Gearwrench 84 tooth 3 piece set 81206f, major issues

[DirtRoad]

I finally got the ratchet set I've been wanting forever, gearwrench 84t ratchet 3 piece set.

Have had them about a week and haven't had a chance to use them. My buddy says he needs to do a brake job on his truck last night. So he comes over and I tell him to use the new gearwrench ratchets when doing his brake job if he can. Test them out, tell me what you think kind of thing.

He calls me out to the shop to show me something. The 3/8 drive ratchet changes directions whenever you put a load on it, totally useless. So he then shows me the 1/2 ratchet. This one when you put a load on it the selector jumps midway between the on/off and locks up completely, totally useless. The 1/4 ratchet is fine, works great.

I can't be the only one with this experience, has anyone figured out a fix?

I'm debating opening it up, any "how to's" on this? I'm not good with tiny little parts, a how to would be great. Not sure what I would even do if I successfully opened it.

I'm so pissed about this. I don't have any problems at all with my craftsman raised panels or my kobalt 72t flex head ratchets or my harbor freight ratchets, they work flawlessly, they have been used HARD, never a problem. Kinda sad when my $10 HF ratchets can smoke the **** out of gearwrench ratchets

 

[Jeeper]

I am surprised. I think gearwrench ratchets are some of the best values out there. There should be some how tos if you search for Armstrong, matco fine tooth as they have the mechanism. I m betting that you pull them apart, get the oiled and they will work fine.

 

[toolaholic]

I have the 1/2 and the 1/4 drive. I used the 1/2 drive 84 teeth to remove pivot shaft to frame nuts on my upper control srms(dakota r/t). I also used it to turn the alltrade bushing c clamp to press old bushings out/ new ones in on upper control arms. It reversed once or twice. I lubed it w/ super lube since then. I believe these ratchets have a reputation for doing this.Mine was minor. I actually thought I bumped the lever. Next time it happened I realized it wasn't me. I was really on it to press those bushings out.

 

[Hiball]

Pull them apart and make sure you don't have mismatched paws/gears... In other words 60 tooth paws and 84/88 gears or vice versa.

 

[blackz26]

Just return them to where you bought them. No need for a how to to do anything to them. When you get them.home lube those ones good. GearWrench are damned good ratchets. There was a thread posted about the strength of their ratchets. I think it was in the last couple days

 

[#1SomeGuy]

My 1/2" drive 84T did that too, going to get it exchanged. Took it apart and tried lubing it but it seems that the prawns or whatever get caught half way and don't stay where they need to. Seen something online about changing out the o-ring in the selector for something a smidge fatter (I assume for friction) and to stretch one of the springs slightly to put more pressure on the prawn.

 

[TwoInch]

pull them apart. they are pretty simple straight forward ratchet designs, you should have no problems putting them back together. brake clean them out, and use an oil type lube.

i generally open any new ratchet before use, because its fairly common for companies to not lube/under lube them from the factory. also, changing lubes can greatly increase the likeability of certain mechanisms. smooths them out generally.

not saying its right or okay, but with so many different tooth counts available, the manufacturers are getting pawls and gears mis matched fairly commonly it seems. check the gear and pawl for tooth count, should be stamped on the pawl in the 84t and 88t models. i believe the 60t models did not specify on the pawl, or atleast my older versions didnt. that may have changed.

 

[DirtRoad]

Not sure how i can warranty, i bought this set off amazon because no one carries these localy.

I would be amazed if they just need to be lubed. It seems a mechanical problem.

Im starting to get the feeling im gonna be screwed.

 

[diesel research]

Apex Tool Group
GearWrench Professional Hand Tools
(800) 866-5753

GearWrench Consumer Hand Tools
(888) 757-1812

 

[woody 73]

Not sure how i can warranty, i bought this set off amazon because no one carries these localy.

I would be amazed if they just need to be lubed. It seems a mechanical problem.

Im starting to get the feeling im gonna be screwed.

