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06-03-2007, 06:13 AM

BeachBumMike

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Join Date: Dec 2005

Location: SpaceCoast, Florida

Posts: 16,095

+ Tech Tools + More + How 2 Do it + Q&A

[align=center]High Tech Tools
Pat Goss
[/align][align=center]This time I have some interesting new products to work on cars with. First one is this Tracerline COBRA borescope. It has two lights on the end of it - a blue one to reflect the dye that you would use in leak detection. And it has a white one just to illuminate things - works really well. [/align][align=center]And you might find something like we found on one car. There was a bad head gasket; leaking oil of all things. Alright, so you're going to replace a head gasket on a car. Today the bolts that hold the cylinder head to the car, well they usually have to be replaced and they're called "torque-to-yield" bolts. You know in days gone by you use to take a torque wrench, and all you did was tighten the bolts according to specifications and that was the end of the deal. [/align][align=center]Well today that's not the case. These "torque-to-yield" bolts require a torque angle meter. Now this thing has a socket on it; you put the socket on. It has a bar that you align against something in engine. Then you set this dial to zero, put your wrench in here, and turn it the specified number of degrees. Now you may have to do three sequences of this. So every time you move it from one bolt to another, you have to readjust it, reposition it, and although it works, it's a real pain. [/align][align=center]Now here is the newest way to do it. This is from Snap-On Tools. This is a digital torque wrench that has a built in gyroscope. That gyroscope gives it the ability to measure torque angle as well as torque. So you can go through the whole process one step with this torque wrench - pretty clever.[/align][align=center]Okay now, most everybody has something around the house - it may be a lawn tractor, it may be a boat, it may be whatever -- but it has grease fittings in it. And grease fittings are notorious for getting clogged up. You can't get any grease into them. This tool from Blue Point has a plunger in it. You take a product like WD-40 or any rust penetrant. Put the product into the cavity, put the plunger back in, put the tool onto the grease fitting and then with the heel of your hand or a soft hammer, you tap on it. Generates tremendous force. Forces the rust penetrant into the grease fitting, frees everything up then you take a regular grease gun, grease the fitting and you're good to go. Saves a lot of time and wear on the lubricated part.
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[/align][align=center]If you have a question or comment, write to me.
The address is MotorWeek, Owings Mills, MD, 21117.[/align]