Air Tools Question? (Little OT)

[Norm's Coupe]

Guess this is a little off topic, but many of us use air tools all the time.

I have a 1/2" drive air ratchet that locked up on me. Was having trouble getting a bumper bolt loose a few years ago on the coupe when I removed the bumper guards. Could not get my impact wrench with the socket on the bolt, so I got out the air ratchet, which would fit in the space with the socket. However, when I hit the handle to activate the wrench, the bolt was too tight, the force pulled the handle out of my hand and put it up against the bumper bracket. After that, the ratchet would not turn.

Anyone know if that can be fixed (and how), or should I just toss it and buy a new one. I also have a 3/8" air ratchet that I've used ever since, just like the 1/2" better.

[Don Coatney]

I suggest we take up a collection to buy Norm a new 1/2" drive air ratchet. After all this is the same guy who will not charge a battery but replace it instead and he now wants to repair a twenty dollar tool.

http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/displayitem.taf?Itemnumber=35227

And while we are at it lets chip in another twelve bucks and get him a 50 foot air hose.

http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/displayitem.taf?Itemnumber=42185

With this new ratchet and hose he will be able to make repairs while on his longest trips all the way to the end of his driveway:D

[Plymouthy Adams]

odd are you busted a phenolic vane in the rotor...if you have a air tool repair parts house in the area these can be had for about 4-6 bucks a set of 4. Will require disassembly and removal of the motor from the housing the seperation of the motor usually by the end cap.

[Normspeed]

My 3/8 air ratchet does that some times. I whack it with a SFH and it usually cooperates. That's the price I pay for buying Chinese air tools.

[Norm's Coupe]

Thanks Tim,

I have a parts diagram that came with the ratchet. Never took one of those apart though and didn't know what to look for once I open it up.

Norm, I tried knocking it a couple of times, did no good. Still stuck.

Don,

Thanks for the offer but I have lots of hose. Only keep 50' on the real but have another two sections hanging on the wall in the corner not being used. So.....if I want to I could reach the street, or almost. Since the compressor is on wheels I could also run a 150' extension cord to the street and put the compressor right in front of the car. Thanks for the offer though.

[Norm's Coupe]

Thanks again Norm & Tim. Just went out to get the 1/2" ratchet to bring it into the basement shop so I could take it apart. Thought I would try one more time to see if it would work again. Did not knock it this time though. I stuck the socket holder arm in the vise, then pushed on it by hand. To my surprise it turned. Another surprise was that I could now turn the switch from left to right, so I did, then turned it by hand again. Did that several times. Then hooked up the air to it and it now works. Prior to this it would not turn no matter what you did, it would just shoot the air out the exhaust. You couldn't even switch if from left to right. Didn't try to use it, so who knows how good that will turn out. However, it's spinning good now in both directions, so it should work. Put it back in the draw.

Easy fix, just don't know how I fixed it.

[Plymouthy Adams]

Sounds like the ratchet head gears got a broken tooth and it jambed up ..disassemble the head is usually just removing a spling ring. The head pivot (for/rev) is spring loaded and has a small steel ball or spring pin..don't lose this..cleam inspect..if just one tooth you may be ok but never for real torque anymore..run up basically...but still make your tool useable..I use mine for run up the tighten by hand and if sensistive the torque wrench comes out.

[Norm's Coupe]

Thanks again Tim. As mentioned I didn't put a load on it. I'll try it on the 350 engine I have sitting in the garage to see if it will remove a bolt, then try to tighten it again. If it doesn't work on that, I'll pull the head and check the gears. A few years ago it didn't really matter. I'd just pick up the hand ratchet and use it. That's getting harder to do now though because of the arthritis, so rely more on power tools now. Do have the 3/8" ratchet, but I still like the larger 1/2" better. Rarely use the 3/8" ratchets, hand or air.

[1just4don]

Giving it some oil inisde the air line. For those seldom used air tools,,,they dont get oiled enough!! Cant hurt, might help it loosen up!! IF you have humillity like here,,, it could rust a tad inside. Maybe even good penertrating oil for one time thing,,,like PB blaster and blast it silly!! Can those pesky little spiders crawl into it?? They sure screw stuff up here,,,every barbeque grill I ever had dies a spider induced gas backup death,,,and burned up all the controls and hoses!!! I HATE those little spiders!!

[Norm's Coupe]

Giving it some oil inisde the air line. For those seldom used air tools,,,they dont get oiled enough!! Cant hurt, might help it loosen up!! IF you have humillity like here,,, it could rust a tad inside. Maybe even good penertrating oil for one time thing,,,like PB blaster and blast it silly!! Can those pesky little spiders crawl into it?? They sure screw stuff up here,,,every barbeque grill I ever had dies a spider induced gas backup death,,,and burned up all the controls and hoses!!! I HATE those little spiders!!

Don, Don't think it's from rust inside. I oil the air tools before and after each use with Air Tool Oil. As mentioned in the first post, it originally jammed because of that tight bumper bolt. I had been using it that day for other things too. Something got screwed up inside the wrench.

For what it's worth. That bumper bolt was so tight I finally ended up just cutting it off.