Re:Tools that changed your life!

In all honesty, I'm using my Power Probe 4 more than any tool in the diag box lately. I only used it a couple times after upgrading from the PP3, to drain the fuel out of a tank and test a horn. Stupid stuff.
This week I got hit with 3 cranking no starts, and the Power Probe 4 was the tool of choice for all 3.
First off, it hooks right to the battery. Having a reliable ground for testing gives this thing edge over all.
I like to start by pulling a plug wire and checking spark (NOT with the Power Probe!). Check! We have spark, not worried about coils, or PCM inputs (for now).
Sooooo, it SHOULD fire with starting fluid. Check! We have ignition with an outside fuel source! So are we missing the pump, or the injectors?
This is where the Power Probe started to impress me.
Fuel Injector Mode. With the injector control wire back probed, and cranking the engine, the probe displays 4 values:
Injector on time in ms
ECM ground voltage (taking voltage drop on the PCM ground out of mind right away)
Injector Voltage (also eliminating possible power feed voltage drop)
Inductive Kick in Kv (proving collapse of the magnetic field, helping verify injector condition).
Plus the green LED flashes as the PCM grounds the injector.

Alright, so what's the deal? Is the PCM turning on the fuel pump relay? What do you think Power Probe?
Switch her over to Driver Test mode.
With the relay out of the box, probe the control pin. The Power Probe will keep voltage on the tip so that as far as the ECM is concerned, it looks like the ground side switched component you're testing is still in the circuit. (The computer may not activate a driver if it senses the circuit is open.)
Key on.... No prime :huh: Cranking, we have PCM control, as indicated by the green LED and tone from the Power Probe.
All right then. Since the relay is already out, we can probe the feed wire to the pump. Switch to "Feed Test".
A ground tone indicates that either a) the circuit is intact all the way through the pump to ground, or b)the wire is shorted to ground (which would result in a blown fuse most likely). But NOT an open circuit. Back to the pump.
Probing the power wire, while still on Feed Test Mode, engine cranking (relay reinstalled), the probe displays 3 values.
Battery Voltage (source voltage)
Tip Voltage (Instant volt drop testing!)
Circuit resistance (calculated from the difference between tip voltage and battery voltage)
Also while in Feed Test Mode, the ability to apply power or ground is deactivated.
No problems there. Now to check the ground, engine cranking.
The green LED indicates that there is less than 10 ohms resistance on the ground wire.
We've verified circuit integrity and pcm control. We're done. Time for a pump.
If you really want to, you can go ahead and try to energize the pump while you're under there prove what you already know.
Or you could do it from the relay base if you are POSITIVE you are powering the correct leg of the circuit.
Whole job, one tool.

I have the Max Jax 2 post lift. The lift is perfect for low ceiling applications. Best of all you can move it and store it away. If you need it wider or narrower you can make several anchor points in the floor and install it in any configuration you need. It will lift 7000 lbs and allows 4ft clearance with no plates running along floor. It is a great lift!

Has not changed my life but a nice tool I use it by removing component and putting tester in it place can select from 1 amp to 20 amp load and use on 3 volt to 16 volt systems

Who knew they made tools specifically for turning flywheels/flexplates? Not me, not until my boss showed me this one:



Light years better than spending forever working the engine around with a prybar.

In 1996 I bought a used Snap-on MT2400 Vantage from a Matco tools truck. Paid $1000 for it. Someone had traded it in because it wouldn't read codes haha.
Changed my life!
We did have a Sun 450 in the shop, so I wasn't clueless with scopes but that data base in the Vantage opened up an entire new world for me and really was foundational to the thought processes I still use today.

ScannerDanner wrote: In 1996 I bought a used Snap-on MT2400 Vantage from a Matco tools truck. Paid $1000 for it. Someone had traded it in because it wouldn't read codes haha.
Changed my life!
We did have a Sun 450 in the shop, so I wasn't clueless with scopes but that data base in the Vantage opened up an entire new world for me and really was foundational to the thought processes I still use today.

+1 on the Vantage!
That's how I got my Souls Pro, which lead me to not want to be "that guy" with a kicking scanner but only knows how to use it to clear codes. Which is how I found Scanner Danner. So in a very real sense, that Solus Pro changed my life.
I remember hooking that thing up for the first time and seeing "fuel trim". I asked every mechanic I knew what that was for, and nobody could answer me. :blink:

I just bought this I used on a Nissan Note strut, which is a difficult strut to compress safely --- worked like magic a lot of time saved.

