What's Inside EricTheCarGuy's Tool Box? - EricTheCarGuy

[@ericthecarguy]

@13FravelJ No smaller. I don't often do any work at home, it used to be the box I used at my shop, the box in this video was the box I had at my job.

[@ericthecarguy]

@testbooster I don't use the vacuum pump for bleeding but rather testing of vacuum operated components. I normally just use home made tool shown in the disc brake video for bleeding brakes.

[@ericthecarguy]

@spelunkerd The tool you refer to is just an air gun with a long end on it. As for diagnosing the coil on plug I just unplug the coil like I showed in the power balance video.

[@ericthecarguy]

@smithdsmit I don't know for sure but you might. I would check the belt tensioner first as the bearings in those go bad a lot more than in alternators. Take the belt off and spin all the stuff to see if you can pin the noise down.

[@ericthecarguy]

@M1dyGamer First aid kit is the black bag against the wall on top of the box on the left. It has a Lexus logo on the front. (got it from a used car). I didn't cover my engine hoist either.

[@ericthecarguy]

@southernjags I would suspect an issue with that trans, in particular the shift valves hanging up or something is out of adjustment, since you just got it I would take it back for them to check out.

[@ericthecarguy]

@13FravelJ You need your own tools, the dealership often provides any 'special' tools that are required by the manufacturer however.

[@ericthecarguy]

@fastjdm American car makes went to metric back in the 80's actually but there are times when you use an SAE tool as there are still some applications where you need them, it's also nice when you run into a rusted fastener and just using an SAE size will work better than a metric.

[@ericthecarguy]

@Michiganborn1969 Some vehicles default to AC operation just about all the time so it is possible that this is normal. They usually put an AC button on the HVAC for an override however.

[@ericthecarguy]

@13FravelJ No. They would be considered 'common' tools that are for shop use. Sometimes you get specific tools per technician but it really depends on the dealer and the carline.

[@ericthecarguy]

@fancynot Good to see you fancynot, thanks for watching.

[@ericthecarguy]

@DeuceReggs Good question, for that watch the Diagnosing A Cooling System Overheat as that directly addresses that question. Thanks for the comment.

[@ericthecarguy]

@cagonesss The check valve in the fuel pump assembly is designed for that very thing, when it goes bad you get pretty much what you describe. You could always cycle the key before you crank to 'prime' the system before you start the car instead of cutting your exhaust.

[@ericthecarguy]

@turnstile7 Awesome I'm happy to help. Thanks for your comment.

[@ericthecarguy]

@cumminski I have a 'plumber wrench' in there somewhere, mostly I use my torches for stuck bolts however. The truth is there are a lot of tools that I would like to have but for everything I do I have what I need. Thanks for the comment.

[@ericthecarguy]

@southernjags That compressor is similar to the one I have, it does the job but it does have it's limitations when using grinders and such that use a lot of air, for the money and doing occasional work it's perfect however, if I were to have my way I'd like to go to a 60 gallon for what I do. Good luck and thanks for the comment.

[@ericthecarguy]

@jorgevrod It's fine to start with the basics. When I went to school they had a starter kit (that came in that 3 door box in the video) that I used until I was able to get a job and a bigger box. Do what you can to get started and then take it from there with what you need in the shop where you are working.

[@ericthecarguy]

@backwoodsctryboy Yea the more specialized you get the more you can be in demand however you have to deal with the issues that you mention but it's nice that you can get things at cost. Thanks for the comment.

[@ericthecarguy]

@TheStpeteboy I don't know about it causing a bad PCV but you should just be able to remove the distributor once you have removed all the fasteners, make sure you mark it's location before you remove it though so you can get it back in time.

[@ericthecarguy]

@spelunkerd 6pt. I have a set of 12pt regular sockets that I use if I run into 12pt fasteners. Thanks for the comment.

[@HowtoAutomotive]

Hi Eric love the Videos. One of the things that I came across in my 25 year career was don't waste your money on the big overpriced snap on tool boxes.

[@rickgaine3476]

How to Automotive this is an old video. He now has one of those big overpriced snap on tool boxes.

