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15mm & 17mm Socket 1/4" Drive

X

xroad

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I have oil drain plugs that are 15mm and 17mm. They are not high torque bolts. I carry a 1/4" ratchet & socket set in my tool kit. I have a 15mm & 17mm with 3/8" drive and 1/4"-3/8" converter.

Looking for 1/4" drive 15 & 17mm sockets, do they exist?
 
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MechanicforLife

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I dont know if they exist I have all the sizes in 1/4 up to 14mm,
"IMO"
I like to use a box end combo for the oil drain bolts, they arent much either probably $11 each.
 
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Danglerb

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Many of the drain plugs I run across need more like a 1/2" drive to get them loose, putting them back could be anything. My 1/4 drive sockets stop at 15mm as well in Snapon, SK, and Craftsman.

I use 1/4 drive when I have access to the full box, but for a small take along set I think 3/8 drive is a more practical choice, and I have plenty of small 3/8 drive ratchets etc. For my use its essential to be able to go all the way to 19mm.
 
E

eschoendorff

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I am still trying to figure out why the hell anyone would ever use a 17mm socket on a 1/4 drive tool... am I missing something???? Put a 3/8 ratchet in the kit and be done with it! 17mm on 1/4 drive is just begging for problems...
 
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Moose-LandTran

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I've had times i've needed to use a 24" bar to remove sump plugs (19mm hex) i don't think a standard 1/4" ratchet is going to be that effective all the time.

You say you want to put these in your toolkit, are you planning to do oil changes at the side of the road? It's not the kind of emergency maintenance usually encountered.
 
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chammyman

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it may be if he just goes 3k miles on the oil.

I can see it now, 3k rolls by, slams on the brakes, over to the shoulder, says to the mrs 'sorry baby oil needs changing', gets out jacks the beast up and does his oil change, then drives off into the sunset.
 
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Moose-LandTran

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Screw that.

I had a car come into work once, had come from another garage with a list of problems as long as my arm. My mate and i were reading through it, and came upon one thing in the list. "Drain plug missing" Wait, what? Drain plug missing? Anyway, we got the car in the air and sure enough, there was no drain plug on the sump. Anywhere. Guess someone had stripped the thread (aluminium sump) and welded over the hole. Good welding, we knew where the plug was meant to go, but if we didn't know better, it didn't look wrong.

Of course, in that situation, a 10mm socket and an extension would do your oil change just fine. :)
 
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chammyman

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think thats good? The poles I worked with showed up to work pissed as usual.

So in their drunken state they were to service a megane.

Tried to find the drain key (8mm square), couldn't find it. But they did have an electric drill. So they drilled the sump to drain the oil.

Then thought how do we seal this up?

Bodyfilla done the job.

The boss thought this was hilarious. What a **** place I worked in.
 
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Moose-LandTran

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chammyman said:
think thats good? The poles I worked with showed up to work pissed as usual.

So in their drunken state they were to service a megane.

Tried to find the drain key (8mm square), couldn't find it. But they did have an electric drill. So they drilled the sump to drain the oil.

Then thought how do we seal this up?

Bodyfilla done the job.

The boss thought this was hilarious. What a **** place I worked in.
Click to expand...

Wow, classy!
 
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Frank Elson

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In some of the Eastern European countries I have been to, on the outskirts of town you would often see two ramps going off the side of the road over the field drainage ditch. I asked what they were for.
"Oil change" was the answer...

Maybe they've refined the process in Poland.
 
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Merkava_4

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On the drain plug of my Buick 3800, I use a 13 x 15mm box wrench; I use that because it's thicker than the 15mm combo wrench and is more comfortable to push and pull on. When I'm laying down under the car, I hook the wrench on there and push it has hard as I can by keeping my arm straight and putting my shoulder into it. When it's tight it stops all of a sudden and won't go any further. It's a magnificent drain plug with a built in seal. :)
 
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xroad

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Cannot use box end wrench. The drain plug is recess into the fins of the motorcycle oil pan.

Under the plug is a soft copper washer. Low torque stuff. I don;t need to carry a 3ft cheater bar.
 
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Danglerb

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Ah, a motorcycle toolroll. Get one of those L shaped socket wrenches just for the drain.

***************

Drilling a hole in the pan was dumb, just take off the oil filter and run the motor and it drains itself.
 
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rhandwor

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O'Riley's parts stores sell Gearwrench I think their foreign K-D tools. You can do a search of Apex but you will pay heavy duty. Buy a 17mm for your 3/8 inch drive. You will tear up a ratchet in a hurry. If tight you will need a 1/2 inch drive. Buy a 12 inch crescent wrench.
Use a 1/4 inch to 3/8 inch adapter and buy two 3/8 inch sockets.
It will be cheaper.
 
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X

xroad

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rhandwor said:
O'Riley's parts stores sell Gearwrench I think their foreign K-D tools. You can do a search of Apex but you will pay heavy duty. Buy a 17mm for your 3/8 inch drive. You will tear up a ratchet in a hurry. If tight you will need a 1/2 inch drive. Buy a 12 inch crescent wrench.
Use a 1/4 inch to 3/8 inch adapter and buy two 3/8 inch sockets.
It will be cheaper.
Click to expand...

Currently have and carry a 1/4 to 3/8 converter. Carry a 1/4 breaker "bar" if you call it that, it is so small and cute. Don't carry a ratchet. I am trying to minimize the number of pieces in my tool bag. Extra piece here and piece there, next thing you know, the bag can't fit in the nuks and craneys under the bike seat. For a minimalist that I am, I carry lots of **** when I do long distance tours on my bike. All them emergency stuff adds up pretty quick, in volume and weight.
 
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