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Tool kit for modern horseless carriage?


Chili Ron

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Howdy,

Seems like I just keep moving my tool kit out of the way.

The Honda just keeps running.

The last tool I remember using is the screwdriver to put on plates.

Wait the torque wrench to put on lock lugs....

What do cars need today?

Im talking on the roads around town, long trips I would carry more of course.

I have been told adding 300 pounds hurts milage one mpg.

A set of sockets screwdriver with tips.

Please no blankets - food  - first aid kits and on. ....Tools please.

thanks aheadotime pards.

Best

CR

 

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Would help to know the year of vehicle you are talking about.  A '50s car needs different tools than a 2020s car.  One of these modern vehicles is pretty much if a hose breaks you can fix, or a light bulb goes out most likely fix.  fuel pump dies, ECM dies, etc your only tool you need is a functioning cell phone and a credit card.

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I'd have a lug wrench and a jack.

 

A one foot square piece of 3/4-in plywood, to set the jack on. If you are not on pavement, when you try to jack the car up, the jack just sinks down into the ground.

 

Two spare lug nuts.

 

A screwdriver that fit hose clamps.

 

A roll of duct tape for making emergency repairs on a radiator hose.

 

 A razor knife, for cutting bad ends off heater hoses.

 

One of these things, for getting hoses unstuck from the radiator.

radiator_hose_removal_tool.jpg.237467a517f2924b48120d2f68a9f61f.jpg

A screwdriver that fit tail light lenses (I've had cars with Phillips screws holding that on, Allen head screws, and torx screws, so I'd make sure I had the right ones).

 

A tire pressure gauge.

 

A Shrader tool for tightening valve cores.

 

Two spare valve cores.

 

Two spare valve caps.

 

A tire inflator chuck (I had a low tire one time, and a guy had a compressor and a hose, but he didn't have a tire chuck, so now I carry one).

 

An ice scraper.

 

A spare set of windshield wiper inserts.

 

An axe, a shovel, a small sledgehammer, and a 20 oz ball peen, because all four of these can come in handy.

 

Two gallons of potable water. My brother used to carry a 1 gallon antifreeze bottle full of tap water, in case he got a leak. But I decided to carry potable water, since I could put drinking water in the radiator, but he could not drink that antifreeze water in the yellow jug.

 

You will notice there are no mechanics tools on that list. That's because when I lift the hood on a new car I don't recognize a single damn thing underneath it. So if my engine broke, I'd call a wrecker.

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Channel locks

Fuses

Duct tape

Multi tip screwdriver

Hammer

Wire cutters

Electrical tape

Adjustable crescent wrenches 1 big 1 small

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Chili Ron,

I have kept one of these Crescent 170 piece tool kits in my truck for a very long time and it has paid for itself time and time again. It takes up very little room. Maybe 18”x18”x4” and weighs about 15 pounds. 
 

Limited-time deal: Crescent 170 Pc. General Purpose Tool Set - Closed Case - CTK170CMP2 https://smile.amazon.com/dp/B00F4AVRGW/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_glt_fabc_dlT1_KZ5CCCJ0JSZ33F4F8NVV

 

This is a good price too. 

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Howdy,

I just think how much I would have used that kit if I had it when

I was about 19. Psycho MG just kept breaking.

How could that tiny engine break an axle shaft?

HOW?

Best

CR

 

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A basic tool kit as above, plus, if in the budget, a good quality code reader/scan tool.  On two different occasions I have effected temporary "fixes" alongside the road simply by shutting down, reading and then clearing a code, then restarting.  Even if that doesn't work, the scan tool will tell you what code has been set, and what system is affected...Potentially valuable info if you are stuck 30 miles from East Nowhere, and will be trusting an unknown mechanic to diagnose and fix the problem without maxing out that credit card.

 

CS

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Howdy 

Im getting some good ideas about what to leave home.

That 170 kit? If I need that I will probably ruin whats left of my back....

Best

CR

 

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Stubby ratchet screwdriver bit set sae/metric sockets. Stubby open/box end wrench set sae/metric. Pair of needle nose and standard pliers. Fuses mixed. Lectric tape, spare relay. 4way tire tool and cheater bar collapsible shovel.  2 log chains. A used mudflap i found is good to lay on.

 

That'll fix most roadside stuff. If its more involved than that I go home for the real tools

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When I was younger, the cars I could afford had few emissions gadgets, were simple to work on and everything was easy to get at. I carried a few basic tools that I often used. Then it seemed like they added miles of vacuum hoses and doodads and a computer. Oh and the manufacturers also worked very hard to make things inaccessible and/or require special tools. Time marched on and they became ever more complicated, the mechanics required a PHD in auto mechanics, but they also became more reliable and more energy efficient. I no longer bench press transmissions or steering boxes, but those darn cell phones and AAA have their purpose. 

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Not a fan of the Road Service (AAA, Good Sam, etc) cards. If you have one that has worked for you, excellent.

I can't tell you how many times I sat behind a disabled motorist, who called AAA or something similar, waiting on their arrival which never took less that 45-50 minutes. Not out in the sticks, just on roads between towns.

 

One night I stopped for a disabled vehicle on the top of a hill. Clear, summer night, wee hours. Female motorist, alone, ( no cell phones then) asked us to call the 800 number on her magic tow truck card. We did and they said they would be right there. Waited almost an hour. What made it worse was we could actually see a tow company's garage and yard at the bottom of the hill. But they were not part of the magic tow truck service, and the driver insisted on using her card. So we sat.