[@gregblau8082]

That's an argument that will never end and I can see it both ways. I've worked with old guys that had crap piled on other crap in Craftsman stacks but they could dig around and find anything in 5 seconds. I feel like the average tech can work much quicker with a layout that works for them. It also depends on how things work at your shop for job division, bay use, if you only work on certain types of cars.

[@ericthecarguy]

@MrBawston Thanks for the tip. I pretty much just use my torch anytime I run into rusted fasteners so I haven't gotten a set of those yet but I'm of the opinion that you can never have too many tools.

[@ericthecarguy]

@I3lackl3ear Depends on the year, if it's after 96 then it just uses the standard OBDII connection.

[@ericthecarguy]

@topgrain I personally never use 12pt sockets unless it's a 12pt fastener for that very reason.

[@ericthecarguy]

@happy543210 They seem to have an issue with pulling the head bolts out of the block causing a head gasket leak. To repair them you have to drill out the old threads in the block and put new threads in with a special kit. Not an easy job if you asked me. I've also seen this problem on the Olds V8 which is pretty much the same thing.

[@ModMINI]

One tool I didn't see that I use a lot is ratcheting box wrenches. Huge time saver. I also use a 1/4" 18v Lithium impact gun - huge time saver for taking stuff apart, quieter than a 3/8" air socket wrench, and no airline to get in the way

[@ericthecarguy]

@rob0781 I will do my best, thanks for taking the time to watch and post this great comment.

[@ericthecarguy]

@smithdsmit Don't remember to be honest but you may need to break the mount loose and move the engine up or down to gain access, that engine is a tight fit after all.

[@ericthecarguy]

@13FravelJ I've found quite a few tools left behind in engine compartments and done the same thing. Thanks for the comment.

[@ericthecarguy]

@verblvik I like Mac stuff too and some Craftsman stuff. I have a couple of ratcheting wrenches but not an entire set, one day I hope to get one as there have been a couple of occasions where I wished I had some.

[@ericthecarguy]

@outlawsonic It's not the best compressor for what I do but it runs 125psi, I'm not sure of the CFM though. I know I would be better off with a 60 gallon, I like to run my tools at 160 psi if I can have my way.

[@ericthecarguy]

@k9driver I don't have the part numbers but I had to order them when I got them. You might pause the video to see the #'s.

[@ericthecarguy]

@princejaa Well first get a set of gauges and start diagnosing the system before you start filling it with refrigerant. You need to know the system before you can diagnose it. After all it could be an electrical issue that has nothing to do with the refrigerant. AC is way more involved than most people give credit, in fact whenever a customer comes to me with AC issues I leave a lot of open room on the estimate for that very reason.

[@ericthecarguy]

@recspecs22 I should do the home tool box as it was the first professional tool box that I had, lot of history there. Thanks for the suggestion.

[@ericthecarguy]

@boat333 Hello New Zealand! From the sound of it the 26 gallon compressor similar to what I have should work just fine for you, the only real issues I run into are when I use my die grinder, that's when I empty the tank. Thanks for your comment.

[@ericthecarguy]

@recspecs22 I show my drill bits in the video and at the moment I don't have a way to sharpen them.

[@ericthecarguy]

@nnaTractor I do have a lot invested in my tools but I can say that if you are going to fix cars for a living then an investment in tools is going to be something that will always be there. Quality tools will make all the difference however when it comes to doing the work.

[@ericthecarguy]

@mavue You can find the plastic 'cookies' online under 'Roloc Discs'. I can put 5 cars in the shop if I try hard. I did kinda make a video of the shop sometime back but I didn't like it so I never posted it.

[@ericthecarguy]

@NEmuddbogging That sounds like a plan. I used to live in Pittsburgh but have since moved to Cincinnati.

[@ericthecarguy]

@TheEsevee I'm glad you think so, thanks for the comment.

[@ericthecarguy]

@Michiganborn1969 Actually there is more than 8, something like 14 or 15 I think (perhaps more). There are 8 in the basic automotive section however, once you are certified in all 8 you are considered a "master technician". There is also some advanced tests for emissions that you can be certified in in addition to being a master tech. You can also be certified in just one area and be considered ASE certified, for example if you are certified in brakes you are an ASE certified brake tech.

