Tools and Workshop Practice
Tools and Workshop Practice - what the exam tests
This domain tests correct selection, use, care and calibration of hand tools, measuring instruments and wiring-repair materials: spanner types, torque, micrometers and verniers, multimeters, crimping and soldering, drills and taps. Expect questions on which tool suits which fastener and on reading a measurement correctly.
Hand tools
- Use the exact size; ring, combination and six-point sockets reduce rounding of soft or corroded nuts.
- Use flare-nut (line) wrenches on brake, fuel and hydraulic lines - an adjustable wrench destroys the hex.
- Insulated screwdrivers rated to 1000 V for work near live circuits; never use a screwdriver as a pry bar or chisel.
- Use pullers for bearings and ball joints; a hard hammer on a machined face causes damage that shows up later.
Measuring and torque
- Vernier caliper: typically 0.02 mm resolution; check zero with the jaws closed and read square-on to avoid parallax.
- Micrometer: 0.01 mm; use the ratchet thimble for consistent measuring force.
- Feeler gauges for plug gaps, valve clearances and reluctor air gaps.
- Torque wrench: set mid-range, wind back to zero after use, recalibrate periodically. Click types tighten only - never loosen with them.
Wiring repair
Crimp with the correct die and pull-test the joint; solder with rosin-core solder and cover with heat-shrink; choose cable gauge by current and permissible voltage drop, not by what fits the terminal.
Worked example
Specification 45 N·m, wrench 250 mm, in-line crowfoot 50 mm. Effective length becomes 300 mm, so set the wrench to 45 × 250/300 = 37.5 N·m. Reasoning: the longer lever multiplies torque, so a lower setting still delivers exactly 45 N·m at the fastener.
Traps that cost marks
- Adjustable wrench on brake lines.
- Undoing a bolt with a torque wrench.
- Reading a caliper without zeroing it.
- Twist-and-tape on a vibrating harness instead of a crimp or solder joint.
- Mixing imperial and metric threads or fasteners.