Craftsman tool warranty
- Thread starter Milkman
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Originally Posted By: Milkman
Update :
I soaked the ratchet head in ATF overnight. It appears to have cured the problem. Thanks !
(PS I used Pennzoil Multi-Vehicle Synthetic ATF)
I have been putting the ratchet heads in a small cut down jug of ATF every weekend for decades, it keeps them clean and lubricates them well. Just let them sit on a couple of paper towels when you remove them and wipe them off, that's it.
The only one I don't put in there is the Snap-On dual 80 with a sealed head. Some manual transmissions use ATF in place of MTF and it manages to keep the gears and internals properly lubed.
Update :
I soaked the ratchet head in ATF overnight. It appears to have cured the problem. Thanks !
(PS I used Pennzoil Multi-Vehicle Synthetic ATF)
I have been putting the ratchet heads in a small cut down jug of ATF every weekend for decades, it keeps them clean and lubricates them well. Just let them sit on a couple of paper towels when you remove them and wipe them off, that's it.
The only one I don't put in there is the Snap-On dual 80 with a sealed head. Some manual transmissions use ATF in place of MTF and it manages to keep the gears and internals properly lubed.
Originally Posted By: Trav
Originally Posted By: Milkman
Update :
I soaked the ratchet head in ATF overnight. It appears to have cured the problem. Thanks !
(PS I used Pennzoil Multi-Vehicle Synthetic ATF)
I have been putting the ratchet heads in a small cut down jug of ATF every weekend for decades, it keeps them clean and lubricates them well. Just let them sit on a couple of paper towels when you remove them and wipe them off, that's it.
The only one I don't put in there is the Snap-On dual 80 with a sealed head. Some manual transmissions use ATF in place of MTF and it manages to keep the gears and internals properly lubed.
I've done this a few times since seeing your recommendation.
I have a few 1960's SK's that it made a night and day difference on. I've even done it with my Craftsman raised panels as well as my 1/2" HF'er. I don't feel so bad getting them wet now either. (Coolant, working outside, piers etc.)
Originally Posted By: Milkman
Update :
I soaked the ratchet head in ATF overnight. It appears to have cured the problem. Thanks !
(PS I used Pennzoil Multi-Vehicle Synthetic ATF)
I have been putting the ratchet heads in a small cut down jug of ATF every weekend for decades, it keeps them clean and lubricates them well. Just let them sit on a couple of paper towels when you remove them and wipe them off, that's it.
The only one I don't put in there is the Snap-On dual 80 with a sealed head. Some manual transmissions use ATF in place of MTF and it manages to keep the gears and internals properly lubed.
I've done this a few times since seeing your recommendation.
I have a few 1960's SK's that it made a night and day difference on. I've even done it with my Craftsman raised panels as well as my 1/2" HF'er. I don't feel so bad getting them wet now either. (Coolant, working outside, piers etc.)
I have broken some ratchet teeth but I cant remember ever having one apart to lube it.
Think about how a ratchet works, its nothing more than a movable pawl. It doesn't matter if the teeth are on rotating center and the pawl in the housing or the teeth are in the housing and the pawl is in the rotating middle. the number of pawls also doesn't matter.
When it clicks like when you want to grab the next tooth there is very little pressure hence little wear on the teeth or pawl, when it grabs a tooth it jams the pawl into it so it cant move, because its jammed in there is little wear.
Put a heavy lube like grease in there and now you can have problems because you may slow down the reaction time of the pawl causing it to only partially engage the tooth/teeth causing it to slip, now you have real wear and tear.
This is especially bad for ratchets that have their teeth on the inside of the head which are mostly fine tooth, this can actually ruin the ratchet.
I have read guys claiming they take it apart, lube it and now its quiet, they believe they have just done something good when in fact the opposite is true. The quicker the reaction time of the pawl the less chance of partial tooth engagement and slipping.
I picked up this trick many years ago and some of them are well over 20 years and a couple over 30 and none has ever been apart and they have been used a lot.
Springs do loose compression and teeth do break and no amount of lube will prevent that but ATF is more than good enough to keep them working properly with a minimum of wear.
Think about how a ratchet works, its nothing more than a movable pawl. It doesn't matter if the teeth are on rotating center and the pawl in the housing or the teeth are in the housing and the pawl is in the rotating middle. the number of pawls also doesn't matter.
When it clicks like when you want to grab the next tooth there is very little pressure hence little wear on the teeth or pawl, when it grabs a tooth it jams the pawl into it so it cant move, because its jammed in there is little wear.
Put a heavy lube like grease in there and now you can have problems because you may slow down the reaction time of the pawl causing it to only partially engage the tooth/teeth causing it to slip, now you have real wear and tear.
This is especially bad for ratchets that have their teeth on the inside of the head which are mostly fine tooth, this can actually ruin the ratchet.
I have read guys claiming they take it apart, lube it and now its quiet, they believe they have just done something good when in fact the opposite is true. The quicker the reaction time of the pawl the less chance of partial tooth engagement and slipping.
I picked up this trick many years ago and some of them are well over 20 years and a couple over 30 and none has ever been apart and they have been used a lot.
Springs do loose compression and teeth do break and no amount of lube will prevent that but ATF is more than good enough to keep them working properly with a minimum of wear.
Honestly, I don't know how Sears stays in business... wait, they're closing stores, big surprise! I feel sorry for the employees. Sears used to be the end all be all. Right now, HF has better deals. I just bought a 1/2" Pittsburg Pro ratchet set with sockets at HF, and I have to admit, I love it, much better than my older Craftsman ratchets. If I break it, I can walk into HF and get a no hassle replacement. I don't remember what I paid, but it was reasonable. I just looked at a set of 1/2" deep sockets at Sears and they were ~$70, similar set with more sockets at HF, ~$35, and they looked better quality, seriously!
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