1/2 drive enough oomph?

Dadwagon

Well-known member
Joined
May 20, 2018
Location
Canton, ct
TDI
2004 Jetta Wagon
For the 19 MM crank all, will I be able to get the required torque setting (88 pounds +90°) with half inch drive?

My current toolbox for that kind of job Is 20 inch driver with a cheater pipe in a Stanley 12 point standard socket

Wondering if I should go to Harbor freight and grab three-quarter inch drive stop?
 

Fixmy59bug

Veteran Member
Joined
Aug 1, 2009
Location
Las Vegas, NV
TDI
2015 Passat TDI SE
I think it depends on the quality of the tool...

I broke a 1/2" breaker bar doing this same job, but it was some made in china crap. It broke right where the pin goes into the swivel head. Smashed my knuckles into the ground and damn near my forehead too.
 

Mongler98

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Mar 23, 2011
Location
COLORADO (SE of Denver)
TDI
98 Jetta TDI AHU 1.9L (944 TDI swap in progress) I moved so now i got nothing but an AHU in a garage on a pallet.
buy $3 socket, weld it to a par of iron or black pipe or whatever. I saw someone use a cheep 3/8 drive torque wrench to get it to 90ftlbs, then he bolted the socket to a 2x4 framing lumber and cranked it down, this was on a POS Chevy s10. IT WORKED i ended up getting him a six pack on our bet that it would not work. My Hard drive got wiped back in 2006 so i dont have them pictures i took with my 1magapixle flip phone in the dark but its a good story.
 

Tdijarhead

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Nov 10, 2013
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Lawrenceville PA
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2003 TDI Jetta Daughters Car, 2001 TDI Beetle, Wife’s car, 2005 Golf TDI Mine, all 5 spds
Get some quality tools Mac , snap on and throw the Chinese junk in the garbage.
 

Mongler98

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Mar 23, 2011
Location
COLORADO (SE of Denver)
TDI
98 Jetta TDI AHU 1.9L (944 TDI swap in progress) I moved so now i got nothing but an AHU in a garage on a pallet.
Get some quality tools Mac , snap on and throw the Chinese junk in the garbage.
not this time troll.
those tools are overpriced and aside from a few times when it was worth it for that one tool that you had to have, pointless.

cobalt and crafsman (well at least the old ones for craftsman)

at the price you have spent on mac or scamon tools, you could replace a broken HF tool 20 times over but you dont have to because that cheep Chinese crap has lifetime replacement on it as well.

Husky is actually fairly good.

You think your scamon tools are not cheep chineseium! lol.

I stocked my garage with a 5x10 foot tool cabinet from a no name with bearing rollers, and got all my sockets and tools, just about everything under the sun and more, and im only out about $6K in total. I have worked on countless Porsches, VW, Lexus, you name it, and never had much more than the a few tools brake like a 1/2" breaker bar. Use the right tool for the right application and dont ask too much of the tool your using it for, otherwise get a better tool or bigger tool when needed only.
I bet you are the guy who purchased a tap and die set all at once, well i have all the ones ill ever need and i got them all one at a time and still spend 1/16 the price of a snapon tap and die set.
Aside from school debt, tool financing is a HUGE scam for mechanics.

Go troll somewhere else.
 

Tdijarhead

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Nov 10, 2013
Location
Lawrenceville PA
TDI
2003 TDI Jetta Daughters Car, 2001 TDI Beetle, Wife’s car, 2005 Golf TDI Mine, all 5 spds
Troll really?

If you’re going to use tools everyday then buying quality is in your best interest. The Mac tools I have acquired are the common hand tools that you use almost every time you open your toolbox.I keep watch on eBay and other places you can actually pick up some good deals and I have done so, as I do not have direct access to one of those traveling tool truck emporiums.

I have some craftsman inherited from my Dad, I started to add to that with Kobalt, then they went offshore so I stopped that and started with mostly Mac.

It’s throwing out comments like “troll” that irritate others and don’t really strengthen your point.

To think I was deliberately cutting you some slack as others took your opinions to the woodshed.

By the way I don’t have a set of tap and dies, I do have my brothers chinese set on my bench and it is complete garbage. I already ruined two taps and have yet to complete the job I need to do.
 

Hyde7278

Veteran Member
Joined
Nov 11, 2012
Location
Central Mich
TDI
2001 Golf GL
Buying quality tools (snap on, Mac, matco, SK) at pawn shops and eBay is the best way to go. The cheap tool only cost you more in the long run.

If all you ever do is oil changes then go cheap but if you use them more then a few times it's worth getting quality.

