Doing the 5speed swap so finally brought a decent tool set, I got a 1/2 socket drive set.. The sockets that came with it are 12 sided.. but now I keep hearing that 6 sided are best for grip

Are 12sided sockets that bad? Is it only the cheap ones?

Basically I want to hear that they are fine

Tools are from http://www.fullertool.com

 

well the first time u strip an important bolt and bust up you hands with the 12 sided ones u will learn to never use them again... lol.. i had to learn that the hard way...

 

thats what I was fearing.. gonna try and take it back tonight I think.. Anyone else

 

sometimes you need the 12-sided but usually the 6-sided is perfect
i do all the work on my car myself and my craftsman set of 6-sided sockets is my most trusted tool (just like my screwdriver)

for large bolts i.e. tranny contrrol arm
6-sided is better because the socket applies pressure to each wall = more surface area = better torque transfer

 

Thanks for that!! I might just buy a couple of 12pt sizes for working on the bellhousing if its going to be a tight fit

Just returned my 12pt set.. now have to shop for another kit

What a mission theres not many quality tool suppliers in NZ for a good price..

Found set called PowerBuilt (www.powerbuilttools.com)

But they have Z drive 6 wall socket



154pc Mechanics Tool Set

Ring & Open End Spanners 9mm, 10mm, 12mm, 13mm, 14mm, 15mm, 16mm
5/16”, 3/8”, 7/16”, 1/2”, 9/16”, 5/8”, 3/4”
1/4” Dr, 3/8” Dr, 1/2” Dr, Gear to Gear Quick Release Ratchet
Sockets 1/4” Dr (6pt Std) 4mm, 5mm, 5.5mm, 6mm, 7mm, 8mm, 9mm, 10mm, 11mm, 12mm, 13mm, 14mm
5/32”, 3/16”, 7/32”, 1/4”, 9/32”, 5/16”, 11/32”, 3/8”, 7/16”, 1/2”, 9/16”
Deep (6pt) 4mm, 5mm, 6mm, 7mm, 8mm, 9mm, 10mm, 11mm, 12mm, 13mm
3/16”, 7/32”, 1/4”, 9/32”, 5/16”, 11/32”, 3/8”, 7/16”, 1/2”
3/8” Dr (6pt Std) 13mm, 14mm, 15mm, 16mm, 17mm, 18mm, 19mm, 20mm, 21mm, 22mm
3/8”, 7/16”, 1/2”, 9/16”, 5/8”, 11/16, 3/4”, 13/16”
Deep (6pt) 9mm, 10mm, 11mm, 12mm, 13mm, 14mm, 15mm, 16mm,
3/8”, 7/16”, 1/2”, 9/16”, 5/8”, 11/16”, 3/4”
1/2” Dr (12pt Std) 15mm, 17mm, 18mm, 19mm, 21mm, 22mm, 24mm, 27mm, 30mm, 32mm
1/2”, 9/16”, 5/8”, 11/16”, 3/4”, 13/16”, 7/8”, 15/16”, 1”, 1 1/16”, 1 1/4”
Spark Plug Socket 3/8” Dr x 5/8”
Extensions 1/4” Dr 75mm/3”, 3/8” Dr 75mm/3”
Spinner Handle and Coupler
Bit Holder, Bits
Phillips #1, #2, #3, Slotted 4-5mm, 6-8mm, 8-10mm
Torx T-15, T-20, T-25, Robertson S-1, S-2, S-3
Hex Keys 1.5mm, 2mm, 2.5mm, 3mm, 3.5mm, 4mm, 4.5mm, 5mm, 5.5mm, 6mm,
1/16”, 5/64”, 3/32”, 7/64”, 1/8”, 9/64”, 5/32”, 3/16”, 7/32”, 1/4”
640195

 

Yep always use 6-point if possible. 12-point are only handy if you're in a very tight place where you have almost no room to move a socket wrench or breaker bar. That's their sole purpose, as far as I can tell. 12-point work fine in most situations, but if you really have a tough bolt you want 6-point to avoid stripping the bolt.

 

All the tool kits seem to be 12-point, I've looked in my local stores.. and 99.9% are 12-point

 

Do you have Sears or Harbor Freight in New Zealand? HF makes great cheap tools, most of which are of decent quality. www.harborfreight.com

 

to Harbor Freight. They have a variety of tools that is scary cheap.

