How much ratchet lube?

[Jack Olsen]

I went and dropped my new GearWrench 120XP into a tub of old motor oil doing an oil change for the wife. Easy enough to disassemble and clean. And a search even told me I can use the Permatex assembly lube on it.

But I've never done this before. So how much goes in? Is it a drop? A dollop? Does it matter?

 

[abvw]

Fill er up and just wipe it down with a rag afterwards.

 

[kiatech]

1 drop per tooth

 

[jmm]

I don't own any Gearwrench rats, but I usually only use about 2-3 small drops of assembly lube in my Snap-On 3/8" and 1/2" fine tooth models, 1 drop in 1/4". Rub some on the gear, in the housing, and around the pawl. Rub it in, assemble, and you're good to go. A little goes a long way.

If you fill it up, you can count on the mechanism slipping under pressure and busting your knuckles.

 

[Conductor562]

Very sparingly. I usually rub it on lightly with my finger. It does the job and cuts down on the bleeding.

 

[Conductor562]

1 drop per tooth

60 drops?

 

[Lookin4'67Galaxieconv]

A dollop.

 

[rusty65]

This picture will demonstrate when you have the perfect amount of lubrication.

Sent directly from the Snap On Kool Aid factory.

 

[Conductor562]

This picture will demonstrate when you have the perfect amount of lubrication.

Sent directly from the Snap On Kool Aid factory.

JB Welding the screws in?

 

[rusty65]

JB Welding the screws in?

I thought it was just grease guess not lol. I stole the picture off eBay so not my doing.


Sent directly from the Snap On Kool Aid factory.

 

[Farmall450]

I thought it was just grease guess not lol. I stole the picture off eBay so not my doing.


Sent directly from the Snap On Kool Aid factory.

I think it is JB...wtf??

 

[rusty65]

I think it is JB...wtf??

I just thought the picture looked funny and I've lubed a ratchet up so much the grease has covered the screws before so it didn't ever cross my mind some one would jb weld screws.


Sent directly from the Snap On Kool Aid factory.

 

[Conductor562]

I know the had some screw issues with the big dawgs, but why someone would do that to a perfectly good Proto pear head is beyond me.

 

[AMC31B]

I just went through my whole collection and lubed them all up. I lubed 7 out of the 10 ratchets with Super Lube grease by dipping a small acid brush in the grease and basically painting the entire inside and all the parts of the ratchet with grease. 1 ratchet I did the same thing with the acid brush but used fluid film instead. The other 2 were lubed with oils, 1 being dupont teflon multi-use lube and the other being corrosion x. I just wet everything down well and re-assembled. So far everything is going well but the corrosion x and fluid film are leaking out a little bit. The fluid film really seemed to slick the ratchet up but it smells strong and I wonder how long it will last. The dupont teflon stuff smoothed the ratchet out also but almost seemed to make the ratchet louder, I am not sure if that is a good thing or not.

Overall, I think superlube being brushed on is the best method. It puts enough lube on without being wasteful, really quiets and smoothes the ratchet out and I have not had any issues with slipping or jumping teeth during hard use. The rumor has it that Snap-On lubes all their ratchets this exact way.

 

[CWP1616L]

If the ratchet is not sealed, which it probably isn't if it's a GearWrench, then just fill it up with Permatex 81950. You don't have to worry about getting too much in if it's an unsealed ratchet; the excess will just bleed off.

 

[Conductor562]

If the ratchet is not sealed, which it probably isn't if it's a GearWrench, then just fill it up with Permatex 81950. You don't have to worry about getting too much in if it's an unsealed ratchet; the excess will just bleed off.

Yea, into your box and all over your other ****.

 

[Jack Olsen]

Thanks, guys. It's not sealed -- if it was, it wouldn't have taken on so much used engine oil when it sank -- and I did a little more than a drop. Now the ratchet is sitting on a paper towel, and I'll see what comes out over night.

 

[CWP1616L]

Yea, into your box and all over your other ****.

Just let is sit on a white paper towel for awhile. Haven't you ever pulled a Kotex out with your teeth?

 

[tatra]

jack , if you miss merk. just crossover, ryan will understand.....

 

[B17E1943]

A little dab'll do ya.

 

[Chadwilliam1]

its simple math if a little lube is good a lot of lube is better.

 

[Todd.Brock]

Too much RLL will cause it to leak. I put a few couple of heavy drops in, anything will help. If you fill it too much, it can really make a mess in your tool box.

 

[CWP1616L]

I put a heavy stream around the whole gear and drop it in.

 

[Pumpman1968]

Isn't that what the warranty is for???????????

 

[sk farmer]

normally i would say use the assembly lube. it works great on my big dawgs, sk roundheads and many others. but in a gearwrench, matco or armstrong i would use marvel mystery oil. i tried assembly lube but it just didn't seem to work or feel right. mmo is what comes in the rebuild kits for them.

 

[Adam.C]

I just did a bunch of old snap ons ratchets I bought on ebay. I packed one with super lube and now it runs silent and smooth, but I think I put too much in there and suspect it will skip. These are all 80 tooth ratchets and I rebuilt them with new kits. I prefered the feel of lightly lubed ratchets (more later).

After careful disassembly and inspection of my oldest models, I suspect the lube wants to be between the gear and the body that touch when you push down on a socket and turn. That's the face that wants the lube.

I define a good working ratchet as one that ratchets under the right amount of load. If you are running on a clean lubed fastener, you want to be able to ratchet the tool instead of backing out the fastener. So fundamentally, there's a relationship between the friction of the fastsner and the friction inside the ratchet. Forget the gears, grease the inside of the head.

