Tools and Equipment
Tools and Equipment
This domain tests identification, correct selection, safe use and care of hand tools, measuring instruments, lifting gear and workshop equipment. Questions often ask which tool to use for a rusted brake pipe union or how to set a torque wrench.
Core rules
- Spanners: open-end for accessibility, ring for high torque, combination for general work, flare-nut for brake and fuel lines, socket with a breaker bar for seized fasteners. Use the exact size; an adjustable wrench rounds hex heads.
- Torque: tighten to the manufacturer's N·m figure with a calibrated torque wrench. Hold the wrench by the handle; a cheater bar overloads the spring. Extensions in line do not change torque; a crowfoot or offset adapter changes effective length and needs recalculation.
- Measuring: vernier caliper (least count 0.02 mm), micrometer (0.01 mm), feeler gauge for clearances, dial gauge and magnetic base for runout, tyre pressure gauge, multimeter.
- Lifting: trolley jack, jack stands, engine crane, slings rated for the load. Never exceed the SWL marked on a sling or chain.
- Air tools: oil daily, use whip checks on hose couplings, wear eye protection.
Worked example
A brake caliper bolt is specified at 85 N·m, but access requires a crowfoot wrench 50 mm long fitted at 90° to the torque wrench. At 90° the effective length is unchanged, so the setting stays 85 N·m. If the crowfoot were in line and extended a 400 mm wrench to 450 mm, the applied torque would be 85 × (450/400) = 95.6 N·m, so the wrench would need setting to about 85 × (400/450) = 75.6 N·m to avoid over-tightening.
Traps
- Using an open-end spanner as a hammer or a socket as a drift.
- Leaving a torque wrench set at its maximum; wind it back to zero after use.
- Measuring a worn brake disc with a vernier instead of a micrometer at the correct points.
- Using an extension bar to increase torque beyond the tool rating.