 

Actually some bolts have 12 point heads on them. You find them on high strength fasteners where the recommended tightening torque cannot be reliably supported by the standard 6-pt hex head.

The bolts for the connecting rod and main bearing caps in our engines have 12-point heads on them.

 

any waranty? lifetime or other...?

 

i would stay away from HF...it's cheap for a reason and you know you get what you pay for.

for the home garage guy, you should be picking up craftsman or husky (home depot). both carry a lifetime warranty and no hassles...(IE they won't ask how u broke it and etc).

inferior sockets tends to break often..(during important times). more prone to rounding off the head of the nut/bolt (lower quality = more product control issues).

 

I have to agree. I've used cheap/good tools. In the end, getting the decent quality ones saves money/time over the cheapo ones. I recommend getting doubles or triples of the sizes you use often. ie.. 8,10,12,14,17,19,22 mm sizes. These you might get away with getting cheap. Or get good ones used on ebay/pawn shop etc..

 

So I can use 12-point sockets safely most of the time? I'm buying these tools mostly to do a 5speed swap.. so is 12 going to round bolts off on the bellhousing?

 

i have craftsman 6 and 12 point sockets. IMHO it's pretty much the same. i've never turned hard enough for the socket to slip. if it did slip then i didn't set the socket on the nut/bolt correctly.

 

sorry my friend, husky tools are total crap. Craftsman or Wiha is what i recommend.

 

I think that maybe the catch, either no warantee or limited lifetime. check their web site.

www.harborfreight.com

 

The only brands I can seem to find here are:

Powerbuilt (Allied tools) - lifetime
Fuller - lifetime
Sidchrome (Stanley) - lifetime
Snapon (uber expensive) - lifetime

All 12-point sockets

Can't find much else... maybe I have to find a place that supplies the trade...

no husky.. craftman.. habourfreight here

 

If you have problems with a 12 point, then you need to buy better sockets.

/thread

 

You will probably never notice the difference unless the bolt/nut has been overtorqued/rusted. Just make sure that you have the entire surface contained within the socket and the axis of the the wrench is in line with the axis of the bolt.

You might wish to start out with a "breaker bar" and the 12pt will be an advantage. Once the rotation starts it is of no consequence what you use to finish temoving the fastener.

Another possibility if you have the clearance and are really worried would be to use a 6pt "Box End" wrench (spanner). You might need to cheat and put a pipe over the end in order to gain the leverage you need as the handles are shorter than those on "BB's" and ratchets.

Another post here suggested duplicating some of the sockets. This can save time as you will not have to remove them from one handle and put them on another (with greasy hands and other inconveniences to deal with).

Don't forget a bucket or pan to drop the fasteners in when you remove them and TURN THE WRENCH IN THE CORRECT DIRECTION

 

heh, do you mean something cryptic there Counter-clockwise to loosen .. clockwise to tighten

 

Yeah, I was working on my friend's Prelude and had to stop at the Pressure Plate... 12points. The head looked funny, like star shaped. I went to Kragen and they ordered a socked from Honda... I looked at the socket, and said screw them and bought a 12point socket.

I have a set of Challenger sockets 6points. They're supposedly made in the US, and were dirt cheap. It's all I've needed so far, till the Prelude incident. Later I found out I had a set of snap-on 12points in the back of the tool chest drawer. Dang.

What about the sockets that supposedly grip the middle of the flat side of a bolt/nut? They're advertised as having more torque and less likely to strip (even working on stripped heads)

Jae

 

How about "Righty-Tighty", "Lefty-Loosee"?

Another note on construction: Really cheap/bad sockets have much thicker walls and as a result a larger outside diameter. This can be a problem if the space around the bolt head is limited (lug nut holes, for instance). Other problems that can arise and cause stripped bolt heads are due to very loose manufacturing tolerances and oversized bolt head cavities. Therefore the prior 6pt recommendations hold true.

 

I'm learning the hard way that for the first time you should always use a 6 point socket or box wrench. I stripped the bolt on the idle pulley twice already and every time I used a 12 point. Worse thing I've done since that 14mm bolt is super soft. Its completely stripped now. The only way to take it off is to torch it and I'm not even sure the shop can do that with the engine in the car.

 

6 winz...................