No need in thinking you will get the shaft call the 888-757-1812 number and they will take good care of you.

 

[sberry]

Replace with Kobalt,, hahahahahahahahahaa

 

[DirtRoad]

Im going to call them i guess.

First thing i thought is i should have just gotten the kobalt's. They are awesome ratchets. I wanted gearwrench because they have a very thin head profile, no quick release, longer handle and flush selector switch.

 

[sberry]

I just tease a bit about it, likely under chit happens once in a while but I was thinking on how to be a smart azz,,, Since buying how many does it take to operate it not counting the postman to get replacement?

 

[sberry]

Appears at least 4, the purchacer and at least 3 master mechanics via internet, 1 to confirm its broke, one to figure out they got the wrong gears and another to give tutorial on how to r & r with lube job of super grease, I can be the 5th in this circle jerk and say it might never work right and should have got the Kobalt again,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, hahahaha I kill me.

In seriousness though I am with the turtle, have heard and seen reliable accounts of regular ues for a good long time with no problems.

A secret these days is that in some models the parts may be the same, not every cheap tool is good but some stuff like screwdriver bits etc QC is so hi and so much easier than stocking second inventory, all the way from the cheapest to the best could have the same or near same tip in a different handle. I am sure if you looked hard enough could find a set of poor allen wrenches but when cheap and good came so close they got rid of the worst.

You couldnt save a quarter on steel anymnore if you tried on an end wrench, torx bits etc.

 

[DirtRoad]

One of the advance auto stores somewhat near me shows that they have both ratchets in stock, think they would exchange it even though I didn't buy it from there?

I doubt they have them, I was just in that store not long ago and they had no gearwrench ratchets at all, probably an Internet screw up.

 

[toolaholic]

One of the advance auto stores somewhat near me shows that they have both ratchets in stock, think they would exchange it even though I didn't buy it from there?

I doubt they have them, I was just in that store not long ago and they had no gearwrench ratchets at all, probably an Internet screw up.

I know at my advance auto, all gearwrench is on a display behind the the counter.

 

[DirtRoad]

I know at my advance auto, all gearwrench is on a display behind the the counter.

They do here too, behind the counter.

Neither of the advances have any GW ratchets though, that's one of the places I checked before ordering off amazon. Their website says one does, maybe that one started carrying them just after checking to see if they had them.

The question is will they exchange even though I didn't buy from them?

 

[mossyboy6]

That only ever seems to happen when they are over-lubed.

I have not had any issues with my gearwrench ratchets.

 

[toolaholic]

They do here too, behind the counter.

Neither of the advances have any GW ratchets though, that's one of the places I checked before ordering off amazon. Their website says one does, maybe that one started carrying them just after checking to see if they had them.

The question is will they exchange even though I didn't buy from them?

Don't know. I believe fastenal will exchange them. Looks like you have some phone calls to make.

 

[TwoInch]

Im going to call them i guess.

First thing i thought is i should have just gotten the kobalt's. They are awesome ratchets. I wanted gearwrench because they have a very thin head profile, no quick release, longer handle and flush selector switch.

the gearwrench ratchets are better ratchets all around than the kobalts. i have seen MANY broken and jammed up kobalts still on the shelf at my local lowes. for this exact reason i have not bought one. that and that the heads are thick as hell. ill pass on them any day of the week

 

[DirtRoad]

the gearwrench ratchets are better ratchets all around than the kobalts. i have seen MANY broken and jammed up kobalts still on the shelf at my local lowes. for this exact reason i have not bought one. that and that the heads are thick as hell. ill pass on them any day of the week

At least my kobalt ratchets work and work great, my gearwrench ratchets are pretty paper weights, cant use them at all.

Ive searched the net and can only find a few people that have had this problem, no one mentions a fix for it. Exchanging this will be a nightmare im sure. Im going to call gearwrench tomorrow and see what they say to do.

Fastenal is out of the question. Been down that road before, they wont exchange **** if you didnt buy it from them.

