Impact wrenches - worth it?

"BaconSandwich is tasty." (baconsandwich) 05/22/2015 at 22:33 • Filed to: None

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Supposing that a person wanted to get an old project car - something with a lot of very-rusted on fasteners, is it worth getting an impact wrench? Do impact wrenches work well on removing rusted-on nuts and bolts? What should a person consider when purchasing one?

I own a fairly small air compressor, so I’d be a bit concerned about running it continually, but for helping to loosen up some rusted on bolts, I’m thinking it might be a handy thing to have.

Jedidiah > BaconSandwich is tasty. 05/22/2015 at 22:35

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Impact wrench is very useful

So are blow torches

And PB Blaster and WD-40

Big Bubba Ray > BaconSandwich is tasty. 05/22/2015 at 22:35

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There’s a good chance that an impact will just shear the bolt depending on how rusty it is. That’s been my experience at least haha

With some PB blaster it may help, but hand tools and a breaker bar usually do the job if you don’t want to spend the money on air tools.

Zipppy, Mazdurp builder, Probeski owner and former ricerboy > BaconSandwich is tasty. 05/22/2015 at 22:38

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You can buy electric battery powered impact wrenches too, no need to use a compressor. Just be sure you got the proper sockets, because using one meant for a ratchet will be worn out fairly quickly.

BaconSandwich is tasty. > Zipppy, Mazdurp builder, Probeski owner and former ricerboy 05/22/2015 at 22:39

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Well, I figure I already own a compressor, so going with an air powered unit might save me a little bit.

Arch Duke Maxyenko, Shit Talk Extraordinaire > BaconSandwich is tasty. 05/22/2015 at 22:40

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Impact good.

BaconSandwich is tasty. > Big Bubba Ray 05/22/2015 at 22:40

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I had some fun removing some bolts on my Civic that had been rusting on for 10+ years. I think soaking them in PB blaster helped a bit. I’m just imagining what the bolts are like on a 50 year old farm truck.

BaconSandwich is tasty. > Jedidiah 05/22/2015 at 22:41

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All certainly decent ideas. Perhaps I’ll eventually have to invest in a blow torch as well.

Jedidiah > BaconSandwich is tasty. 05/22/2015 at 22:44

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An impact screwdriver is useful for stuck screws

jkm7680 > BaconSandwich is tasty. 05/22/2015 at 22:45

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Impact wrenches are a little bit sketchy on rusty cars, as others have said they can fuck shit up real quick.

Another thing is to be careful of over torquing lugnuts. Get torque sticks or something at least, so you can avoid not being able to remove a wheel in case you end up getting a flat tire.

Big Bubba Ray > BaconSandwich is tasty. 05/22/2015 at 22:45

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They’re probably terrible! Definitely would shear off. That’s how 80% of the bolts on my Datsun are. Try turning them after soaking them with PB and they break immediately haha

Zipppy, Mazdurp builder, Probeski owner and former ricerboy > BaconSandwich is tasty. 05/22/2015 at 22:45

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I have an air powered one that came with my compressor, it struggles a bit from what I’ve experienced. I may need to check what’s up.

shop-teacher > Zipppy, Mazdurp builder, Probeski owner and former ricerboy 05/22/2015 at 22:49

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It’s worse than that. If you use a regular socket with an impact wrench, it can shatter and send shrapnel all over.

AMGtech - now with more recalls! > BaconSandwich is tasty. 05/22/2015 at 23:10

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Definitely worth it. If the bolts are going to break they’re going to break. Make sure to soak them in a penetrating oil like PB. Don’t use wd-40, it’s terrible as a penetrating oil. Sometimes small air compressors can’t produce enough air quickly enough to work the impact sufficiently to do anything useful. So make sure you check the specs on your compressor’s output versus consumption for impacts you’re looking at. Check craigslist for high quality used name brands, avoid cheap crap like what harbor freight sells because those are only good for taking wheels off of Hondas. However, harbor freight impact sockets are fine. I personally prefer Ingersoll-Rand and use their 2135-qti. Honestly though, a 3ft. breaker bar might be a good bet if you’re not doing a lot of heavy stuff frequently.

Dingers Ghost, Champion Jockey > BaconSandwich is tasty. 05/22/2015 at 23:22

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Things to consider: Torque for sure. This is the biggest thing about a gun. If it’s got too much for the job at hand, it’s simply going to create more work. Too little and it just won’t cut it.

Weight. While this may not be super important, if you use one often it can be nicer to have a lighter one.

Durability. There are different designs and materials out there, you just need to make sure it will stand up to the care it will and will not see.

