Tappet Wrenches

[KTMGuy]

Saw a set of these for sale and haven't seen them before.

What are Tappet wrenches used for? I see that they are a little longer and possibly thinner than the standard wrenches.

These were Craftsman's that had a V then a number on them. Are these the V series that a lot of people like?

 

[SCscoutguy]

Saw a set of these for sale and haven't seen them before.

What are Tappet wrenches used for? I see that they are a little longer and possibly thinner than the standard wrenches.

These were Craftsman's that had a V then a number on them. Are these the V series that a lot of people like?

They are used for adjusting tappets in a automotive engine. They still make the Craftsman ones and they are great for just what you said getting into small tight places.

 

[shampoop]

I have a set I use for rear brakes on certain cars. They're actually thinner than I would like for my application. I wish they were about twice as thick as they are. They're also great for keeping with your die grinder to make bit changes faster and easier.

My set is made by v8tools.

edit: I'd say mine are around 1/4 as thick as normal wrenches. I'd rather they were around half. They are definitely not for high torque applications. I worry about the long term longevity of mine due to what I use them for, but bought them anyway because they were extremely cheap and every alternative was very expensive.

 

[slip knot]

In certain applications ( ford flatheads) these wrenches invaluable. I have ground down a regular wrench in a pinch but really prefer the tappet wrenches. Johson tappet tools are also a neccesity for working on these old flathead motors.

 

[Rickster]

Thin wrenches, not for high torque applications.

 

[Scout Driver]

They can be handy also for working with fluid or air-line fittings in situations where fittings are close together and a regular thickness wrench will not fit.

Scott

 

[DrkMtnDew]

first time i used one was when i tore down my bicycle as a kid. needed a thin wrench for... something.

 

[humber2]

first time i used one was when i tore down my bicycle as a kid. needed a thin wrench for... something.

They are needed to remove and reattach the pedals.

 

[Jeeper]

They are needed to remove and reattach the pedals.

Park makes "cone" wrenches that are thin for various bike parts. They make them in metric which are good for changing brake pads in toyota's. And they are made in USA.

 

[Jim C.]

I've had a set Craftsman tappet wrenches for years. They're handy to have around. The size I use the most is the 3/4". The rear wheels on my lawnmower have a bolt on the back side that occasionally get loose from use. The bolt actually holds the cut height adjustment mechanism and wheel axel in place. When those bolts start to get loose, the rear wheels get wobbly and have a tendency to "toe outward" causing the cutting height of the deck to lower and giving my grass a shorter cut than is desired. Anyway, there's very little clearance for a wrench to tighten that bolt. The thin head tappet is a perfect fit. I use the other sizes occasionally too. Like I said, they're handy.

Jim C.

 

[trexdoink]

Use them for adjusting the wheel bearings on your kids bike.

 

[Jeeper]

Do the craftsman ones come in Metric or just SAE?

 

[AZ_Catskinner]

No metric from Craftsman. Metric tappet wrenches in general aren't that easy to find from the US manufacturers, since solid tappets were pretty much a thing of the past by the time the French started foisting their measurement system upon us.

 

[Coach James]

I used them to change the alternator on our 93 Saturn. They were the easiest way to remove the thin jam nuts that held the cables on.

Coach

 

[Packard V8]

No metric from Craftsman. Metric tappet wrenches in general aren't that easy to find from the US manufacturers, since solid tappets were pretty much a thing of the past by the time the French started foisting their measurement system upon us.

We all paint with broad strokes at times, but the frogs had been using the metric system for a hundred years by the time adjustable tappets came along and the US still has not officially adopted it. It's a multinational business thing.

The metric system is an international system of measurement based upon decimal units. France was first to adopt it in 1799 and it is now the official system of measurement used in every country in the world but three. The United States has the largest economy in the world, but yet has not adopted the International System of Units as its official system of measurement, even though it has been sanctioned for use here since 1866.

You haven't really had fun using tappet wrenches until until you come upon an engine with adustable pushrods. They require three wrenches and four hands. One wrench to hold the pushrod, one to turn the adjuster end, one to tighten the jam nut and one to hold the feeler gauge.

jack vines

 

[A_Pmech]

You haven't really had fun using tappet wrenches until until you come upon an engine with adustable pushrods. They require three wrenches and four hands. One wrench to hold the pushrod, one to turn the adjuster end, one to tighten the jam nut and one to hold the feeler gauge.

jack vines

Now do all that with the engine running.

 

[Milton Shaw]

You left out spraying oil all over everything while its running too.

 

[mtkst19]

www.thinwrench.com

they have thin metric tappet wrenches at affordable prices. made in usa too. i have a set of their metric as well as some snap on metric wrenches. huge difference between the two.

put it this way, i use the 18 and 22mm thin wrench brand on alignments and have cheater piped them too on stuck jam bolts. very pleased with them. id never do that to the snap on version. they would snap.

 

[AZ_Catskinner]

We all paint with broad strokes at times, but the frogs had been using the metric system for a hundred years by the time adjustable tappets came along and the US still has not officially adopted it. It's a multinational business thing.


