I use one on the bellhousing to main case bolts on my T5. It's an aftermarket case and thicker in the front. A wrench won't fit in the trans tunnel very well. The socket can only make a complete revolution maybe twice before hitting the case.
What do you use crowsfoot wrenches for?
- Thread starter DodgeZ
- Start date
JB740i
Well-known member
Used em on the power steering hoses on a BMW. There was a fitting waaayyy down in there ya had to undo.
dwiggins
Well-known member
I'll be using my 3/8 drive 19mm flare crowsfoot to apply the correct torque to the nut that holds my coilovers (on my S54 powered BMW M Coupe) together. Koni didn't give me any flats on the damper shaft, just some flats out on the end of the threaded portion that would be covered by a standard socket.
So, I'll put the crowsfoot onto the torque wrench, set it to the corrected-for-length torque, put a holding wrench on the flats at the end and torque the hold-it-all-together nut w/ the crowsfoot.
Dad and I did the same operation years ago (on his e30 M3 - the BMW M car bug must be genetic) but used a much more complicated and hard to find socket - the Snap-On flare nut flank drive socket - FRXM19
Now that I think back on it, how Dad found that socket (no internet) on a weekend but totally missed a crowsfoot is baffling to me. I guess I'll have to call him tomorrow!
So, I'll put the crowsfoot onto the torque wrench, set it to the corrected-for-length torque, put a holding wrench on the flats at the end and torque the hold-it-all-together nut w/ the crowsfoot.
Dad and I did the same operation years ago (on his e30 M3 - the BMW M car bug must be genetic) but used a much more complicated and hard to find socket - the Snap-On flare nut flank drive socket - FRXM19
Now that I think back on it, how Dad found that socket (no internet) on a weekend but totally missed a crowsfoot is baffling to me. I guess I'll have to call him tomorrow!
Last edited:
diesel research
Well-known member
He went to a diesel shop or found a truck that caters to diesel.
That socket isn't all that rare or complex, it's a pretty standard piece when dealing with injection lines that have a bend and are tight against heads or pumps (where an offset drive square gets in the way)
Sticks
Well-known member
He went to a diesel shop or found a truck that caters to diesel.
That socket isn't all that rare or complex, it's a pretty standard piece when dealing with injection lines that have a bend and are tight against heads or pumps (where an offset drive square gets in the way)
One of those annoying little expensive tools that you don't need very often, but when you do, you really need it.
Moose-LandTran
Well-known member
He went to a diesel shop or found a truck that caters to diesel.
That socket isn't all that rare or complex, it's a pretty standard piece when dealing with injection lines that have a bend and are tight against heads or pumps (where an offset drive square gets in the way)
I have one of those just for Mercedes-Benz engines with 14mm flare nuts, they seem to be a common thing for me to have to deal with. And a set that's a cross between a crow foot and a flare nut for everything else.
Crowfoot wrenches are great for removing fuel lines from Bosch rotary pumps when you need to hold the delivery valve holder at the same time to stop it unscrewing from the pump.
dwiggins
Well-known member
Ahhh... that would explain a bit. When I was growing up, Dad owned a company that made performance analyzers for large engines and compressors used in natural gas transmission. I'm sure that some time out in the field he saw a set of those sockets in a mechanic's set and it stuck in his mind.
nato
Well-known member
Brake line fittings when needing to access them from the underside, ESPECIALLY through the driverside front wheel well when they're mounted on a proportioning valve that gives you extremely little vertical clearance and sits lower to not give you access from the engine bay & also when there is a school of brake lines running in the same position, parallel to the one's fitting that you're trying to tighten/loosen.
They typically save the day!
And I still have to borrow them when i need them lol....
Definitely a justified tool even if you may not use them every day.
Also on transmission cooler line fittings when you need a lot of leverage from a break bar or long ratchet when a long wrench just won't suffice
AND when the exhaust pipes are hot
They typically save the day!
And I still have to borrow them when i need them lol....
Definitely a justified tool even if you may not use them every day.
Also on transmission cooler line fittings when you need a lot of leverage from a break bar or long ratchet when a long wrench just won't suffice
AND when the exhaust pipes are hot
GoodoleBoy
Well-known member
- Joined
- Mar 2, 2008
- Messages
- 252
Most anything in the front of the engine I cant reach so far that is tight quarters.
I use a 19mm crowsfoot with a 20" extension when aligning 7g Civics/RSXs where the steering rack is located at the top of the firewall. It's much, much easier to break the jam nut loose from the side of the car than reaching up through the wheel well with no leverage and no room. If the inner's frozen into the outer then I'll use a 17mm on that as well.
There's a specialty tool for adjusting the high-steer Chrysler tie rods which is basically the same thing - just a glorified flare crowsfoot.
Another, probably much more common use for them would be in doing serpentine belts or pulleys on FWD cars where you need tools with the lowest profile possible. Many serpentine belt tool kits actually come with a few crowsfeet.
There's a specialty tool for adjusting the high-steer Chrysler tie rods which is basically the same thing - just a glorified flare crowsfoot.
Another, probably much more common use for them would be in doing serpentine belts or pulleys on FWD cars where you need tools with the lowest profile possible. Many serpentine belt tool kits actually come with a few crowsfeet.