[@ericthecarguy]

@AutoTechHector I have a 10mm stuffed in the back of the wrench drawer. I do want a set but I have to track down a tool guy since they don't come to my shop. I will have a set at some point though.

[@ericthecarguy]

@Bushougoma I've thought of that but never pursued it, perhaps now I should. Thanks for the comment.

[@ericthecarguy]

@passion1080 I do have a video on how AC works but I avoid DIY AC repair as it requires special equipment and in some states special licensing to do properly. I know lots of techs that don't do the work properly let alone DIY. Aside from that I can say that AC is often not taken seriously enough when diagnosing which can lead to some expensive problems. I will cover it in depth at some point in the future but I advise most people to take their AC to a professional.

[@ericthecarguy]

@MoneyMarcMes Those other brands you mentioned do have their advantages over the consumer Craftsman brand in my experience. I usually keep in mind the ability to warranty a broken tool when considering who I buy from.

[@ericthecarguy]

@smithdsmit Cool. It is fun working on some of those older trucks as you can sit right in there and stay out of the rain, getting out sucks but hey at least you have some room to work.

[@ericthecarguy]

@9b8 That is EXACTLY what happens when you buy a new box. Have fun with it, it's a great feeling.

[@ericthecarguy]

@Gigglyable I don't make most of my tools just the ones I don't have an need at the moment. Thanks for the comment. BTW I'm keeping my wrenches. :)

[@ericthecarguy]

@westendpimp2003 Head bolts pull out of the block and cause a head gasket failure. Not only is the head gasket a pain but you have to drill out the threads and put thread inserts into them before reinstalling the heads. This will be a video at some point and probably a best seller.

[@ericthecarguy]

@sweetlikeADAM I don't know about a brake tool but I've seen them used to fasten light posts to highway barriers.

[@ericthecarguy]

@princejaa It's still not enough, once you start buying them you never stop, as you could see I just bought 2 new ones that day that were sitting on my bench.

[@ericthecarguy]

@monster755 I plan to make a video on it's use at some point when I begin to cover engine performance.

[@ericthecarguy]

@medievalman86 Is whiskey considered a 'tool' or a 'lubricant'?

[@ericthecarguy]

@shczepcio It's not the size of your tool but how you use it.

[@ericthecarguy]

@4711Express Cool, you made your own chain wrench I love it.

[@ericthecarguy]

@Jeffmtbr I was born in western NY BTW and went to school in Buffalo for a while. I used to cross the peace bridge and hang out in Canada quite often, Canada rules.

[@ericthecarguy]

@topgrain I love my snap-on swivel sockets, I use the impact versions as I often use them with my air tools.

[@ericthecarguy]

@spelunkerd I'm not going to say the cheep meters aren't accurate but when you buy quality tools you always get your money back. If you are going to use it on a regular basis especially if you are a technician, spend the money you won't be sorry. If you are a weekend warrior then you might consider less expensive alternatives.

[@ericthecarguy]

@merrisab That is very true. Thanks for the comment.

[@ericthecarguy]

@davidzzz94 Not with quality wrenches but if I fear that something is going to round then I normally break out my 6pt socket.

[@ericthecarguy]

@vietl30i It's a Campbell Hausfeld 26 gallon upright.

[@ericthecarguy]

@DieselCrawler86 I worked for Acura for a little more than 8 years yes but I've worked on lots of things from the 20's to the latest high tech ride. Honda is just were I ended up, in fact I had actually applied at the Cadillac dealer and they sent me to Acura. I'm glad they did to be honest, in my opinion Hondas are some of the easiest things to work on.

