I received a ratchet set from Sears as well as combination open end wrenches in the 70s. I still have the set, though I think both ratchets have been replaced once or twice, still my primary set of hand tools. I take a lot of things apart. Never tried a ratchet though.

gmporschenut also a fan of hondas > glemon
03/28/2020 at 21:52

In the past I would have swung by sears, to have them switch out the ratchet, but as the 2 near me closed, that has limited my options.

glemon > gmporschenut also a fan of hondas
03/29/2020 at 00:33

Yeah, same thing here. When I would tell people I liked Sears they would generally kind of look at me funny, but when I said "the tools" some at least would get it.