 

[ajchien]

Id open them up, see if its an easy fix/lube fix ... And if not ...

Since its only been a week, I would just contact amazon for a return. They have a pretty good return policy, send in a request, get a mailing label, and off it goes. When they receive it, they credit you. And then just buy another.

Frankly, this is the main reason we have a return policy, and a lifetime warranty. Manufacturing defects.

 

[DirtRoad]

Id open them up, see if its an easy fix/lube fix ... And if not ...

Since its only been a week, I would just contact amazon for a return. They have a pretty good return policy, send in a request, get a mailing label, and off it goes. When they receive it, they credit you. And then just buy another.

Frankly, this is the main reason we have a return policy, and a lifetime warranty. Manufacturing defects.

I dont have snap ring pliers, i guess now is a good time to buy a set.

Im a little nervous opening it up just in case i do end up sending them in, dont want them to see that i had messed with them.

I called gearwrench, closed sundays, will call again tomorrow on my lunch break.

Its just very dissapointing, my plan was to start buying gearwrench ratchet wrenches, pretty much all of them lol and also as many ratchets i can get my hands on. This was my first gearwrench purchase, *****.

 

[Gotmayhem]

Is it just me or have there been a decent amount of complaints about these 84/88 tooth ratchets lately?

 

[DirtRoad]

Is it just me or have there been a decent amount of complaints about these 84/88 tooth ratchets lately?

Can you link some of those threads?

I cant find to much on this issue, leads me to believe its a rarity.

 

[SMKS]

To the OP-

You need to open them up and see if they have a mismatched gear/pawl. Apex has shipped a few ratchets with mismatched gears/pawls.

Pictures in this thread will show you what to look for:
http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=160511

You can exchange them through Amazon. I'd call GearWrench first, to at least let them know about the problems and see if they'll handle it.

 

[Gotmayhem]

Can you link some of those threads?

I cant find to much on this issue, leads me to believe its a rarity.

http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=200222

That's the only recent thread I can find. But I feel as if I've been seeing the issue brought up in other threads that weren't necessarily started to discuss the topic. But in that thread I linked there are a few people sharing similar experiences with the Apex 60/84/88t design.

I only really brought it up because prior to recently I only saw high praise for those ratchets, now it seems to be exactly the opposite.

 

[SMKS]

http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=200222

That's the only recent thread I can find. But I feel as if I've been seeing the issue brought up in other threads that weren't necessarily started to discuss the topic. But in that thread I linked there are a few people sharing similar experiences with the Apex 60/84/88t design.

I only really brought it up because prior to recently I only saw high praise for those ratchets, now it seems to be exactly the opposite.

The internet exaggerates problems. People don't post threads very much saying "got my new GearWrench ratchets and they work fine." They post threads when they have issues.

Search for any brand of tools on here and you'll find threads complaining about problems with new tools.

 

[DirtRoad]

My hope at this time is they send repair kits, that would be fine with me.

I'm trying to avoid shipping, chances are I would end up paying for that.

 

[SMKS]

My hope at this time is they send repair kits, that would be fine with me.

I'm trying to avoid shipping, chances are I would end up paying for that.

No, not if it's a defective Amazon return you shouldn't.

 

[TwoInch]

I dont have snap ring pliers, i guess now is a good time to buy a set.

Im a little nervous opening it up just in case i do end up sending them in, dont want them to see that i had messed with them.

I called gearwrench, closed sundays, will call again tomorrow on my lunch break.

