What tool can’t you live without for your yj?

redbullet

redbullet

YJ Enthusiast
Joined
May 11, 2021
Messages
318
Location
San Jose, CA
Yesterday I bought a 1/2” ratcheting wrench to get in a few tight places while changing the alternator and it made the job 1000 times easier than any other time I have had to tighten the serpentine belt back up! Any recommendations on other tools that you use to make common repairs way easier? Post your best tools and the jobs you use them for. Thanks!

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I've got a lot I could come up with but your post reminds me of the first ratcheting box wrench I ever bought: 9/16". It was 2013 and I was in the middle of the transfer case removal, working on the 6 nuts on the studs. Since they live between the confines of the transmission ribbing, you can't put a ratchet on them and a standard non ratchet wrench takes forever with a million partial turns.

I got up in the middle of stud number one, borrowed the parents car, drove clear across town 20 minutes away to sears, bought the one single wrench (high school kid so no money), and went back home. I probably didn't save any time but man it really saved pain on my wrist/arm.

I finally bought a full set of ratcheting wrenches (husky brand, 30 piece) for $70 at Home Depot, Black Friday 2019. Great purchase, although I have misplaced one or two of them by now.

There are many tools that I've bought for the YJ that would have made my life much harder without them. My bolt thread tester is a big one there, I use it all the time.
 
redbullet said:
Yesterday I bought a 1/2” ratcheting wrench to get in a few tight places while changing the alternator and it made the job 1000 times easier than any other time I have had to tighten the serpentine belt back up! Any recommendations on other tools that you use to make common repairs way easier? Post your best tools and the jobs you use them for. Thanks!

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Interesting picture as it has my fave in it.
My magnetic tray, while not exactly a tool, I do nothing without it so I don't lose fasteners.
Can't live without it.
 
redbullet said:
Yesterday I bought a 1/2” ratcheting wrench to get in a few tight places while changing the alternator and it made the job 1000 times easier than any other time I have had to tighten the serpentine belt back up! Any recommendations on other tools that you use to make common repairs way easier? Post your best tools and the jobs you use them for. Thanks!
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I would go ahead and invest in a whole set of these, but get the one's that have the joint so you can swivel the ratchet to any angle. My dad has a set, but it is one of the tools I have to be at his house to use because he knows I won't give it back if I borrow them :D
 
kjmagsig said:
That's what I use for a dome light, stuck on the top of my window frame. And it's handy for any time I need a little extra light when causing trouble under the hood.
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Causing trouble under the hood lol. I feel anything I fix end's up causing trouble for something else totally unrelated in the Jeep.

"Oh you changed out my cooling system? That's cute, it would be a real shame if my fuel pump doesn't work anymore so you can't test my cooling!" - My Jeep
 
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I've got a bunch of rubber wrenches to fix or rebuild the mechanicals but this MIG welder I bought has saved the day many times with frame rust repair or fabricating brackets and bodywork. I just bought a plasma cutter for my next project. Much faster and safer than my angle grinder and cut-off wheels in tight spaces.

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