Air requirements. Some guns simply take and need more air than others. If you feel you’ll overwork your compressor and spend too much time waiting for pressure, either it’s time for a new compressor or a different gun. Often times, on reviews I see about impact guns, any complaint can often be pointed at the simple lack of air not powering the gun.

Noise. Some people would rather have a quieter gun, and there are muffled models, just remember this usually goes hand in hand with power.

Comfort and ease of use. If the gun’s too bulky or uncomfortable to use, it just won’t be effective. Same as any other tool.

My personal recommendation for impact gun? The one I have currently. My gun is the 1/2 inch Earthquake model from Harbor Freight. Mine gets used and abused constantly and has never once let me down. I am a technician at Ford so it is far from a weekend warrior. Has loads of power, fairly cheap (only about $100) and is more durable than any composite one I’ve used. My only complaint is the weight, which with it being all steel is on the heavy side. But, in my personal opinion, it is every bit as good if not better than the Mac AW612 gun I was paying well over $300 for at my previous job.

Just make sure with any gun you oil it before every use, only a few drops of oil before can really help save your gun from damage.

JawzX2, Boost Addict. 1.6t, 2.7tt, 4.2t > BaconSandwich is tasty. 05/22/2015 at 23:27

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I have a Milwaukee 2663 M18 cordless electric impact. It’s awesome! at 650 ft/lbs breaking torque it’s as powerful as a quality air impact, but cordless! An impact wrench is actually *less* likely to break a stuck bolt than cranking on it with a breaker bar, due to the small, high-frequency torque impulses. soak with plenty of penetrating lube and don’t necessarily use full power immediately and an impact is generally safer for your bolts than a breaker bar. Milwaukee makes an even more powerful model with 1100 ft/lbs of breaking torque , which is more than all but the most powerful 1/2” air impacts! watch out for cheap air-impacts that make big torque claims, most of them are full of shit. Any tool that costs less than $100 new may look like a bargain, but will either fail in short order or fail to provide the advertised power.

Zipppy, Mazdurp builder, Probeski owner and former ricerboy > shop-teacher 05/22/2015 at 23:44

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haven’t heard of that one, but I can imagine it happening. I have however heard cases of torque sticks breaking catastrophically as well.

swansong, rockin' the wagons > BaconSandwich is tasty. 05/22/2015 at 23:46

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A few months ago I invested in Milwaukee’s M18 Fuel (brushless motor) 1/2” compact impact wrench. I love it. 4Ah battery lasts forever, it has three torque settings, with a claimed max of 212 ftlbs. Handles lug nuts no problem, and has broken 17mm brake caliper and shock mount bolts easily. It still won’t replace a 24”+ breaker bar, but it makes the loosening/tightening of long threads a non issue, and working on the car is so much more fun.

BaconSandwich is tasty. > Zipppy, Mazdurp builder, Probeski owner and former ricerboy 05/23/2015 at 14:36

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Yikes. I can imagine that isn’t a fun thing to see/have happen.

BaconSandwich is tasty. > Big Bubba Ray 05/23/2015 at 14:36

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If they do shear off, do you just drill them out and re-tap the hole?

BaconSandwich is tasty. > Jedidiah 05/23/2015 at 14:37

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Interesting. Something I certainly hadn’t considered before.

BaconSandwich is tasty. > Dingers Ghost, Champion Jockey 05/23/2015 at 14:39

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Excellent post, and much appreciated!

I came across this set today:

http://www.canadiantire.ca/en/pdp/tools-h…

Given the reviews (and the price), I think it might be worth checking out. If it breaks, I could always go for something nicer.

BaconSandwich is tasty. > JawzX2, Boost Addict. 1.6t, 2.7tt, 4.2t 05/23/2015 at 14:42

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That’s interesting. I already own a set of 18V Milwaukee tools, so I could go for something like that as well. I had no idea some of the cordless ones were getting that powerful.

BaconSandwich is tasty. > jkm7680 05/23/2015 at 14:43

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I almost always use a torque wrench for my lug nuts. No point in messing something like that up!

BaconSandwich is tasty. > swansong, rockin' the wagons 05/23/2015 at 14:44

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Judging from the other comments, you aren’t the only one who likes the Milwaukee cordless models.

swansong, rockin' the wagons > BaconSandwich is tasty. 05/23/2015 at 14:49

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They seem to be quality units. Since I live in Wisconsin and went to school with some engineers who now work at Milwaukee Tool, I had to try them out. As I mentioned mine is the compact and easy to handle unit, and not the big boy gun that the other poster mentioned.

Dingers Ghost, Champion Jockey > BaconSandwich is tasty. 05/24/2015 at 00:19

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That seems like it’s not a bad set at all. It’s certainly a good start!