In my opinion, the snap on 80 tooth ratchets feel the best. Only thing I don't like about them is the lack of a quick release (which I know you can get). Sometimes, when my hands are oily, I have trouble removing sockets.

 

[d.mcfarland]

Adam, I think you are referring to high tooth count ratchets seemingly working better with thinner lubricants. The low tooth count ratchets like a thicker lube as most have found out. Just gotta know what you're working with!! Did the back drag change with the recently lubed ratchets at all?? I'm always on the hunt for lower back drag.

 

[woody 73]

I have used just about everything in all these many years short of using peanut butter!
you name it, dropping them in used car oil, mystery oil, red lube oil, etc. by far the best that I have found is using the super lube $4.99 per tube from HF and putting enough on that it comes out of the ratchet when you close it up.

Never had any skip problems and the ratchets all work like they just came out of the factory. What I can not understand is that a few GJ members never lube their ratchets and they never intend to start lubing them.

 

[Adam.C]

Did the back drag change with the recently lubed ratchets at all?? I'm always on the hunt for lower back drag.

Back drag decreased for the dirty 1/2" ratchets and those packed with moly, which is quite sticky. The smaller ratchets T72 and maybe the F80, I think these were fairly dry and worn and maybe back drag increased a bit. i think I get a little stiction with super lube.

The one that I over-packed saw increased back drag. I'm not a pro wrench turner, but I can see how something small like this could annoy them. You really want a ratchet that feels the way you want it to feel. And I think back drag is all about the gear to body interface.

 

[Farmall450]

I see I'm the only one who uses white lithium grease. Is this bad on my part?

 

[Outlawmws]

I've used it (White Lith) on occasion in the past, but it will dry and cake over time.

Jack, enough to get a light coating is all that is needed.

 

[cburnscrx]

Depends on the ratchet. I have put Super Lube in my 72T Husky's (made by APEX)and it caused it to grab and not move smoothly at all. Too much lube. I put the same amount in my Titan's (72T) and no problem whatsoever. I guess just try a bit and see what it likes.

 

[d.mcfarland]

I'm not a huge white lithium fan. It does work but not the best by any means!

 

[AMC31B]

Depends on the ratchet. I have put Super Lube in my 72T Husky's (made by APEX)and it caused it to grab and not move smoothly at all. Too much lube. I put the same amount in my Titan's (72T) and no problem whatsoever. I guess just try a bit and see what it likes.

I am guessing this has to do with the size and shape of the ratchet head. Ratchets that dont have alot of empty space in the head may get stiff and draggy if you pack the grease in tight. A ratchet with more space in the head will give the grease a place to go and allow the gearing to work smoothly.

Either way, this is exactly why you do not want to pack a ratchet full of grease! The ratchet is not a wheel bearing that needs grease jam packed into it. More is not better, We have to get out of that way of thinking!!!! AHHHHHH

With something like a ratchet, just enough grease to lightly coat the friction areas is enough. Sure ratchets get used alot but they are hand tools. They do not generate enough heat or friction to displace any type of grease. This is why I recommend the brush on method. It applies plenty of grease without being excessive and there is really no way to over pack the grease with a brush.

Liquid lubricants are usually not ideal for ratchets because they will evaporate or drip off of the friction areas over a much shorter time than grease. This means you will have to oil the ratchet mechanism more frequently and have drips to clean up more often. If you are going to use a liquid lube, you might think about using something that contains a solid lube like teflon. The teflon will remain on the friction areas even if the oil based carrier dripped or evaporated away, giving you more time before you have to re-lube.

 

[Farmall450]

I'm not a huge white lithium fan. It does work but not the best by any means!

I figure it doesn't seem to dry/evaporate very quickly. And I guess it beats nothing! Otherwise it'd be WD40 or Kroil at my disposal.

I've used it (White Lith) on occasion in the past, but it will dry and cake over time.

Jack, enough to get a light coating is all that is needed.

How long does that take?
The first aid stuff I use is top notch I think.

 

[Outlawmws]

Based on the stuff on my old fashioned slab garage door hinges, a couple of months and its caked.

 

[Farmall450]

Based on the stuff on my old fashioned slab garage door hinges, a couple of months and its caked.

I'm gonna have to pop open a ratchet and peak
I would think sheltered from mother nature, sun, etc it would be fine

 

[jmm]

How long does that take?

Under certain conditions, not long. I've never put it in a ratchet, but on the fly I put it on a half way chewed up puller screw one time. Had to have something to free it up, and I was a long way from my box (junk yard). It worked okay, but I left the puller in my tool bag behind the seat in my truck. Sitting back there, getting hot and cold over the course of a winter and into summer (about 6-8 months) it caked up and, by the time I took it out, was hard as hell to operate.

 

[Farmall450]

Under certain conditions, not long. I've never put it in a ratchet, but on the fly I put it on a half way chewed up puller screw one time. Had to have something to free it up, and I was a long way from my box (junk yard). It worked okay, but I left the puller in my tool bag behind the seat in my truck. Sitting back there, getting hot and cold over the course of a winter and into summer (about 6-8 months) it caked up and, by the time I took it out, was hard as hell to operate.

I wonder if frequent use would help with this?

 

[basspro]

I lube all of my ratchets with super lube, per this site thank you very much. I like it even in my dual 80. Anyway, I purchased a round head half drive Indestro (52 tooth) and a half drive Challenger breaker bar for 8 bucks at the local flea market, just needed to be cleaned up a bit. I threw a little super lube in that Indestro ratchet...WOW, so damn smooth! It is now my favorite ratchet, been using it all week at work.