You haven't really had fun using tappet wrenches until until you come upon an engine with adustable pushrods. They require three wrenches and four hands. One wrench to hold the pushrod, one to turn the adjuster end, one to tighten the jam nut and one to hold the feeler gauge.

jack vines

That's why I only said US manufacturers. Call me crazy, but I just can't adapt to a measurement system that was born of a Flemish mathematician who preferred decimals to fractions.

 

[Busted Bolts]

I too bought the new V8 larger thin wrench set a couple of weeks ago. I was working on a John Deere 5410 Ag tractor and was replacing the steering tie rods on the double acting steering cylinder. Only a thin wrench at 1 1/8" opening worked, Tried to grind down old combo wrench, but it snapped when I was holding the steering piston. The manufactured wrench (although not for high torque) did the job. Not to often you find a thin wrench set to 1 5/16. V-8 has them in SAE and larger metric.

 

[6PTsocket]

No metric from Craftsman. Metric tappet wrenches in general aren't that easy to find from the US manufacturers, since solid tappets were pretty much a thing of the past by the time the French started foisting their measurement system upon us.

I wish we had started with the metric system. Going between 8ths, 32nds,16ths is a pain. 12inches is a foot, 3 ft is a yard, 5280 ft is a mile. Metric: No fractions 10mm=1cm. 100cm=1meter. 1000meters is a km. You just move the decimal point. You never have to stop and think which is larger, going between fractions The United States is practically the only country that uses this antiquated system. In practice, we have switched to a large extent. Even plywood is listed metrically now but approximates the old inch size. It pissed me off, like everyone else, when I had to duplicate so many tools in metric. The lone place we won is in ratchet drive sizes. In Europe and Asia they have these weird drive sizes 6.3mm,9,5mm,12,7mm,19mm. Translation: 1/4,3/8,1/2, 3/4. Yeah,I know, it just doesn't seem patriotic.

 

[four.cycle]

didn't realize at first this was such an old thread, but here you go:

thickness of head on Indestro Super T3 5/8" tappet wrench by four.cycle, on Flickr

bicycle pedals, bicycle "cone" adjustments, valve adjustments, lock nuts, etc.
don't use in place of a regular open-end or combination wrench: you'll muck up the jaws something awful.

 

[PJNJ]

Facom makes a set and they are very nice. I have the set and have used them replacing rear brake pads on my daughter's Volkswagen Jetta. I believe that they are made in Italy and the price is lower than others wrench sets I was able to find.

Here's a link to the set -

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B002FCLJS8/?tag=atomicindus08-20

 

[PJNJ]

Aw heck. Didn't see the date OP originally posted only the current ones. Zombie thread finally got me.

I hope the OP sorted this all out by now.

 

[uart]

What type of dial caliper is that four.cycle? It looks like the linear scale is in mm while the dial is in inches. It's showing about 4.6mm on the scale and 0.18" on the dial, is that correct?

Is this type of caliper common. It seems like a pretty weird way of doing it to me. I mean, what if you go out to several inches, do you have to subtract multiples of 25.4 to work out where you are (as in how many rotations) on the dial?

 

[Kensgarage]

You could always choose a PROfessional TOol
http://www.protoindustrial.com/en/i...E6T_Facom®-6-Piece-Metric-Tappet-Wrench-Set-/

 

[four.cycle]

What type of dial caliper is that four.cycle? It looks like the linear scale is in mm while the dial is in inches. It's showing about 4.6mm on the scale and 0.18" on the dial, is that correct?

Is this type of caliper common. It seems like a pretty weird way of doing it to me. I mean, what if you go out to several inches, do you have to subtract multiples of 25.4 to work out where you are (as in how many rotations) on the dial?

it's a cheapie "General" that was given to me.
yes, the top is reading in mm, on the bottom are dots every inch, up to 6 inches.
so... yeah... anything over an inch and it gets whacky, but I only use it to measure little stuff. I'm not a machinist so it serves its purpose well enough.
I more often use a little "K-D" caliper (like this: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B000I0ZRFK/?tag=atomicindus08-20 )

 

[anndel]

Looks cool though nonetheless

 

[Mk10]

That's why I only said US manufacturers. Call me crazy, but I just can't adapt to a measurement system that was born of a Flemish mathematician who preferred decimals to fractions.

Oh, come on now...we're Americans. We can do it all.

It's like I told my buddy in Perth the other day: "Yeah, you see, here in America, real men use both systems, and then break down the English system into decimals when we want to do fine work.

"We have metric tools for a lot of our cars, and have to be familiar with the various sizes common to the particular manufacturer so we don't have to hunt around too much in the 'box when we're working on 'em. 'Yep, it's either a 12 or a 14...'

"Then, we have to be able to convert inches, eighths, sixteenths, thirty-seconds, and sixty-fourths back and forth when we're wanting find the 'in-between' size of a particular drill bit, wrench, or bolt.

"When we're working in metal or doing precision woodwork, we have to work with micrometers that read in thousandths of an inch, and adjust cross-cut sleds on our table saws with feeler gauges so we can stay within a couple thousandths every 20" or so.

"Now, what were you saying about 'Yanks' not being able to grasp your cute little metric system?"

 

[Ditch]

I still have some I made as a kid. Maybe I should break them and turn them in under warranty





J/K

 

[ecotec]

I have one BluePoint one I paid $.50 for.