Well over the past 9 or so months since I have inherited my dad's 91 CRX DX, I have been in love. Everyday I spend more time reading about swaps, problems with VTEC engaging, and a plethora of "my car is broken" threads than I do on homework. As sad as it is, the only hands on work I've done to my car is change the oil. However(!!!), I don't wish that it stop there.

What are some good tools to have for working on a 91 Honda? Please note that I am in high school and not making as much money as most of you (part time @Starbucks haha), so I cant afford air tools and what not, but I need some quality pieces to give my car some TLC.

Thank you all for input

 

Impact Driver.

 

Metric tools all around. You need 1/2" and 3/8" metric sockets mostly, ratchet, and metric gearwrench's(best hand tool invention). Screwdrivers, hammers, a pair of vice grips. Thats about the bare minimum and about brands, try to stay away from asian tools, trust me. Craftsman is good enough but I myself prefer Snap-On. You get what you pay for in tools so if you go cheap they will most likely break as they have from my experiences.

 

Snap on and mac are great tools dont get me wrong but you dont need to invest that much money right now. A good set of Craftsman tools will do you fine plus they have a lifetime gaurantee. If you break one and I have quite a few you just take them in to sears and they replace them right on the spot.

 

true about the quality of the tools...we use nothin but snap-on at our shop...the price is up there but u get lifetime warranty on all ur tools..if something breaks they fix or replace it free of charge...however for someone like u i would suggest going to your local hardware store and check out the different tool kits that they have ....i was just lookin through the harbor freight mailer the other day and they have a few different sets that have almost everything u need... and the sets were inexpensive ranging between 40- 70 bux...they should be fine for you

 

well I keep a lil toolobox in the back of my rex it includes , phillips,flathead screw drivers, pliers, needle nose, dikes, 10,12,14,17 mm wrenches, sockets and a deep 14mm socket along with some electrical tape, keeps me outta some tight situations when something come loose or someone else needs a hand on there car, oh and dont forget the flashlight, but try to buy the good **** just buy a lil at a time youll always need it and they always last a lifetime(well most of the time)- goodluck James

 

Thanks for all the awesome input guys. Sounds like I should invest in a good set of craftsmen tools.

 

http://www.crxresource.org/mod...id=1/


From an old article I'd put together on the CRX Resource. I've added a few more tools since then, of course, including the "official" Honda crank-pulley tool and a valve-adjustment tool (it's a screwdriver and 10mm wrench in one, so you can loosen and tighten the valve adjustment locking nut without moving the adjustment screw. Pretty nifty, and a real time-saver at $50 if you do lots of valve adjustments on Hondas).

Anyway, it's a good list to give you an idea...

Mike

 

For those who aren't able to see it on the Resource...

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Kwicko's Honda Toolbox

MaintenanceSo, you want to work on your Honda. Good for you. But you're a newbie to the whole mechanic thing, and you don't know what tools you need. Here's a good place to get started. I bought everything listed here for one Honda job or another.

I just finished inventorying my "travelling" toolbox. It's got all the stuff in it I *know* I'll need for various jobs on Hondas. My toolbox at home has some other stuff in it, but nothing I couldn't live without. With these tools, you can pull suspensions, brakes, transmissions, cylinder heads, cooling systems, timing belts and cams, water pumps, or just about anything else you're likely to encounter in day-to-day running.

My Essential Honda Tool Kit

The Basics:

