SO SF80 Repair help

[hamilton113]

Howdy gents!

I've been a lurker for quite awhile now but have decided to break my silence to request some help from the tool gods. I recently got my hands on a Snap On SF80 1/2 inch ratchet for a decent price and would like to track down the appropriate repair kit since the directional switch is incredibly difficult to move back and forth. I'm also a bit scared because it looks like the previous owner was a bit hamfisted when he went digging into the guts of the head as the screws are pretty well stripped. The combination of the two makes me think a rebuild would be prudent.

So, after a long frantic search on the interwebs it looks like my only option is to hope some random guy might be selling a RKRS80 kit on the 'Bay. The kicker is my local Snap On guy doesn't come by the shop I work in (long story), so I'm wondering if I'm stuck.

Does anyone have any insight on this? Did I just buy a long shiny paperweight? Do I have to learn a secret handshake to gain access to a secret cache of repair kits somewhere?

Thanks in advance!

 

[canuckian]

you can order the kits directly from Snap On's website.

 

[hamilton113]

Thanks for the reply!

Maybe I'm a bit slow from lack of sleep but I'm having trouble actually finding that particular kit on the site...

 

[bobcatdan]

Find your local dealer and have him rebuild it under warranty.

 

[canuckian]

https://store.snapon.com/PARTS-RKRS80-P670816.aspx

 

[hamilton113]

Well it was kinda roundabout but I found a way to get the kit in my cart on the website. It says it's on backorder. Looks like I'll be waiting for a new stock or finding a local dealer.

In the mean time I'll just work out my thumbs to get used to hammering the on/off switch

Thanks for the replies guys.

 

[canuckian]

reading your first post it didn't seem like you had a local dealer you could access. If you can hook up with a local dealer, as Bobcatdan said, he'll likely just fix you up on the spot under warranty. That's your best bet if it's a possibility.

 

[bodyguy16]

I would open it up, its a fairly simple design you should be able to detect if one of the pawls are misaligned.

 

[hamilton113]

I will crack it open and see how ugly it is in there. I'll feel better knowing its clean and freshly greased in there anyway.

 

[Bigblue&Goldie]

Pick up the phone and call Snap On. You will need the screws also if yours are boned up as they dont come in the rebuild kits.

 

[hamilton113]

Pick up the phone and call Snap On. You will need the screws also if yours are boned up as they dont come in the rebuild kits.

Ugh. I was wondering about that. Thats good to know, thanks.

 

[ChevyEFI]

I believe the SF80 and SF80A have different kits.

Shouldn't be a big deal to kit it.

 

[XxToolAholicxX]

The last time I bought repair kits from Snap-On direct they came with everything except the the cover plate. It contained the screws..
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I am a ToolAholic,Sometimes I regret it,Especially when the ToolMan wont give me no credit

 

[hamilton113]

I believe the SF80 and SF80A have different kits.

Shouldn't be a big deal to kit it.

I actually found a thread of yours on here to make sure I got the right kit. So thank you for that

The last time I bought repair kits from Snap-On direct they came with everything except the the cover plate. It contained the screws..
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I am a ToolAholic,Sometimes I regret it,Especially when the ToolMan wont give me no credit

I'm going to go ahead and order one and find out. If it doesn't have the screws, I'll figure something out at that point. I want to pop this thing open so badly but I just don't think the screws have enough love left in them to give it up twice. I want to be prepared when I go for it.

Thanks for all the info, dudes.

 

[blown94conv]

The sf80 kit will have the short screws that are installed at the bottom of the ratchet, the sf80a kit will have longer screws the are installed from the top of the ratchet. The guts are the same.

 

[warmpancakes]

if its a sf80a call snap on they will replace it with the sf80a they dont fix the non a versions

 

[hamilton113]

if its a sf80a call snap on they will replace it with the sf80a they dont fix the non a versions

I have the regular old SF80, Non "A" version.

 

[vintage nut]

I have the regular old SF80, Non "A" version.

Based on my experience with snapon, there's a good chance they will just give you a new ratchet if they don't have the kit.
Either that or if you have my local snapon guy, he'll modify a kit on his own time to work in your vintage ratchet, and not change you a cent

you can never have too many tools

 

[vintage nut]

Oh yeah, and I don't work at a shop, but whenever I need to see the snapon man I just call him and ask where I can meet him.

you can never have too many tools

 

[hamilton113]

I know the SF80 is inferior to the "A" version but I'd like to try rebuilding it and using it for awhile. (Plus I like the clean look of the head without screws on the SF80). I can't wait to put this thing to work!

If I get stuck I'll definitely try to wrangle my local Snap On person(s).

 

[snapmom]

get the "A" it may save you from some pain from using the 80.

 

[ChevyEFI]

I know the SF80 is inferior to the "A" version but I'd like to try rebuilding it and using it for awhile. (Plus I like the clean look of the head without screws on the SF80). I can't wait to put this thing to work!

If I get stuck I'll definitely try to wrangle my local Snap On person(s).

If you proceed with the first design, torque the screws periodically. If they are kept from loosening up, you should get good service life.

First design is aesthetically better anyhow.

 

[hamilton113]

If you proceed with the first design, torque the screws periodically. If they are kept from loosening up, you should get good service life.

First design is aesthetically better anyhow.

I will be sure to keep an eye on them! Thanks!

 

[Charlief]

So much misinformation on this site it's humorous.

All ratchet kits come with screws.

All ratchets have repair kits available. Non "a" versions are repaired.

Flag a dealer down and they should have a kit in board. You can buy the kit for $10 or have it repaired for free if the dealer has time for you.

Or you can CALL snap-on customer service and they'll probably just mail you one.

All above is true and not made up..... LOL

I'm a snappy dealer

 

[Bigblue&Goldie]

So much misinformation on this site it's humorous.

All ratchet kits come with screws.

My bad, I just double checked a kit I had on hand and it did have screws.

 

[hamilton113]

So much misinformation on this site it's humorous.

All ratchet kits come with screws.

All ratchets have repair kits available. Non "a" versions are repaired.

Flag a dealer down and they should have a kit in board. You can buy the kit for $10 or have it repaired for free if the dealer has time for you.

Or you can CALL snap-on customer service and they'll probably just mail you one.

All above is true and not made up..... LOL

I'm a snappy dealer

Thank you for the definitive answer!

Against my better judgment I cracked it open today at work to see if anything looked amiss. I didn't have a lot of time to look at it but it definitely looked like the teeth on the socket gear and the pawls themselves had seen a lot of action. They still gripped but looked and felt a little sloppy. This didn't account for the difficult toggling action though. After fiddling I found that as long as one of the plate mounting screws was a little loose I could toggle it (with difficulty) but if they were both tight it was impossible. If they were both loose it felt normal. Weird.

Oh well... I have a rebuild kit on the way and will look forward to some fresh guts in this baby. I had a chance to wail on a couple things with it and was very pleased with the feel.

 

[hamilton113]

Well Snap On somehow managed to get the kit to me in less than 24 hours after ordering. I don't know what kind of wizardry they used to make that happen but I'm not complaining

Took the monster apart to rebuild it and I believe I found the culprit for the lever action problem. Somehow the PO got the franks above the beans...

Going to hang on to the guts I took out as they didn't look too horrible.

Got everything freshly greased and thrown in and good god is it smooth. I was also happy to see the screws pre-loctited Can't wait to try it out tomorrow.

Thanks again for all the input!

 

[Charlief]

I'm glad it worked out for you. This is a good site it's just every one usually thinks they are right and pass along so much Misinformation.