 

Bumping a thread that's over two years old! Dig it. Yeah that bolt is pathetic. I stripped mine a couple of years ago and had a Nissan tech replace it. I think he torched it off and I don't think it's that hard to do. Yes it's cramped in there but there's room to get a torch in.

 

Is there a reason you are not removing the bracket/pulley to pull the whole assembly? The threaded question mark rod and the adjustment nut are maybe $6 each at Nissan.

 

I was changing my alternator. Tried to get the belt off but stripped the bolt. Ended up moving the A/C compressor and putting everything back together with no problems. The belt is tight so until it needs changing I'm not touching it. The good news is that belt is only 20,000 miles old.

 

def need a set with lifetime warantee. had a hard to get to bolt once, so took a torch and bent the wrench. after the job, brought the wrench back and got a new one free of charge, no q's asked

 

What's the problem with 12 point sockets? I broke loose four rusted on lower strut bolts with a 12 point socket from the bargain bin at Ace Hardware with no problem whatsoever. Oh yeah, don't forget the two foot breaker bar I used (read: jumped on).

If your bolts screw up your 12 point sockets in any situation short of Xmember or motor mount bolts, you need to reconsider where you buy tools from.

 

After dealing witha cheapo toolset on my Maxima first, and finally getting a Craftsmen set, I ONLY use 6 point sockets. I was damn pissed that Sears didn't have a 6pt. 27mm socket for my ka crank pulley, but I figure that if I strip the crank pulley bolt with a 12 pt. socket, then I have some SERIOUS other issues inside the engine. lol.

But 6pt for every single task I can. I have never had a problem fitting a 6 pt in anywhere.

 

I personally have never had a problem with 12pt sockets, Craftsman and Snap-on here. I have always done my own work on all my cars and friends and family. The onlt time a bolt has even slightly rounded on me is when your not pulling on the wrench or ratchet in perfect line with the bolt, which can happen with 6pt also. Even my buddy who is fullly ASE certified, been a mechanic for 12 years, uses 12pt and says they are ok.

 

Was anyone saying that the bolts screw up the 12pt. sockets?

I thought everyone meant that the 12pt. sockets have a better chance of rounding off nuts/bolts, which I have experienced.

...wow, did not realize this thread was so old.

 

I usually use the 12-pt or 6-pt whichever one I grab first, but 6-pt if it's going to be a tough twist. But another use a 12-pt can be used for is turning something with a square head such as a pipe plug.

Birken

 

ummm it may be that I live on a farm, but you will need a 12 pt socket next time you want to work on a four sided nut or bolt... cuz 4 dont go into 6.... but for cars your not gonna see that on anything modern.

 

I personally have never had a problem when using 6pt or 12pt. If the bolt is really rusted, i will try use a 6pt, but in most situations, i just use 12pt. Most people at my work use whatever.

Oh and FWIW, it pays to buy a good set of sockets, you get what you pay for. Cheap sockets have a tendancy to strip nuts/bolts, usually the hard to get to ones.

If your more seriously into working on your car, you can get a decent set of 8-19mm, but for ones you always use, (10, 12, 14) i suggest picking up some good ones. I picked up a set of used snap on deep socket for 140$ 8-19mm. Lifetime warrenty, so its not like it matters!

 

It is better to use 6 point because it has more contact on the bolt and there is less chances of rounding out the bolt. A 12 point is effective on rounded bolts, and tight situations but I try to stick with 6 point.

 

HA cool - I'm still getting replies on a thread I started 4 years ago

 

Not only that, the images you linked to 4 years ago are still showing up in the thread.

Hope you're still enjoying the 5-speed swap.

 

Mac "mac edge" sockets are by far the best sockets I have EVER used.
Most of my impacts are Matco. I also have a set of shallow and mid Matco 3/8 sockets and a set of deep well Snap-on sockets. I only use 6 points and have a 64 tooth ratchet for the tight places. Alot of times sockets are a tight fit on timing covers and often even my matco sockets and our foremans snap-on sockets won't work on stripped 10mm timing cover bolts. Our Mac distributor was in the shop showing off the new "mac edge" sockets. It actually grabbed the socket and twisted it right off. The sockets fit so good that you can put the bolt in the socket and there is NO play between the socket and bolt.. It's the only tool I have ever bought from Mac... I actually try and often successfully use them on stripped bolts before I dig out my "bolt-out" set.