I've bought a few 1/2 breaker bars and 24" 80t snap on ratchets for well under a $100. If you go with the older 36t ratchets (24") you can find them for closer to $50. Even a HF one will cost you $30+.
 

Mongler98

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Joined
Mar 23, 2011
Location
COLORADO (SE of Denver)
TDI
98 Jetta TDI AHU 1.9L (944 TDI swap in progress) I moved so now i got nothing but an AHU in a garage on a pallet.
a socket bolted to a 2x4 can do the trick some times
Relax, i get called a troll sometimes too, not trying to bust your balls!
I do buy a few quality tools when i need them or one craps out on me, like a air impact or taps.
I had to buy a quality transmission jack as mine crapped out on me, old 1940's beast. So glad i did, but i still got it at HF and its done everything i have ever asked it to do and much more.
This thread is now about tools.
 

[486]

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Mar 1, 2014
Location
MN
TDI
02 golf ALH
I use the impact to get the 90 degrees, who cares how it's turned that last little bit so long as the bolt gets the stretch.

it does take my big #5 spline drive impact though
 

fouillard13

Veteran Member
Joined
Oct 8, 2012
Location
Pincher Creek, AB
TDI
03 Jetta TDI Standard
I've used mastercraft and other junk my whole life. My new job has about 30 fully tooled up snap on tool boxes with snap on tools. The quality is night and day. I’m scared to see the price tags though. Amazing tools. Very nic stuff.
 

Ol'Rattler

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Jul 3, 2007
Location
PNA
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2006 BRM Jetta
In case anyone is interested, Craftsman tools are now Chinese made garbage. If you have older American made Craftsmen tools, hold on to them and just throw them away if they ever break because what Sears will warranty them with are Chinese garbage.
 

oilhammer

Certified Volkswagen Nut & Vendor
Joined
Dec 11, 2001
Location
outside St Louis, MO
TDI
There are just too many to list....
In case anyone is interested, Craftsman tools are now Chinese made garbage. If you have older American made Craftsmen tools, hold on to them and just throw them away if they ever break because what Sears will warranty them with are Chinese garbage.

Yep, and Sears just announced they are lawyering up for bankruptcy.

I gave the OP in his other thread about the same topic ( :rolleyes: ) a couple numbers for the proper SSTs, evidently he is not interested. And those tools are not even *that* expensive (but do require a quality 1/2 drive breaker bar and 12 point 19mm socket).

Good tools (Snap-On, Mac, Cornwell, etc.) are worth every penny. If you have been knuckle busting with Chinese crap, you don't know what you are missing.
 

jimbote

Certified Volkswagen Nut
Joined
Jul 10, 2006
Location
spiral arm, milky way (aka central NC)
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Tacoma 4x4 converted to TDI
i have a pile of $$$ broken snap on sockets, the set is slowly getting replaced with kobalt, craftsman, gear wrench... snap on mostly an overpriced average tool that's main appeal is name, shiny, comes to you, and you can make payments.. i do feel like MAC edges out snap on when it comes to durability... everbody's experience varies, not wanting to start a tool war ;)
 
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oilhammer

Certified Volkswagen Nut & Vendor
Joined
Dec 11, 2001
Location
outside St Louis, MO
TDI
There are just too many to list....
I have only ever broken one Snap-On tool, a long 3/8" ratchet, doing something beyond what it was meant to do. I put a pipe over the end of it for extra leverage, should have used a bigger 1/2" one but due to clearance issues I could not fit it in there. That's it. I still have all the same tools I bought new back in the early '90s out of school, most are Snap-On. Obviously added to them over the years, but used daily, repeatedly. I just use their hand tools, all my air stuff is IR with Mac sockets. My electric impact is a Snap-On though.... 8 years old, third pair of batteries... been dropped, run over, sprayed with every kind of liquid you can think of...most recently dropped in a pan full of a G12/diesel/filth mix and submerged :eek: Still kickin'.

My only compaint? The sockets' markings were easy to read when my eyes were younger, now I have trouble. The newer versions have more pronounced lettering and are easier to read. And I am told if I ever actually break one of my sockets (I have over 200 of them) I will get the newer one as a replacement. :eek: I do have some chrome swivels that are getting pretty loose, though. Maybe I should start there. ;)
 

