Why no impact sockets on transmissions?

[Wamsutta]

I watch these guys tear down transmissions on youtube and they're not using any impact sockets. All chrome sockets and chrome extensions. Is there not enough room to use impact sockets on transmissions?

 

[Monkey Milk]

If their using 1/4 drive, the torque of that size is not enough to need impact sockets. Also could be cost? With that being said, I do have 1/4 impact sockets, extensions and do tear down transmissions with them. I like my chrome stuff to shiny.

 

[dlcwent]

It's youtube. I had a customer tell me he watched a video on a particular process and it only took 15 minutes. I explained editing to him.

I think you can use impact for tear down if room allows. But never on re-assembly. As it should be with a lot of repairs.

 

[Zeroek]

See a lot of people use 1/2 to 3/8 reduced extensions for RWD trans removal. For FWD I normally use whatever I can get in there.

 

[Fedwrench]

Although You Tube can be a source of great information, many people are just using what they have available. I know in the factory transmission courses I've taken, I was told never to use cordless or air powered tools to prevent damaging cases and other components but, in the land of time = money, I think everyone uses what they can get away with.

 

[warweapon762]

I watch these guys tear down transmissions on youtube and they're not using any impact sockets. All chrome sockets and chrome extensions. Is there not enough room to use impact sockets on transmissions?

Torque specs are pretty low in some of those applications. You could easily run 3/8 gun on low settings with chrome sockets and not explode sockets. May also be what's on hand at the moment.

It doesn't mean that is how it should be done.

 

[PJNJ]

I watch these guys tear down transmissions on youtube and they're not using any impact sockets. All chrome sockets and chrome extensions. Is there not enough room to use impact sockets on transmissions?

A lot of the "experts" on Youtube aren't the sharpest knives in the drawer. I recently watched a video on replacing a rear bearing hub on a vehicle. The hub nut is 36mm. Torqued to approximately 200 ft. lbs. He put a chrome socket on his 1/2 gun to take it off. No explanation why he used it nor any cautions given. Granted a socket that big probably won't shatter but it still should not be done. And if I ever did that I would be wearing face protection and gloves at the very least.

 

[AmishFury]

i've seen a video where a guy demonstrated how to jack up a vehicle by jacking from the factory jack point in front of the rear wheel then placing a single stand under a centrally located jacking point... also known as the exact opposite of what you should do

 

[WhiffySpark]

I use chrome sockets on 3/8 impacts all the time. A lot of it has to do with clearance. I won't use chrome in 1/2+ though.

 

[shDK]

I use ordinary non impact sockets on air impact air guns every day. Have not broken one in years.

 

[Trey T]

You talking about Hiram Gutierrez? That dude sounds extremely knowledgeable about transmission and it seems like he works out of his own garage.

I use regular socket on impacting tool (M18 1/4" impact driver) sometime.

 

[Wamsutta]

You talking about Hiram Gutierrez?

Yes I am. That guy never uses any impact sockets and I wonder what kind of shape his chrome sockets are in if he uses them on an impact all day. I'm guessing he has some kind of reason for using chrome sockets like maybe clearance issues.

 

[bcradio]

Yes I am. That guy never uses any impact sockets and I wonder what kind of shape his chrome sockets are in if he uses them on an impact all day. I'm guessing he has some kind of reason for using chrome sockets like maybe clearance issues.

Unless he has terribly fat impact sockets or a very limited selection, then I doubt this is the case.

 

[dkroth]

Hiram Gutierrez

Holy cow that guy has mad skilz. He's a transmission savant.

He knows his stuff like crazy and works fast.

 

[Trey T]

^I believe so. I don't know much of the transmission repair industry but I've watch enough of his video over the years to guess that he's an expert in auto ******.

 

[jlh92]

It's youtube. I had a customer tell me he watched a video on a particular process and it only took 15 minutes. I explained editing to him.

So you're saying you can't pull the motor out of a truck, install it in a boat, ride the boat around and then put it back in the truck and go home in a half hour like the guys on Roadkill?!

 

[ScottsGT]

Although You Tube can be a source of great information, many people are just using what they have available. I know in the factory transmission courses I've taken, I was told never to use cordless or air powered tools to prevent damaging cases and other components but, in the land of time = money, I think everyone uses what they can get away with.

Yea, I had a mechanic that was Ford trained use his impact to set the crush ring/pinion tension on my 8.8 Mustang rear during a new gear set up. I questioned him about this since the Ford service manual has it written out in big bold letters "DO NOT USE AN IMPACT WRENCH TO SET THE PINION CRUSH WASHER. IT WILL CAUSE DAMAGE TO THE PINION BEARING."
About the time he said "Oh, it's OK, I do it all the time", a client of his pulls up in his newer Shelby with a pinion bearing going bad after he changed the gears in it. This was already his second attempt at rebuilding this rear and I wasn't giving him a third.
Mine made noise the next day.

 

[BK13]

So you're saying you can't pull the motor out of a truck, install it in a boat, ride the boat around and then put it back in the truck and go home in a half hour like the guys on Roadkill?!

To be fair, they were whining about how long it was taking.... A lot of whining....

 

[dkroth]

Although You Tube can be a source of great information, many people are just using what they have available. I know in the factory transmission courses I've taken, I was told never to use cordless or air powered tools to prevent damaging cases and other components but, in the land of time = money, I think everyone uses what they can get away with.

My first thought watching that guy tear into a Honda transmission: he needs two, probably three impact wrenches: 10mm, 12mm and 17mm.

He did a lot of switching sockets back and forth. Three guns with a nice holder would save him a lot of hand motion. He moves so fast already....

 

[Off-Street Parking]

It's youtube. I had a customer tell me he watched a video on a particular process and it only took 15 minutes. I explained editing to him.