Wow. That looks like a super handy tool for struts!

got earplugs? Btr

Something I found to be super convenient was these:



Perfect for hanging brake calipers, tying hoses out of the way, hanging flashlights, all kinds of stuff! I keep two on the side of my cart.

www.outdoorgearlab.com/reviews/camping-a...g/headlamp/coast-hl7

A headlamp is the one thing I can't live without. Bad thing is switching out batteries all the time but it lights up where you are looking and you wont forget it under the hood.

That is cool,looking at all the ingenuity makes me feel like I've just been unfrozen like Walt Disney

Finally, a battery light which actually does what I want when working on a vehicle.

(1) Rechargeable - 'cos buying a set of[/img] batteries a day is annoying.
(2) A magnet on the base which is actually strong enough to hold the thing at any angle.
(3) Dimmer control. From annoyingly bright, all the way down to so dim you can't see it.
(4) Slim enough lighting head that you can get it into places without using up all available space
(5) MOST IMPORTANTLY - a flexible shaft which is long enough, flexible enough and actually stays where you put it.

Expensive (£60 by the time I had one shipped to the UK) but worth every single penny.
I used it for the first time the other day, and it's an absolute game changer. Previously, whatever light I used either fell off what ever I magneted it to, or was permanently shining in my eyes and not where I wanted it to be.

My neighbor was over last night for me to have a look at his Saab, and when we finished asked where he could also buy one of them.



www.amazon.com/Astro-Pneumatic-Tool-30SL...geable/dp/B01JBOKU6Y

Cheers,

Paul

Paul Marchant wrote: Finally, a battery light which actually does what I want when working on a vehicle.

(1) Rechargeable - 'cos buying a set of[/img] batteries a day is annoying.
(2) A magnet on the base which is actually strong enough to hold the thing at any angle.
(3) Dimmer control. From annoyingly bright, all the way down to so dim you can't see it.
(4) Slim enough lighting head that you can get it into places without using up all available space
(5) MOST IMPORTANTLY - a flexible shaft which is long enough, flexible enough and actually stays where you put it.

Expensive (£60 by the time I had one shipped to the UK) but worth every single penny.
I used it for the first time the other day, and it's an absolute game changer. Previously, whatever light I used either fell off what ever I magneted it to, or was permanently shining in my eyes and not where I wanted it to be.

My neighbor was over last night for me to have a look at his Saab, and when we finished asked where he could also buy one of them.

www.amazon.com/Astro-Pneumatic-Tool-30SL...geable/dp/B01JBOKU6Y

Cheers,

Paul

That's a sweet light! I've learned over the years that you get what you pay for when it comes to rechargeable work lights. There's a similar model on the tool truck, I like yours better.
Thanks Paul!

Life hack alert --- my dirty secret is for speed I often use this for checking 5v reference and 12v supply istr it was £5 from Lidl

I put in my order for that light on the tool truck! Thanks Paul!

Andy.MacFadyen wrote: I bought one of these last year. It saves a lot of mess and time, CVJ Boot Tool - Air operated

Link to UK seller page

Nice! That sure beats lubing up a tranny funnel!

Tyler wrote: This Lisle spark plug removal set has saved me TONS of time.

That porcelain remover they added in the newest version of the kit is a game changer.

I don't care to admit how many I've broken But I've gotten a lot better about not breaking them in the first place (engine temperature, decarbon procedures, impact wrench). Still, having that set in my toolbox has made me pretty fearless when it comes to Triton plugs.

I have seen the "Hot engine w/ impact gun" method on youtube but, I have never had the courage to try it. I do, however, own the Lisle removal kit, though.

I have a 5.4 on the schedule for next week. :dry:

The Power Probe has already been mentioned, so:

pole71 wrote: I have seen the "Hot engine w/ impact gun" method on youtube but, I have never had the courage to try it. I do, however, own the Lisle removal kit, though.

I have a 5.4 on the schedule for next week. :dry:

You got this! I've had a couple trucks that I got all eight out clean with the impact method. Someday, I want to do the same on a V10. It's like my Everest. :lol: