Thread: Tips and tricks

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when needing to add fluid to an auto trans you can put the dipstick partly into the tube and also against the bottle mouth and pour--the fluid will flow down the dipstick without spilling a drop--muck cleaner than a funnel---

Jerry there's the spirit I was lookin for! I've definately tried the screw driver to the ear for pesky noises.
On my Harly there is a bolt on the side with a standard screwdriver slot that is impossible to get out with a screwdriver, without tearing up the (screw/bolt) Some tool companies make an aftermarket socket with a standard blade on it to remove this oil plug! After many attempts to do this, with no success I bought one. The problem with the tool is the blade is to shallow to bite, without stripping the drain plug. So most people I know either grind down the tool to get more blade for a better bite, or they just cut the tip off a big standard screwdriver and weld it to an old socket. These home made jobs do a much better job than the ones made for it in the first place!

Originally Posted by stovens

On my Harly there is a bolt on the side with a standard screwdriver slot that is impossible to get out with a screwdriver, without tearing up the (screw/bolt) Some tool companies make an aftermarket socket with a standard blade on it to remove this oil plug! After many attempts to do this, with no success I bought one. The problem with the tool is the blade is to shallow to bite, without stripping the drain plug. So most people I know either grind down the tool to get more blade for a better bite, or they just cut the tip off a big standard screwdriver and weld it to an old socket. These home made jobs do a much better job than the ones made for it in the first place!

Steve,
Have you tried a Hand Impact Driver on that bolt? I bought one many years ago when I had a small bike with lots of slot & philips head screws that tended to vibrate tighter over time and were about impossible to remove without using the Hand Impact - mine came with a 1/2" adapter and a selection of screwdriver bits. I thought these were just about mandatory equipment for any biker.

KD Tools (kdt1140) 3/8in. Impact Driver Set with Impact Bits

Originally Posted by jerry clayton

How about using a #4 phillips screw driver to put the shoe return spring back on with drum brakes??

done that many times love the sparks that come off the springs

This may need the thread title changed to "Shade tree at its fineness"

I have magnets stuck on my tool boxes , work benches , and machines . Whenever I need a quick magnet just stroke a screwdriver ,
wrench or anything metal 3 or 4 times across the magnet and you have temporary magnet . Really handy to hold nuts in open end wrenches .

Next time you have to drill a hole in a panel that has stuff behind it you'd rather not have the drill bit get into, put an appropriate sized piece of rubber hose on the drill bit, just long enough to let the drill bit go through the panel, but not into the expensive stuff behind it!!!

I keep a variety of garage sale bought tools common size open/box end wrenches to cut, bend, grind down for special applications, most expensive was a dollar.....

Originally Posted by rspears

Steve,
Have you tried a Hand Impact Driver on that bolt? I bought one many years ago when I had a small bike with lots of slot & philips head screws that tended to vibrate tighter over time and were about impossible to remove without using the Hand Impact - mine came with a 1/2" adapter and a selection of screwdriver bits. I thought these were just about mandatory equipment for any biker.

KD Tools (kdt1140) 3/8in. Impact Driver Set with Impact Bits

Yep Roger, I got one of those! The slot on the Harley is just too wide and too long for it to work!

Ever have to bend an odd sized piece of tubing (like a transmission dipstick tube) without kinking it?

Close off 1 end (tape will work if it’s far enough away from the heat) and fill the tube with fine sand. Then heat the tube and put your bends in. The sand keeps the tube from collapsing or kinking. Pour out the sand, rinse out the tube with brake cleaner and compressed air and you’re done.