A lot of the "experts" on Youtube aren't the sharpest knives in the drawer. I recently watched a video on replacing a rear bearing hub on a vehicle. The hub nut is 36mm. Torqued to approximately 200 ft. lbs. He put a chrome socket on his 1/2 gun to take it off. No explanation why he used it nor any cautions given. Granted a socket that big probably won't shatter but it still should not be done. And if I ever did that I would be wearing face protection and gloves at the very least.

Air-cooled VW?

 

[Olafur]

Shops around here are hammering on chrome day in and day out. Including diesel shops. It's not nearly as exciting as you might expect.

 

[BDT/NWMN]

Not proper tool use for US,, but they have their own ideas..

 

[PJNJ]

Air-cooled VW?

Nope. 80's - 90's Corvette.

 

[short4stuff]

Hmm because not flat ****

 

[coralnut]

Yea, I had a mechanic that was Ford trained use his impact to set the crush ring/pinion tension on my 8.8 Mustang rear during a new gear set up. I questioned him about this since the Ford service manual has it written out in big bold letters "DO NOT USE AN IMPACT WRENCH TO SET THE PINION CRUSH WASHER. IT WILL CAUSE DAMAGE TO THE PINION BEARING."
About the time he said "Oh, it's OK, I do it all the time", a client of his pulls up in his newer Shelby with a pinion bearing going bad after he changed the gears in it. This was already his second attempt at rebuilding this rear and I wasn't giving him a third.
Mine made noise the next day.

I guess this is a good example of the old adage, "If you want anything done right, you have to do it yourself." Warranty or not.

Shortcuts and sloppy behavior like this is exactly why I don't like to take my cars to a strange shop for service -- even the guys who *know* better are too ******* lazy to *do* better. And they know that for the most part, the damage that they do to your car will not be immediately apparent, and they can dodge responsibility for ******* up your car when it fails on down the road.

I hate techs who are so lazy and sloppy in their work that they dismiss the knowledge of the engineers who designed the system they're working on. Just because a tech attended the Ford training course doesn't mean that he's no longer a hack.

I hope you captured video of that conversation so that you can get them to pay for the repairs that you're going to need.

 

[IsaacJ]

my dad was a GM master mechanic in the 80's, there's not a single impact socket in his tool box, not even 1/2". some of the more commonly used ones are wallowed out. decent sockets just don't explode, not even on a impact

 

[csargents1546]

The other reason maybe that chrome are easier to clean. In the world of transmissions, clean is an absolute must.

 

[Vigo]

If you're talking about removing a transmission, the reason a lot of 1/2 > 3/8 adapting is seen is because you often need long extensions, long extensions mean a LOT of lost torque in a 3/8 extension, and 1/2" dr wobble sockets are very bulky. So, most people who do it for a living have a long, thick-shanked 1/2" drive extension that necks down to 3/8 at the very end so they can use their 3/8dr impact wobble sockets on it.

Once you are into the (auto) transmission, pretty much everything bolt-related is torqued in inch pounds and 1/4" drive is king. There are some really hefty retaining nuts on the end of shafts that take big torque and big sockets, but you may find one or two of those on the whole trans, but 15 tiny bolts just holding the valve body on.

 

[dnschmidt]

It doesn't matter since transmissions are aluminum and the torque used on the fasteners going into aluminum are almost always less than 30 foot-pounds unless something radically wrong has happened. Any chrome socket can easily handle this. When the impact starts rat-tat-tatting then impact vs. chrome makes a difference. If you watch Hiram's videos they come out immediately. In his case it just doesn't matter.

 

[dlcwent]

my dad was a GM master mechanic in the 80's, there's not a single impact socket in his tool box, not even 1/2". some of the more commonly used ones are wallowed out. decent sockets just don't explode, not even on a impact

They may not but they are very hard on the impact gun anvil.

 

[mb2720807]

I guess this is a good example of the old adage, "If you want anything done right, you have to do it yourself." Warranty or not.

Shortcuts and sloppy behavior like this is exactly why I don't like to take my cars to a strange shop for service -- even the guys who *know* better are too ******* lazy to *do* better. And they know that for the most part, the damage that they do to your car will not be immediately apparent, and they can dodge responsibility for ******* up your car when it fails on down the road.

I hate techs who are so lazy and sloppy in their work that they dismiss the knowledge of the engineers who designed the system they're working on. Just because a tech attended the Ford training course doesn't mean that he's no longer a hack.

I hope you captured video of that conversation so that you can get them to pay for the repairs that you're going to need.

There's a transmission guy on YouTube who reassembles every transmission with the impact wrench. It's nice that he list torque specs on-screen, but he never uses a torque wrench. Ever. Every nut in Bolt he touches gets the rattle gun treatment. Recently, he started editing out the parts where he impacts the nuts and bolts on.

 

[dnschmidt]

Yes I am. That guy never uses any impact sockets and I wonder what kind of shape his chrome sockets are in if he uses them on an impact all day. I'm guessing he has some kind of reason for using chrome sockets like maybe clearance issues.

That and possibly because the torques used on aluminum are exceedingly low and there really is no reason to use impact sockets if the most torque you're ever going to see is 20 ft-lb as even Chinesium can easily handle that.

 

[lbhsbz]

I work on a lot of european brake calipers and use a dewalt 3/8 impact with chrome sockets exclusively....the impact sockets simply won't fit due to the wall thickness in many cases. Never broke one and haven't worn anything out. I'll use impact sockets on the 1/2" gun, but 90% of the time on a 3/8, it gets chrome.

I do use impact extensions when I need some torque simply because my Snap-On chrome extensions are undercut and have some twist to them which absorbs the impacts....while the fat impact extensions do not. Normal low torque auto repair stuff....chrome will last forever on an impact.