Has anyone ever needed a 9mm hex key?

[terry603]

Ford Escape caliper bolts.

yup, I had to get one just for this

 

[bwringer]

That, and sticking with the CORRECT sizes for their brands. I'm seeing nissans with 13mm and 18mm now. Not allowed, IMO. It's like a 17mm on a GM, or a 15 on a honda.

That's the Renault leaking into Nissan's engineering.

Oh goddamn that makes me twitch.

Yeah, mongrel vehicles are a nightmare. Quite a few 'murican brands mixed SAE and metric for a few decased, but mixing JIS and DIN (euro) metric on the same vehicle is only a slightly less evil. Better have a thread gauge...

I've had a lot of trouble with undersized fastener heads, especially on Euro/Euro influenced vehicles. What would make anyone at Ford think that it's OK to put a T50 or T60 button head on a 10X1.5mm suspension bolt? Maybe if you live in a country with no salt on the roads and no coastline?

No. Follow the frackin' standard and give that thing a 17mm hexagonal head.


And how about using high-quality fasteners with proper plating for a change? Toyota and Honda generally use much higher-quality materials for fasteners and in many other places; hoses, wiring, connectors, plastic parts.

 

[plinker]

That, and sticking with the CORRECT sizes for their brands. I'm seeing nissans with 13mm and 18mm now. Not allowed, IMO. It's like a 17mm on a GM, or a 15 on a honda.

Ran into that the other day with control arms on a Nissan car, grabbed the 17 & 19 then found it was an 18

 

[DGersic]

As I mentioned earlier: ISO, DIN, JIS and ANSI/ASME have basically all agreed that 9mm socket head screws are not, and should not be a thing. So it makes sense most tool sets will not include those sizes - since they're non-standard. Some automakers apparently think differently.

That’s the nice thing about standards, there are so many to choose from.



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[KnurledNut]

Caliper bolts:
2006-08 Ford Expedition
2006 Ford Escape
Mercedes-Benz ML320 CDI

 

[superautobacs]

Late model BMW caliper slide pin bolts on certain 5 and 7-series vehicles.

 

[NC Rick]

That’s the nice thing about standards, there are so many to choose from.



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The OP made me smile but your “standards” comment caused me to spit out some of my beer.

 

[MetricTech]

I used a 9mm hex once on a Polaris atv. It was years ago and I only remember because it took me so long to grab the right size. “Let’s try an 8...no, 10.....no, 5/16”....no, 3/8”....no, 9...wtf it fits perfect” yea so it stuck with me


Metric Tech

 

[wolf_from_wv]

Ford Escape caliper bolts.

Mine was $18, I think, from Fastenal.

 

[MetricTech]

Ford Escape caliper bolts.

Mine was $18, I think, from Fastenal.

I remember when I owned my bike shop I had to have a 27mm in hex to remove some spark plug wells while rebuilding an engine. Anyway fastenal had one on hand but it was over $70. I still have it. It’s a giant hex key and it looks ridiculous.

I’ve bought a couple different truck brand hex socket sets that have included the 9mm. It was caliper bolts on the Polaris I previously mentioned as well.


Metric Tech

 

[Ign]

Ford Escape caliper bolts.

Mine was $18, I think, from Fastenal.

Ouch, $4.49 at O'Reilly
https://www.oreillyauto.com/detail/...hex-bit/gm8173/4677554?q=9mm+hex+socket&pos=0

I coulda sworn AutoZone stocks one too but couldn't find it on their site

I see NAPA offers a Carlyle impact-rated one (1-piece) for $7.99 but most stores probably don't stock it. There was a stubby Carlyle offering too, but I didn't even click on it

 

[Here2Learn]

I have one. I use it nearly constantly. It collects dust between the 8 and 10 mm hex keys in the storage rack. I would have a skip otherwise, which we all know is impermissible.

 

[derosa]

I don't have any sets that have one and I can't recall using one ever, I've used 3.5mm and 11mm which always seem like oddities to me. Recently I wondered why I had a 7mm since I didn't recall needing one but it fit the mazda caliper slide pins perfectly so that explained that one.

 

[wolf_from_wv]

Ouch, $4.49 at O'Reilly
https://www.oreillyauto.com/detail/...hex-bit/gm8173/4677554?q=9mm+hex+socket&pos=0

I coulda sworn AutoZone stocks one too but couldn't find it on their site

I see NAPA offers a Carlyle impact-rated one (1-piece) for $7.99 but most stores probably don't stock it. There was a stubby Carlyle offering too, but I didn't even click on it

Unfortunately, the nearest O'Reilly store is 54 miles away in a bordering state.

 

[2ndGearRubber]

Oh goddamn that makes me twitch.

Yeah, mongrel vehicles are a nightmare. Quite a few 'murican brands mixed SAE and metric for a few decased, but mixing JIS and DIN (euro) metric on the same vehicle is only a slightly less evil. Better have a thread gauge...

I've had a lot of trouble with undersized fastener heads, especially on Euro/Euro influenced vehicles. What would make anyone at Ford think that it's OK to put a T50 or T60 button head on a 10X1.5mm suspension bolt? Maybe if you live in a country with no salt on the roads and no coastline?

No. Follow the frackin' standard and give that thing a 17mm hexagonal head.


