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Introduction
A selection of good tools is a fundamental
requirement for anyone contemplating the
maintenance and repair of a motor vehicle.
For the owner who does not possess any,
their purchase will prove a considerable
expense, offsetting some of the savings made
by doing-it-yourself. However, provided that
the tools purchased meet the relevant national
safety standards and are of good quality, they
will last for many years and prove an
extremely worthwhile investment.
To help the average owner to decide which
tools are needed to carry out the various tasks
detailed in this manual, we have compiled
three lists of tools under the following
headings: Maintenance and minor repair,
Repair and overhaul, and Special. Newcomers
to practical mechanics should start off with
the Maintenance and minor repair tool kit, and
confine themselves to the simpler jobs around
the vehicle. Then, as confidence and
experience grow, more difficult tasks can be
undertaken, with extra tools being purchased
as, and when, they are needed. In this way, a
Maintenance and minor repair tool kit can be
built up into a Repair and overhaul tool kit over
a considerable period of time, without any
major cash outlays. The experienced do-it-
yourselfer will have a tool kit good enough for
most repair and overhaul procedures, and will
add tools from the Special category when it is
felt that the expense is justified by the amount
of use to which these tools will be put.
Maintenance and minor repair
tool kit
The tools given in this list should be
considered as a minimum requirement if
routine maintenance, servicing and minor
repair operations are to be undertaken. We
recommend the purchase of combination
spanners (ring one end, open-ended the
other); although more expensive than open-
ended ones, they do give the advantages of
both types of spanner.
Ⅺ Combination spanners: 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13,
14, 15, 16, 17, 19, 21, 22, 24 & 26 mm
Ⅺ Adjustable spanner - 35 mm jaw (approx)
Ⅺ Set of feeler gauges
Ⅺ Spark plug spanner (with rubber insert)
Ⅺ Spark plug gap adjustment tool
Ⅺ Brake bleed nipple spanner
Ⅺ Screwdrivers: Flat blade and cross blade –
approx 100 mm long x 6 mm dia
Ⅺ Combination pliers
Ⅺ Hacksaw (junior)
Ⅺ Tyre pump
Ⅺ Tyre pressure gauge
Ⅺ Oil can
Ⅺ Oil filter removal tool
Ⅺ Fine emery cloth
Ⅺ Wire brush (small)
Ⅺ Funnel (medium size)
Repair and overhaul tool kit
These tools are virtually essential for
anyone undertaking any major repairs to a
motor vehicle, and are additional to those
given in the Maintenance and minor repair list.
Included in this list is a comprehensive set of
sockets. Although these are expensive, they
will be found invaluable as they are so
versatile - particularly if various drives are
included in the set. We recommend the half-
inch square-drive type, as this can be used
with most proprietary torque wrenches. If you
cannot afford a socket set, even bought
piecemeal, then inexpensive tubular box
spanners are a useful alternative.
The tools in this list will occasionally need
to be supplemented by tools from the Special
list:
Ⅺ Sockets (or box spanners) to cover range in
previous list
Ⅺ Reversible ratchet drive (for use with
sockets) (see illustration)
Ⅺ Extension piece, 250 mm (for use with
sockets)
Ⅺ Universal joint (for use with sockets)
Ⅺ Torque wrench (for use with sockets)
Ⅺ Self-locking grips
Ⅺ Ball pein hammer
Ⅺ Soft-faced mallet (plastic/aluminium or
rubber)
Ⅺ Screwdrivers:
Flat blade - long & sturdy, short (chubby),
and narrow (electrician’s) types
Cross blade - Long & sturdy, and short
(chubby) types
Ⅺ Pliers:
Long-nosed
Side cutters (electrician’s)
Circlip (internal and external)
Ⅺ Cold chisel - 25 mm
Ⅺ Scriber
Ⅺ Scraper
Ⅺ Centre-punch
Ⅺ Pin punch
Ⅺ Hacksaw
Ⅺ Brake hose clamp
Ⅺ Brake bleeding kit
Ⅺ Selection of twist drills
Ⅺ Steel rule/straight-edge
Ⅺ Allen keys
Ⅺ Selection of files
Ⅺ Wire brush
Ⅺ Axle stands
Ⅺ Jack (strong trolley or hydraulic type)
Ⅺ Light with extension lead
Special tools
The tools in this list are those which are not
used regularly, are expensive to buy, or which
need to be used in accordance with their
manufacturers’ instructions. Unless relatively
difficult mechanical jobs are undertaken
frequently, it will not be economic to buy
many of these tools. Where this is the case,
you could consider clubbing together with
friends (or joining a motorists’ club) to make a
joint purchase, or borrowing the tools against
a deposit from a local garage or tool hire
specialist. It is worth noting that many of the
larger DIY superstores now carry a large
range of special tools for hire at modest rates.
The following list contains only those tools
and instruments freely available to the public,
and not those special tools produced by the
vehicle manufacturer specifically for its dealer
network. You will find occasional references
to these manufacturers’ special tools in the
text of this manual. Generally, an alternative
method of doing the job without the vehicle
manufacturers’ special tool is given. However,
sometimes there is no alternative to using
them. Where this is the case and the relevant
tool cannot be bought or borrowed, you will
have to entrust the work to a franchised
garage.
Ⅺ Valve spring compressor (see illustration)
Ⅺ Valve grinding tool
Ⅺ Piston ring compressor (see illustration)
Ⅺ Piston ring removal/installation tool (see
illustration)
Ⅺ Cylinder bore hone (see illustration)
Ⅺ Balljoint separator
Ⅺ Coil spring compressors (where applicable)
Ⅺ Two/three-legged hub and bearing puller
(see illustration)
Tools and Working Facilities REF•5
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