[@WhiteWhite60]

from Donnie's The Garage Butler interview of Eric: (I'm going to copy this comment to Eric's KZbin channel). Great interview, thank you! Right now it's 12:30 a.m. and I'm flat-out exhausted because I got up around 6 a.m. and started on my last day, of 4 days, repairing a stuck driver's side window actuator. It was 90+ degrees and 100+ humidity from 7:30 a.m. to 8 p.m. I'm very proud to say that I got the job done and the window works. The encouragement to do this comes from Eric. I own a 1997 Dodge Ram 1500 and just bought a 2002 Isuzu Trooper with 270,000 miles on it that has issues. I continually spend all my money on tools and runs to the junk yard and love it. I'm a guy who didn't know what ABS meant. I would pop the hood when the check engine light came on thinking I was supposed to check for squirrels in the fan belt. Before I found Donnie, I spray painted the whole truck with bed liner paint - it's a work truck. The Isuzu, for the most part, is still a nice blue that I like and I will be referring to Donnie's KZbin channel often - I'll send pictures when the Isuzu looks showroom new. Thanks to both of you.

[@ericthecarguy]

@davidzzz94 Yes, especially these days you don't always have the room for a deep socket, it's best to have both.

[@ericthecarguy]

@medievalman86 There is a lot of crossover of brands and different quality levels but buy tools based on your usage, if your a professional buy the best there is, if your just working on stuff from time to time buy accordingly.

[@ericthecarguy]

@13FravelJ I hope to do one on the 'home' box at some point, hopefully that will give you something 'new' to look at. :)

[@ericthecarguy]

@masster64 There really isn't a set that I'm aware of as you often by them separately but my 3/8' and 1/2" have been all I've ever really needed. If your going to do transmission work then you should get an inch pound wrench. As for what to buy, if your doing it professionally the best you can afford.

[@ericthecarguy]

@13FravelJ I believe that's in the video if I remember right.

[@ericthecarguy]

@smithdsmit Thanks for the update, yea breaking engine mounts loose these days is really par for the course.

[@ericthecarguy]

@passion1080 It stands for 2 cam shafts instead of the traditional one camshaft found in most engines. Check out the video I did on the basic engine parts as I cover the differences.

[@briannasharp3331]

5.4 F150 Truck do they have pvc

[@lahiaautocrafts8092]

one of the best tool tour i've watched! if you are a mechanic you know what i mean😊 stay DIRTY!! more power ERIC!!

[@ericthecarguy]

@fastjdm Thanks very much for that comment, I think I'll post it as my comment of the day.

[@ericthecarguy]

@jamesytee100 It's actually a Cornwell but the side box is Snap-on.

[@ericthecarguy]

@hooey6 Funny, I've had that happen on a Doge before too, had to send it to the machine shop because I broke an easy out inside the bolt. They had to drill it out with a diamond bit. I'd be careful with the torch because the slag will go further in the hole. Personally I would stick with drilling no matter how may bits I burned up.

[@phishertube]

Archimedes - 'Give me a lever long enough and a fulcrum on which to place it, and I shall move the world. You got me out of a few tight jams with your videos, thanks Eric.

[@motherlovinsnuffstar]

Beat me to it, by 4 years lmao

[@martinamicflyy2618]

phishertube Wow!!............... kzbin.info/www/bejne/eIrXgGqfhdGVa8U

[@ericthecarguy]

@NEmuddbogging I would buy the best hand tools and 1/2" impact you can afford first since these are tools you will always use. Specialty tools are things you will pick up as you work, new ones are being developed all the time for performing a specific task so wait to find out where you land before buying too many of those. The important thing is to have a good solid base of quality hand tools however. Good luck in school.

[@ericthecarguy]

@liftinislife91 Hello West Virginia! I used to live in Pittsburgh so we were practically neighbors. Sounds like you lucked out with that tool box, cool. Thanks for the comment.

[@ericthecarguy]

@JohnxWaynexGacy Actually on that one you may be able to just jump the 2 pin under the glove box and count the blinks. That RL is one of the best cars Acura made in my opinion, the newer versions just weren't as good. Your probably right about the cable reel, I've put more than one in.

[@ericthecarguy]

@coldcash12345 I don't use them, I had a bad experience once where I broke one off in an engine block and had to have it drilled out at a machine shop with a diamond bit. This is the reason all my drill bits are burned up. I'd rather have burned up drill bits than to have to go through that again.

