Advice for servicing air impact wrench?

in article snipped-for-privacy@unixnerd.demon.co.uk, John Burns at snipped-for-privacy@unixnerd.demon.co.uk wrote on 3/13/09 1:34 PM:

lucky you gets to strip it down ... sometimes one is unable to do that for engineering reasons in being built that way.

I blew out an air impact wrench on some truck tires, and think there is a O ring in there with the impact gun oil they have me use ... that I just destroyed from use.

I also do not think grease is the word ... take it apart, check for parts (see if you have a parts list to order from in your instruction manual) that are worn away ... and fill up with air gun oil is my suggestion.

However, I am not a brainaic on these things.

I just have to spend the big bucks on getting a professional air gun to use with my air tank tools .. which is why I think I have the problem, it is cheap and chinese. Gonna get a Yank gun next time.

sumbuddie hopes that helps

:?

Thanks for the advice :-)

A few years ago I started to replace all my tools with Snap On / Blue Point stuff. It's a lot better, no more rounded off bolt heads or stripped Allen bolts. Seems a lot better than most of the cheaper stuff I've seen, I suppose you get what you pay for. Ebay seems to be a good source for discounted new / used Snap On stuff.

It's not gunked up, odds are the seals have dried out and are leaking. If you ask your Snap-On guy, he should be able to sell you a rebuild kit with a couple seals in it.

Otherwise you can take the thing apart, get out the rubber parts, and take them to an industrial O-ring place to have them match them. Note that you can get O-rings made from a bunch of different materials, and you need to tell them that it's for a high-pressure air application and not oil or water.

You do need to oil the thing regularly, even if it's not getting a whole lot of use... and let me take this opportunity to recommend the Royal Purple Synfilm oil... it's a synthetic that has pretty strong solvent properties and tends to clean the crap out of there. Otherwise I think Castrol OC-11 or another turbine oil might be the most stable way to go.

--scott

Just stripped it, was prety clean inside. Gave is a good lube and it's better than it's ever been :-) Take off wheel nuts no problem now.

Snap On, if you have to pay full price in the UK, is poor value. Nor is their quality anything special. A good test is how long a cross head driver lasts in good condition when used with hardened screws - I still often drive them in by hand. And Wera is my choice there. For the usual spanners and sockets, etc, Halfords Pro range takes some beating. And has a no quibble life time warranty.

I'd had a few problems with their sockets rounding off nuts, but those were 12 point "normal", not the pro range. I also manged to break a few of their wrenches over the years. For light use they're not bad value though.

I found Snap-On's screwdrivers to be much better than anything else I've tried. In particular I bought a ratcheting screwdriver from them two years ago. I didn't expect much more than a gimmick, but I was very impressed by it and it sees regular use.

I've no experience of their normal range - just the pro one. And they have put up with anything I've thrown at them. Superb finish too.

Screwdrivers are actually quite a good test of the tool maker's art. Make them too hard and they break too easily. Too soft and they lose their profile. Not impressed with the couple of Snap On ones I own.

The absolute best ratcheting screwdrivers I have used are the Yankee ones. They used to be made in the US by Stanley, but I think these days they are made in the UK and seem only to be readily avaiable there. I find them a whole lot easier than an electric screwdriver for working in close quarters where you have a lot of screws to do. My co-workers cannot stand the things, though.

--scott

Exactly. With Snap-On you pay for the 'name' rather than the quality.

A good test is how long a cross head

Some years ago I bought a cross head screwdriver from Snap-On when I'd mislaid mine, and the S-O van happened to be outside. Cost about £7 IIRC. Within weeks of light use the corners had rounded off. OTOH my cheap Halfords one, (not Pro BTW) which I found later, is still sharp, and is still in use.

The next time the S-O guy turned up, he refused to replace it. On the basis no doubt, that I was not a regular customer, and he couldn't be bothered. So much for their lifetime warranty. His real customer was the w/s next door to me. An engine rebuild Co. I suppose I could have asked them to exchange the screwdriver for me, but I couldn't be bothered. What use is a crap quality screwdriver even if it is new?

The same poor quality goes for their hexagon keys. On tight screws they wind up looking like corkscrews, or round off. Damaging the hex screw in the process. There's only two names I trust for hex keys. Allen or Unbrako.

- I still

I've no doubt that the Halfords Pro range are good quality, but as I've said before, I don't think you need to even pay that sort of money for good hard wearing tools.

I have many spanners and sockets which cost far less, whic have withstood some serious use. A 13 piece combination set comes to mind. 10mm to 32mm. Cost me, IIRC, £16 from Screwfix, with a finish equally as good as that of Snap-On. Some of the larger sizes have been used with scaffold tubes to give extra leverage, and have survived without damage.

Personally I don't think you need a 'name' to find good quality tools. There are plenty to be had at prices considerably less than those of more well known brands. Mike..

Absolutely. Some 40 years ago I bought a tool set which was an offer in Motor Sport. Free credit and IIRC 5 monthly payments of 5 pounds. All 'no brand' stuff. Fitted socket tray with all the common AF, BSW and Metric sizes. Same with both open enders and ring spanners. A few assorted screwdrivers etc. In a nice steel cantilever box. Rough bright finish - but I've still got most of it and nothing ever broke. Despite the abuse of youth.