Its just very dissapointing, my plan was to start buying gearwrench ratchet wrenches, pretty much all of them lol and also as many ratchets i can get my hands on. This was my first gearwrench purchase, *****.

dont worry about things of that nature. opening up a ratchet does not void any warranty, period. i would let it affect your buying other GW wrenches and such, they are a great buy for the money spent.

i still say open them up, before even calling Gearwrench. you dont need to disassemble the ratchet to find out of the pawl is not the proper 84t model. pull the cover, and it will be right there on the pawl "60t 3/8" or whatever it may be.

for future, try to remember to take any new ratchet apart and give it a lube job. you wont regret it, and you almost certainly be more satisfied through out the life and usage of the ratchet.

i doubt you need a rebuild. i nearly guarantee its a lubricant problem. if you do though, you have multiple warranty routes, easiest being swapping at Advance, they should still warranty it even if they dont have it on the shelf(they surely do behind the counter), or directly from Gearwrench/apex. if for some reason neither of those work(nearly impossible), you can go to sears and get the 84t craftsman premium kits for a penny as a last resort.

my pre 84t gearwrench ratchets all have craftsman 84t kits in them. work great. i will add though, that my ratchets with both 60t and 84t kits in them would reverse and lock up a lot of the time if i over lubed them, or used superlube which is to tacky for this type of mechanism.

 

[DirtRoad]

Ok so now im having replaced through amazon. You where right they pay for the shipping. My options where to send them back or have them replaced. Since i really really want these ratchets i chose to replace. Worse case i will do that until i get a set that works.

Before i send them out i will open them up and see whats what. I will let you know what i find. Im going to have to pick up snap ring pliers to do it though so that could take a day or two.

 

[TwoInch]

when you get the new ones, open them up too and give em a clean and lube.

 

[Hiball]

No, not if it's a defective Amazon return you shouldn't.

+1 Amazon has a seamless return policy, they have refunded/issued replacement immediately once the supplied shipping label hits the tracking system.

 

[DirtRoad]

Im new to amazon, im liking it though.

It looks like they send the replacement items right away and i have 30 days to send the original items back. Hopefully i read that right, i printed the pre paid mailing slip, just have to box them up and drop them off.

 

[powertrip]

You should just take off the cover plate/snap ring. Do not remove the pawl or gear. Spray it out real good with brake cleaner. Then add a few drops of ATF fluid. Close them back up. If this doesn't work them return them. You should always clean and lube a new ratchet. Sometimes quality control is not the best in this regard.

 

[DirtRoad]

I am picking up snap ring pliers today. I will check to make sure the pawls are the correct ones. If they are i will clean them out and then relube/oil.

I can tell they are already lubed though. I can see oil around the base of the drive.

 

[4x4gearhead]

I have had this trouble with a couple of the gearwrench/matco fine tooth ratchets. I had one of each gear wrench was 3/8 and matco was 1/4. The 3/8 one got replaced and was much better. Tried lubing it up, but to no avail. The matco one I ended up trading in for another tool because I had such **** luck with it. Having to hand the thing to him to put a different kit in every week just about. Some of them I think are just lemons.

 

[DirtRoad]

I have had this trouble with a couple of the gearwrench/matco fine tooth ratchets. I had one of each gear wrench was 3/8 and matco was 1/4. The 3/8 one got replaced and was much better. Tried lubing it up, but to no avail. The matco one I ended up trading in for another tool because I had such **** luck with it. Having to hand the thing to him to put a different kit in every week just about. Some of them I think are just lemons.

Finaly someone else with this problem. I was hoping by starting this thread that others would chime in with this same problem and maybe there would be proven fixes for it.

Warranting them is difficult for some of us so if there is a known proven fix we wouldnt have to deal with warranty. Not like we can just run down to the store and exchange them like you can with craftsman and the like.

 

[wrh3]

The GW ratchets are similar to the Craftsman Premium Ratchets internally, I had some issues with some of these where the ratchet head was not machined deep enough and the pawl would bind as it was clamped hard between the back plate and the ratchet head. The replacements did not have this issue and the pawl/gear was not mismatched- just good old sloppy QA. This may be why some suggest a slightly thicker o-ring, to keep the back plate off the pawl. You did the right thing by opting for a replacement, fixing poor QA is not a remedy IMO. That said, I still like my GW and CM Premium ratchets, just have to make sure you get a good one.