jokila

Vendor
Joined
Dec 3, 2004
Location
Houston, Texas
TDI
2003 Jetta GLS, Manual
I have only ever broken one Snap-On tool, a long 3/8" ratchet, doing something beyond what it was meant to do. I put a pipe over the end of it for extra leverage, should have used a bigger 1/2" one but due to clearance issues I could not fit it in there. That's it. I still have all the same tools I bought new back in the early '90s out of school, most are Snap-On. Obviously added to them over the years, but used daily, repeatedly. I just use their hand tools, all my air stuff is IR with Mac sockets. My electric impact is a Snap-On though.... 8 years old, third pair of batteries... been dropped, run over, sprayed with every kind of liquid you can think of...most recently dropped in a pan full of a G12/diesel/filth mix and submerged :eek: Still kickin'.
My only compaint? The sockets' markings were easy to read when my eyes were younger, now I have trouble. The newer versions have more pronounced lettering and are easier to read. And I am told if I ever actually break one of my sockets (I have over 200 of them) I will get the newer one as a replacement. :eek: I do have some chrome swivels that are getting pretty loose, though. Maybe I should start there. ;)

I bought a set of Craftsman 3/8 drive deep and regular sockets a few years ago that were well marked. Not only in the size of the font, but the fact that all of the markings are on the socket in such a way when you store them in the holder they face the same direction. Seems like a no brainer, but many tools don't even do that simple thing.
 

Curious Chris

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Joined
Jun 11, 2001
Location
Pineview GA
TDI
Jetta Wagon 2003 RIP Rockford IL
I use the impact to get the 90 degrees, who cares how it's turned that last little bit so long as the bolt gets the stretch.

it does take my big #5 spline drive impact though
I love my Dewalt 20 volt impact wrench it will do 900 ft-lbs going forward. Wish I had had it when I did my suspension refresh and had to change the subframe.
 

jmodge

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Jun 18, 2015
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Greenville, MI
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2001 alh Jetta, RC2 w/.205's 5speed daily summer commuter and 2000 alh Jetta 5spd swap, 2" lift, hitch, stage 3 TDtuning w/.216's winter cruiser, 1996 Tacoma ALh
For the 19 MM crank all, will I be able to get the required torque setting (88 pounds +90°) with half inch drive?
My current toolbox for that kind of job Is 20 inch driver with a cheater pipe in a Stanley 12 point standard socket
Wondering if I should go to Harbor freight and grab three-quarter inch drive stop?
Ask a simple question, mommy and daddy fight. I did mine with 1/2” and bar. As stated, hardest part is the last 1/4 turn, heavy torque. My opinion, if you break it, then try something else. Be careful pushing on tools in the event they do break
 

[486]

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Mar 1, 2014
Location
MN
TDI
02 golf ALH
Use a long pipe and when your tools let go you don't smash your knuckles. More torque for less force.

Not just for cheap tools, but a good thing to know for the new 80 tooth ratchets that are so common now, my snap-on ones all pop and snap with the smallest bits of chewed up teeth in them. Sure wish they were still selling 36 tooth stuff when I bought my junk with the student discount...

I love my Dewalt 20 volt impact wrench it will do 900 ft-lbs going forward. Wish I had had it when I did my suspension refresh and had to change the subframe.
Guy at the junkyard had one, was zinging off lug nuts that my 18v snap-on ni-cad wouldn't even touch
I did dig it out of the garbage and stuck new cells in the batteries, but still, jeez louise those new impacts got some poop to them.
 

flee

Veteran Member
Joined
Sep 19, 2011
Location
Chatsworth, CA
TDI
2002 Jetta GLS wagon
I'm not a pro by any stretch but I appreciate the feel of a quality tool when I work.
Many years ago I bought a set of Facom French-made sockets, drives and various
hand tools, most notably a set of indestructible angle fixed socket wrenches.
I still reach for these any time a bolt or nut is involved and I've never seen another
manufacturer make anything like them.
 
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BobnOH

not-a-mechanic
Joined
May 29, 2004
Location
central Ohio
TDI
New Beetle 2003 manual
As an afterthought, the answer is Yes, your 1/2" drive stuff will work just fine. You may need a pipe to get 90 degrees.
 

Vince Waldon

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Joined
Apr 25, 2009
Location
Edmonton AB Canada
TDI
2001 ALH Jetta, 2003 ALH Wagon, 2005 BEW Wagon
... and use the shortest extension on the socket you can... it's going to want to twist as you do the extra 90.

That also means mark the socket rather than the wrench handle to know you've gone 90. :) :)
 

[486]

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Mar 1, 2014
Location
MN
TDI
02 golf ALH
... and use the shortest extension on the socket you can... it's going to want to twist as you do the extra 90.
That also means mark the socket rather than the wrench handle to know you've gone 90. :) :)
If doing it on the ground I'd get it out past the wheelwell and on a jackstand, so you can get on it with a pipe

then when stuff breaks you aren't going to bleed
 
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