 

Then yours truly had a breakdown going to Landrun about three years ago. I called my magic tow truck number and had to explain that a mile marker on the Kansas Turnpike was the best address I could give. Somehow this was a major stumbling block to my magic tow truck dispatcher. 3 HOURS LATER, magic tow truck company could not find me, an hour north of Wichita. I called the Kansas Turnpike Authority (*KTA), told them where I was and asked them to send a wrecker. 30 minutes later was loaded and headed to Wichita for repairs. Funny thing was once we were back home a week later, I looked up my status on the magic tow truck app on my phone. They still had me southbound on the Kansas Turnpike with a tow en route. Incredible.

 

Now and then I get a card in the mail from a road service company. Some of the thicker cards make good ice scrapers.

 

I would suggest calling a police agency or an authority like KTA. They know who runs reliable towing services.

 

Here endeth the rant.

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I carry tools in my truck because if your wheels are on dirt that isn’t right next to a surfaced road any AAA tow is automatically $500 and up. Believe it. 

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I used to shoot IPSC with a guy who was a mechanic for a major Jaguar dealership. He told me about the recent (then) incident where their salesman made a sale of a new Jag with trade-in. At handover, the buyer opened the boot(we are in Australia) to retrieve his toolkit; a bricklayers lump hammer and a cold chisel, stating that he needed them in case he had to loosen and tighten the wheel nuts to change a flat tyre, if he got one. Yes, he knew the new vehicle comes with a tool kit; but he didn't know how to use them.

 

True Story (I was told this in mid 80s)

 

:blink:

 

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"...What do cars need today?..."

 

a good mechanic first - a decent towing company and a mobile phone , and i am armed , when your over 70 you just dont want to deal with the tools , 

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43 minutes ago, watab kid said:

"...What do cars need today?..."

 

a good mechanic first - a decent towing company and a mobile phone , and i am armed , when your over 70 you just dont want to deal with the tools , 

After reading all the needs or not needs....Would it not cheaper and easier to have a mechanic with tow truck just follow you around all day....

 

Texas Lizard

 

Of course with parts.....

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TOOLs??  REALLY??  Your kidding.  My car doesn't have anything that looks like anything I have EVER worked on.  It also doesn't have Jack nor Spare Tire. It has "Run Flat Tires."   Only "tools" to carry are a Cell Phone and a Credit Card.

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Howdy,

Guy at the car parts store LOVED the plywood idea.

I got an inexpensive all way flasher. AAA batteries.

Not perfect but ok.

ten bucks.

Best

CR

 

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Around the area I live? So, short trips of, say, 25 miles or less?

Jack (w/ flat piece of wood for base)
Lug Wrench

E-tool (I live in a rural-ish area. It has come in handy, especially in winter)

Recovery strap (see above)

4'x6' Carpet piece

Flashlights

Multi-tool
Cellphone

Roadside Assistance Card
 

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Being in auto repair business for 50 years, and with the electronics of the newer cars, if the engine dies and  breaks down on the road, you are not going to fix it, unless you are close to a parts store. Then you will make the counter guys day by you throwing parts at it in hopes you get lucky. Best idea,  carry a copy of " War and Piece" to read while you wait for a tow truck. By the way the tow truck industry has grown 1000's of  percent sense the mid 80's when computer cars hit the market.

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I can change a tire with the included kit - be aware some new vehicles don't have a spare.

Can't work on anything under the hood of a new car.  This is my tool kit.

Image result for visa card

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I don't buy new cars so.

 The car.    Jack and star tire iron, extra qt of oil. Screw driver set, fuses, pliers, hammer,  gorilla tape, light bulbs.

 

Trucks:  all there same for car,  inline fuel filter,  log chain, and jumper cables.  

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The EMA has issued a travel warning due to the cold weather.
They suggest that anyone traveling in the current icy conditions should make sure they have the following:
Shovel
Blankets 
Hat and gloves
24 hours worth of food
De-Icer
Rock Salt
Flashlight with spare batteries
Road Flares or Reflective Triangles
Empty gas Can
First Aid Kit
Booster cables
I looked like an idiot on the bus this morning...

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3 hours ago, LawMan Mark, SASS #57095L said:

The EMA has issued a travel warning due to the cold weather.
They suggest that anyone traveling in the current icy conditions should make sure they have the following:
Shovel
Blankets 
Hat and gloves
24 hours worth of food
De-Icer
Rock Salt
Flashlight with spare batteries
Road Flares or Reflective Triangles
Empty gas Can
First Aid Kit
Booster cables
I looked like an idiot on the bus this morning...

Only those of us who have been in that kind of weather working can really see the humor of this...

Congrats on NOT working out in that!

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Tire gauge

- This is specific to each vehicle, I put the pressures on a label on the gauge

Jumper cables

Flashlight

Shop towel (real cloth)

Partial roll of paper towels

Hand cleaner

A couple grocery bags (dirty towels, dirty parts)

A gallon worth of drinking water in small bottles

- Yes, you can drink it, but it is for the radiator!

Quart of motor oil

Screwdriver kit with additional torx or other tips your vehicle needs (light bulb changes)

As a minimum, the wrench or two to replace the battery

AAA card

Cell phone

 

Fine, also the jack and lug wrench.

 

Beyond that... an option is to buy any other tools needed when needed since you are at the store buying parts anyway.

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3 hours ago, LawMan Mark, SASS #57095L said:

The EMA has issued a travel warning due to the cold weather.
They suggest that anyone traveling in the current icy conditions should make sure they have the following:
Shovel
Blankets 
Hat and gloves
24 hours worth of food
De-Icer
Rock Salt
Flashlight with spare batteries
Road Flares or Reflective Triangles
Empty gas Can
First Aid Kit
Booster cables
I looked like an idiot on the bus this morning...

 

 .... if the petrol can is to be empty, would it matter if we use the old, rusty can with a hole in it ?

 

:mellow:

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