Using Impact Wrench Vs. 8 foot cheater/breaker bar

[SIXSPEED]

Originally Posted By: mechtech2
Originally Posted By: Chris142
Usually with an impact wrench you don't need to hold the part from turning. With a pipe you must hold it from turning.


Yes... like a crank bolt.

Or lug nuts when wheel is off the ground and sway bar end link nuts.

Will the impact wrench cause any potential damage to the crank, like the keyway?

 

[Vikas]

a consumer grade impact most likely will not be able to take off the crank pulley

 

[CLeming]

I was wondering the same thing about causing damage with a impact.
It seems that Cardone would like people to NOT use an impact when taking off axle nuts, or when putting them on.
CV Dos and Dont's PDF
Also many in the VW crowd are against using an impact on axle nuts to take them off because they claim that it will damage the wheel bearing.

 

[INTJ]

Originally Posted By: Vikas
With a long cheater bar, you have to worry about the forces other than the torque. Those forces are not balanced with a cheater bar.


Yes. There is that chance that the cheater pipe/ bar can be a little off centerline causing problems.

I have a Dewalt electric impact that is marginal at best. It's rated at 200# if I recall, but even on 100 # wheel lug nuts you're better off using a wrench if pressed for time.

I had to use a 2 ft. breaker bar on my 4.6L crank bolt. And a PIA to keep balancer-pulley from turning with wrench.

 

[Tegger]

Originally Posted By: Vikas
a consumer grade impact most likely will not be able to take off the crank pulley

DeWalt 350# electrics will have your crank bolt out in seconds. Guaranteed. ~$250 at Home Depot.

 

[Tegger]

Originally Posted By: CLeming
I was wondering the same thing about causing damage with a impact.
It seems that Cardone would like people to NOT use an impact when taking off axle nuts, or when putting them on.

Doesn't Cardone sell substandard aftermarket parts?

Honda, for one, certainly does not warn about removing axle nuts with an impact. In fact, Honda even advises to use a plastic hammer to knock the driveshaft out of the hub, in direct contravention to Cardone's last point.

However, it is Auto-Shop-101 common-knowledge not to use an impact to install an axle nut...

Originally Posted By: CLeming
Also many in the VW crowd are against using an impact on axle nuts to take them off because they claim that it will damage the wheel bearing.

I find this claim to be bizarre. The effect of the impact is ROTATIONAL (axial), so there should be zero force on the wheel bearing when removing an axle nut.

 

[Tegger]

Originally Posted By: INTJ


I have a Dewalt electric impact that is marginal at best. It's rated at 200# if I recall

I have a DeWalt DW293. It's rated at about 350#, and makes short work of everything I can reach with it.

I live in the North-East, and rust is my life. Even so, that DeWalt removes EVERYTHING. I have yet to encounter a single bolt, no matter how rusted, that it will not remove. Best $200 I ever spent.

 

[Tegger]

Originally Posted By: Silk
Originally Posted By: Tegger

Impact is best. Everywhere and always. [except for small fasteners, as I said later]

For breaking a fastener free yes, but if that thread is tight or rusted the impact will shear the bolt very quickly, or weld the threads and do the same.

No it won't. The bolt will buzz right off. Less damage to everything with the impact.

 

[INTJ]

Originally Posted By: Tegger
Originally Posted By: INTJ


I have a Dewalt electric impact that is marginal at best. It's rated at 200# if I recall

I have a DeWalt DW293. It's rated at about 350#, and makes short work of everything I can reach with it.

I live in the North-East, and rust is my life. Even so, that DeWalt removes EVERYTHING. I have yet to encounter a single bolt, no matter how rusted, that it will not remove. Best $200 I ever spent.



Yeah, 350 is good.

Mine just enough for carpentry work, such as driving in long lag bolts into treated lumber.

I'm not sure what that exact ft/pound spec. is on mine, but 240/ 250# rings a bell on it.

 

[Silk]

Originally Posted By: Tegger

No it won't. The bolt will buzz right off. Less damage to everything with the impact.


We must have soft wimpy bolts down here - a good impact will just take the head right off. When we were looking at these new fangled 1/2 impact guns for our workshop in 1973, the boss put a 3/8 bolt in the vice and gradually increased the pressure until the bolt sheared - so then we knew we had something stronger than our arms and to be careful with it.

 

[The_Eric]

Originally Posted By: Silk
Originally Posted By: Tegger

No it won't. The bolt will buzz right off. Less damage to everything with the impact.


We must have soft wimpy bolts down here - a good impact will just take the head right off. When we were looking at these new fangled 1/2 impact guns for our workshop in 1973, the boss put a 3/8 bolt in the vice and gradually increased the pressure until the bolt sheared - so then we knew we had something stronger than our arms and to be careful with it.


Yes, of course any 1/2" gun worth it's salt would make incredibly short work of a stuck 3/8" fastener. Heck, either of my 3/8" guns will do that... But if the fastener isn't seized, stuck or wasn't over tightened to begin with, there's no reason why an impact would break it.

 

[Vikas]

How will you prevent a cheater bar from breaking the bolt? You use exactly the same technique using the impact.

The only time you really need a breaker bar is when your impact is not adequate or can not reach there or it is a drain plug which will drench you and your impact with the fluid pouring from now removed drain plug!

A cheater bar has higher probability of damaging the fastener than an impact gun. I am still perplexed that you do not believe this.

- Vikas

 

[Rand]

I think the issue here is we have 2 different arguments going on.

THE OP's Argument vikas is right.

The other "argument" that people are turning this into isnt the same as the OP.

A bolt you need a 4ft cheater bar for.. you cant really do by "hand". Its a huge pain to try to keep the item from rotating also in some cases. You can bend the item the bolt is attached to just trying to turn the bolt etc.

The impact wrench if you have one good enough for the job is obviously better. Being retarded and using a 1000lb impact wrench will of course twist it off(if stuck badly).. you have to be smarter than the bolt... of course in that case the 4' breaker bar would have also.

There is less stress with an impact vs a giant breaker bar.. on everything.

That all being said in the secondary argument.

Some things are better done by hand. If you care for your lug nuts finish.. a breaker bar is better.

I usually tighten "by hand" on lug nuts .. drain plugs etc.

this isnt what the topic was originally about.