And how about using high-quality fasteners with proper plating for a change? Toyota and Honda generally use much higher-quality materials for fasteners and in many other places; hoses, wiring, connectors, plastic parts.

The best are the dodge? leaf spring shackle bolts with a torx head on them. 20 years of rust, yeah, THOSE are coming out. I typically liquefy to remove.

 

[6PTsocket]

Just a little off topic but my favorite orphan size M4-.75 thread. It is also no longer "standard". SO and others offer the tap but go on line and try and find a nut or bolt. They are pretty rare.

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[nbpt100]

Just a little off topic but my favorite orphan size M4-.75 thread. It is also no longer "standard". SO and others offer the tap but go on line and try and find a nut or bolt. They are pretty rare.

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OK....you have to tell us what it is used on or for.


I know it can be frustration when your set does not have the size you need right now. But in the big picture it is not an expensive addition to your tool set. You want to ***** about special tools, try working on a German car.

You generally don't have to try to hard to find a 9mm hex bit. Maybe your local hardware store does not have it but a good auto parts store will and anywhere on the internet.

https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_fr...1.X9mm+hex+bit.TRS0&_nkw=9mm+hex+bit&_sacat=0

 

[unslow1]

Ford Escape caliper bolts.

Mine was $18, I think, from Fastenal.

I had to Google it one day because nothing I had would fit it. Then my brother-in-law ran me to 4-5 places trying to find one. We ended up buying a whole set at HF just to get that 9mm.

 

[Ign]

Just a little off topic but my favorite orphan size M4-.75 thread. It is also no longer "standard". SO and others offer the tap but go on line and try and find a nut or bolt. They are pretty rare.

Sent from my SM-G900V using Tapatalk

Ditto for #5 on the Amuhreecan side. It's exactly an 1/8" but now seems to be like Latin, everything being #4 (typically 4-40) or #6 (typically 6-32)

Anyway surprised to hear wolf_from_wv is so close to a Fastenal yet so far from an O'Reilly, that seems backwards from most folks. Again, I think *most* corporate auto parts stores are gonna carry one, and *most* NAPAs can get most Carlyle tools next-day.

There have been some Carlyle shortages lately but primarily on deep, deeply discounted sale items

 

[Ign]

Ouch, $4.49 at O'Reilly
https://www.oreillyauto.com/detail/...hex-bit/gm8173/4677554?q=9mm+hex+socket&pos=0

I coulda sworn AutoZone stocks one too but couldn't find it on their site

I see NAPA offers a Carlyle impact-rated one (1-piece) for $7.99 but most stores probably don't stock it. There was a stubby Carlyle offering too, but I didn't even click on it

Confirmed - AutoZone does stock a 9mm hex socket

 

[decableguy2000]

I needed one for the fill plug on the front axle of my LG made tractor.

 

[Pudmechanic]

Some bolts on my bicycles are 9mm.

 

[6PTsocket]

5/16" for all practical purposes is pretty much exactly 8mm so it won't really do much as a substitute for 9



If anyone here wrenches or thinks they might wrench on 2nd gen Rams I'd just order one so you're not left out in the cold like I was. I consider myself extremely well-tooled in most hand tools and most auto-specific tools and was shocked to see Dodge be such assholes as to specially make 9mm hex caliper bolts.....kinda like Milwaukee and their 2438 sander w M9 spindle threads!!

Didn't they also use some weird spindle thread on the drill chuck that everybody wanted to replace because of runout. Eventually Rohm made a chuck with that thread just to replace those chucks.

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[6PTsocket]

Suncast plastic storage sheds use 9mm for the plastic screws. They also use a really odd metric thread that I couldn’t find anywhere.

Would it be M4-.75? I bought a wall lamp for the porch and it used decorative acorn nuts and screws that were too short. I went crazy looking for a match. M4-.7 was no good and 8-32 SAE didn't fit either. I ended up retapping the nuts for 8-32 and lost very little metal. Only later did I find out about M4-.75. It is on very few tapping charts. It is an old obsolete thread that is not in any current standard. Amazingly SnapOn and Victor Machinery Exchange both offer the tap but try and find any fasteners online. Very rare. The plastic nose piece on Dremels and the competition are 3/4-12, another weirdo.

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[M_George]

Wow, I have a Ford Escape. Haven't had it long so now I have to go out and see what size the caliper bolts need. Thanks to this thread I'll be ready when the time comes to change the front brakes on it.

 

[wolf_from_wv]

Ditto for #5 on the Amuhreecan side. It's exactly an 1/8" but now seems to be like Latin, everything being #4 (typically 4-40) or #6 (typically 6-32)

Anyway surprised to hear wolf_from_wv is so close to a Fastenal yet so far from an O'Reilly, that seems backwards from most folks. Again, I think *most* corporate auto parts stores are gonna carry one, and *most* NAPAs can get most Carlyle tools next-day.

There have been some Carlyle shortages lately but primarily on deep, deeply discounted sale items

Uniontown, PA is the closest at 54 miles, Parkersburg, WV is second closest at about 66 miles. I can pass 2 Fastenals, 3 Autozones, 5 Advance Autos, and I think 5 NAPAs, depending on the route I take to work. At least 1 Fastenal for sure, I think the other is still there. I'm at the crossroads of I79 and Rt50. I might have to venture in on my next road trip...