Help with disassembly of these ratchets.

[Capt. Spaulding]

I just need to know how to open these ratchets up so I can disassemble and clean them. I had these laying around and figured I would clean them up and put together a few sets for the kids. I have disassembled a few ratchets of different styles like S-K, Snap-On, and Craftsman, but all of them either have screws or like the S-K’s are opened by putting it in neutral and removing the retaining ring. I have never seen how to get into these and am hoping you guys can help me out. Any info is appreciated. Thank you in advance.




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[plinker]

The round heads look to have a spiral ring on the square drive side, the Thorsen I dont think comes apart but the dust cover should be removable.

 

[Capt. Spaulding]

Excuse my ignorance but how do I go about removing these to get the ratchet apart? Never worked with spiral rings.




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[plinker]

I'm not sure the best way to explain it but the retainer will have an ear of sorts that you pry away with using a pick, the ring then spirals around about 3 times similar to a slinky. You have to work the ring around in a circle to remove and install. they are a pain until you have dealt with a few.

Found a youtube video.....

 

[jumbojak]

The spiral rings sort of "unscrew" if that makes any sense. Get one edge of the ring up and work it around.

 

[Alexander]

I will agree with plinker here - spiral retainer springs are like a slinky.

In my experiences with them they haven't posed a problem. Start prying gently and work it around until you get there. It's honestly pretty simple, even for someone with no prior experience.

 

[DadsTools]

One warning though with the split rings:

BE SURE NO FLESH IS IN FRONT OF WHERE YOU"RE POINTING WHATEVER PRYING TOOL YOU"RE GOING TO USE WHEN YOU APPLY FORCE. I LOVE IT WHEN THE TOOL SPINS THE RING JUST SO THE TOOL IS POINTING AT YOUR FINGERS WHEN IT SLIPS.

You don't need to ask me how I know this. Soft jaws for vise can be useful in holding the rat.

You can pry that cover off the third one to get at the gear teeth. Don't expect the cover to snap back on exactly the way it came off. You can leave the cover off for more fun and visual effect.

Another note: you normally don't have to take the cores apart once you have them out. That's how springs and balls propel across the space-time barrier into another dimension. I know it's compulsive to take the whole thing apart but it's usually not necessary. A good spraying with parts cleaner then re-lube is all you should need to do as long as there's nothing broken or damaged inside.

 

[CR888]

Small hook & pick set with a steady hand.

 

[Professional Tool User]

For the spiral rings, use a pick or a pocket screwdriver to unravel it.

 

[RoundedNut]

If you've ever messed up a slinky and had to unravel it, then you know what to do. I have a couple of old ones like that which recently cleaned and greased after decades. They actually didn't improve all that much. The newer 72-120 tooth ratchets are leagues better.

 

[5ktq]

Something small and pointy to get the end up (jewelers screwdriver or something like this) then once you have half a turn up you can just unwind it with your hand.