[@ericthecarguy]

@medievalman86 That's an excellent tip, thanks for the comment.

[@ericthecarguy]

@therockkkkher Head gaskets on the north star, the root cause being the head bolts coming out of the block, not to mention if a starter goes (it's under the intake). Working on those cars is a real challenge let me tell ya, even for EricTheCarGuy. As for the Honda's it's usually some fool that cross-threads the plugs into the head, sometimes they catch a bur on the way out and screw up the threads too. Since they are down in a well they are impossible to get to with regular tools.

[@ericthecarguy]

@Bassman018 How is me using a tool 'untrue'? Just because someone uses a different tool doesn't mean the other person is wrong.

[@roostin]

In regards to your comment about burning up drill bits as a j man welder and machinist I can tell cutting oil is horrible for the life of drill bit...use band saw coolant mixed 50/50 with water in a spray bottle you'll be amazed at the difference drill bits cut faster and last much longer

[@ericthecarguy]

@BIGW0RD Sort of, it's in the Setting Ignition Timing video.

[@ericthecarguy]

@pico3423 I like my solder tool too, I think I'm going to do a video on it at some point in the future. My scanner I keep in my car, my neighbors ask me to scan their codes all the time. I don't have a scope yet but I hope to one day.

[@ericthecarguy]

@ilovetotones1 To be honest that is the best way, and if you can borrow a good tool when you need it, even better. Just make sure you return it in the same condition of you want to keep borrowing them.

[@ericthecarguy]

@pinoypower247 Actually the one I have would be good for home use, it's a 26 gallon that runs on 110, for a shop I would rather have at least a 60 gallon as that would keep up a lot better I think. Anything smaller than a 26 gallon probably isn't enough to run air tools well. You might consider electric impacts in that case, they cost more but you don't have to worry about a compressor.

[@ericthecarguy]

@Bassman018 Perhaps I should have said that is the best tool that I found so far, I actually had that screwdriver specially made just for that task BTW and it does work perfectly not to say that yours wouldn't.

[@ericthecarguy]

@erikcarlsen It gets the job done, thanks for the comment.

[@ericthecarguy]

@hytgggg Don't know the name honestly but if you call the Honda dealer they should know what you are talking about as it is their special tool. You might consider using aluminum foil to accomplish the same thing as that is what we used before they gave us this tool.

[@ericthecarguy]

@christianbaclao Your in luck then because Honda's don't require a whole lot of tools. Start with good hand tools, sockets and ratchets in 1/4" and 3/8" sizes you won't need too much 1/2" stuff other than a 19mm to get the wheels off. A good set of players work well too. Let me put it this way, I worked on Honda's every day at the dealer with the stuff you see in this box.

[@ericthecarguy]

@wrenchwoman66 I'm glad you like the videos, thanks for taking the time to comment as this type of comment is my favorite. Enjoy the videos.

[@kk4dbi]

@3:52 Hey! I've worked in the grocery business too, for 6 years and I'm going to school to be an auto tech imagine them apples. your videos are FREAKING AWESOME

[@aspincelaframboise9936]

I went from toolmaker to industrial mecanic, 20 years each. Eric, your tool box is mine, minus measuring tools. Love the vids, your great! Keep it up man. Ü

[@ericthecarguy]

@recspecs22 This was my work box which has less standard tools since I worked on Honda's, but my box at home has most of my standard tools.

[@ericthecarguy]

@topgrain I hate to say this but what separates the professionals from the DIYers is the tools, there is no substitute for quality tools the reasons are really too numerous to list here but I can say that quality comes with a price but if you do this for life then the return on investment is very high.

[@ericthecarguy]

@k9driver I'm actually working on that in the near future so yes I can.

[@ericthecarguy]

@thetrainers12345 Craftsman is more for the DIY market and Snap on is geared more toward the professional market.

[@ericthecarguy]

@bikeordie666 I think I got it off the tool truck at some point but I don't remember sorry.

[@rickgaine3476]

I just came across this video again. This is the first video I think I ever remember watching that you published. You have come along way since this video.