3/8 gearwrench roto ?

[cascivic]

hey guys,

about a week ago i received my ratchet i won on ebay. seller stated it was unused but dirty. I played around with it in my hand for a few days and when i got to my garage i dripped some 3 in1 oil down through the drive side to lube it up. i then went to use it and in one direction the teeth would just skip.. other direction was fine. i let the seller know but and hey offered a refund but really didnt want to ship it back so i stopped in advanced auto. I was happy to see the one manager come over and tell the associate that"gearwrench was no questions asked, just give him a new one and damage it out"

okay so i got the second one and i went to change the fluids on my wifes accord today. i again put a few drops of 3 in 1 in it and then cranked away removing the auto ****** drain plug. As i was inserting the drive end into the bolt it i reversed it and pulled on it a good tug. i decided it might hit the side of the ****** so instead of pulling more i switched out for my hf extendable...long story short after i was cleaning up i went to put it away and not it seems stuck between drives(its locked forward and reverse no matter what way the selector is) Did i just get 2 bum ones?? was a few drops of 3 in 1 bad?? has anyone had this happen regularly? thanks for your help

 

[jrlp]

3-in-1 isn't what I would consider a good lubricant for ratchets, especially just adding some without knowing what it shipped it. No telling what kind of soup is inside your ratchet.. I'm not sure how strong they are.. maybe put a socket on it and wiggle it back and forth to 'unjam' it? Or go return it, I'm guessing it was 3/8" drive?

 

[cascivic]

yea 3/8 i tried undoing the double circlip or whatever it is on the first one but it was a pain so i just gave up and exchanged it.

 

[cascivic]

damn and to add insult to injury this deal pops up!
http://slickdeals.net/f/4750904-Sears-GearWrench-2-pc-Cushion-Grip-Roto-Ratchet-Set-29-99

 

[concealer404]

damn and to add insult to injury this deal pops up!
http://slickdeals.net/f/4750904-Sears-GearWrench-2-pc-Cushion-Grip-Roto-Ratchet-Set-29-99

Oh you have no idea how mad i am that i missed that one.

 

[stratman977]

I had that happen to me when I was backing out a chain tensioner. I backed it out too far and couldn't get the ratchet off the bolt so I was going to turn it back in and loosen the tensioner by hand. The selector got caught between gears and wouldn't budge. I was ready to cut the socket off. I ended up hitting the selector with a pry bar and a hammer. The ratchet broke and just free wheeled so I just turned the socket in with vise grips until I could get it off.

I got a replacement but I can't bring myself to use it though cause I remember how much of a pain it was the last time I used it.

 

[cascivic]

I had that happen to me when I was backing out a chain tensioner. I backed it out too far and couldn't get the ratchet off the bolt so I was going to turn it back in and loosen the tensioner by hand. The selector got caught between gears and wouldn't budge. I was ready to cut the socket off. I ended up hitting the selector with a pry bar and a hammer. The ratchet broke and just free wheeled so I just turned the socket in with vise grips until I could get it off.

I got a replacement but I can't bring myself to use it though cause I remember how much of a pain it was the last time I used it.

was this on a gearwrench ?

 

[transittech]

There's no way 3 in 1 should break a decent ratchet. It probably isn't the best lubricant; but break it - definitely not. Don't put heavy grease in it though, that's not good for fine tooth ratchets.

If I were a betting man, they had a bad batch OR you're having break-in issues. I would try to force it free (put in on a TIGHT bolt and try to freewheel it) If it frees up, but binds again, I would warranty it again, and use the new one a bit before oiling it. They will need some break in time, just like any ratchet. A Cornwell rep in another thread talked about spinning the ratchet 100 times in each direction to seat things. This obviously isn't a Cornwell ratchet, but the principle is the same.

Good luck!

 

[stratman977]

It was a kobalt 3/8 inch roto which is just a rebadged gearwrench.

 

[woody 73]

damn and to add insult to injury this deal pops up!
http://slickdeals.net/f/4750904-Sears-GearWrench-2-pc-Cushion-Grip-Roto-Ratchet-Set-29-99

I just hate that darn I miss all those sales...

One trick that I use for a stuck ratchet: **(but not on a ratchet with a rubber grip); ** (or a sealed snap on ratchet) is when I change my oil I make sure it is still hot and I drop the ratchet in with the hot oil it does the trick.