* A decent hammer.
* Prybars - 8”, 20”
* Torque Wrench, 10-100 ft/lb. A good, all-purpose torque wrench is a MUST, whether it’s just for torquing your lug nuts properly or for building a good motor. Even a cheap torque wrench is better than none at all.
* 7/8”, 12” long cold chisel. When you absolutely, positively have to get the lower balljoint separated, this and the hammer are your best friends. Often available only in a three-piece set. $20 at Sears, and worth every penny and more.
* 1/4” Roll-pin punch. I never want to hear anyone ask “How do I get the ‘bitch pin’ out of the shift linkage?” again. If you don’t have one of these, get your butt down to Sears TODAY and get one. They’re $6.99. You have no excuses. It’s also a great tool for the suspension - when you’ve got a LONG bolt and a nut, and you remove the nut but the bolt still won’t come out, just tap it out with the punch.
* Utility knife. Preferably retractable, so you don’t cut yourself rooting around in your toolbox. Sooner or later, you’re going to have to cut something - wires, hoses, yourself. You’ll want a good, sturdy, sharp knife for the job. A razor leaves a cleaner cut than a hunting knife when you slip with it, too - no big mess or ugly scars.
* Safety glasses. Trust me - I already had an emergency trip to the optometrist to remove aluminum shavings from my eye. DON’T “Be Like Mike”. The safety goggles are cheaper. And less scary.
* A Dremel rotary tool. I prefer a cordless model, since it can go to the junkyard with me. Also, a variety of cut-off wheels is good. And yes, I *do* consider this an Essential Tool.
* PB Blaster. WD-40 is NOT a penetrating oil.
* A good assortment of sockets is a necessity, NOT a luxury. If you don’t have them, you’ll need them at one point or another. I’ve been able to do it all with these:
* 1/4”-drive ratchet with 4mm-12mm sockets. I bought cheapies; these never see mad torque anyway. An 8mm deep socket is good for getting taillight nuts off.
* 3/8”-drive ratchet. I like Sears’ 11” long “Professional” model - but that’s because they gave it to me as a replacement for my swivel-head ratchet that blew up. They didn’t have the swivel-head in stock, so I got a much better ratchet for free. Besides, I *hate* the swivel-head - it always swivels just when you don’t want it to.
* 3/8”-drive socket sets: short, medium, and deep, all in 10mm-19mm sizes. For some jobs, the shorties are the only ones that will fit. For others, only the deep sockets will work. For *most* jobs, the medium ones are perfect. I consider them ALL Essential at this point, but if I had to lose a set, I'd lose the medium ones.
* 3/8”-drive extensions. I’ve been able to get along great with just the 3” and 6” extensions. I once owned a 10” extension, but never really used it, and I have no idea where it is now. No loss.
* 1/2”-drive ratchet.
* 1/2”-drive, 20” breaker bar. With this and a four-foot length of pipe, axle nuts have met their match.
* 1/2”-drive sockets. I like the basic set, in 9mm-19mm sizes.
* 1/2”-drive 32mm socket. If you ever need to remove the axle nut, you need this.
* 1/2”-drive extensions, 4” and 10”.
* 1/2” to 3/8” adapter.
* A good set of screwdrivers, or at least a #2 Phillips and 1/8 and 1/4 flat screwdrivers.
* Vice Grips - a large and a small make a good set.
* Long-handle bent-nose pliers. Great for those hard-to-reach hose clamps.
* Small needlenose pliers. Perfect for removing Cotter pins from the suspension.
* A large (12”) Crescent or similar adjustable wrench. There WILL be times when you’ll need a really BIG wrench (fuel pressure regulator, for example)
* A good set of combination (open and box-end) wrenches. I like the 8mm-19mm set. At the very least, you need 10mm, 12mm, 14mm, 17mm, and 19mm. Believe it or not, there ARE times when you might need the 13mm and 15mm sizes - for instance, if you’re using non-Honda rear hatch struts, they’re not “Honda-standard” sizes.
* Snap-ring pliers. Great for helping remove balljoints. Or torsion bars on a first-gen CRX. Also necessary when installing a short shifter. I bought a cheapie set with interchangeable jaws for different tasks. I’ll be upgrading, since I’ve found them quite useful.

Tune-up Kit You'll need these to get that CRX back to tip-top running condition again:

* Spark Plug socket (the smaller size - 9/16”?)
* Feeler guages - bent. Make sure they’ve got at least 0.007” to 0.011” included, for adjusting valves. You'll want the bent ones to adjust the intake valves - the straight ones just don't work well in the tight confines.
* HondaBond or equivalent gasket sealer. Permatex Ultra Grey is fine. A dab where the valve cover meets the cam journals, and you’ll never complain of a leaking valve cover gasket again. An absolute must if you’re planning on replacing anything with a gasket.
* O2 sensor socket. Why struggle with a wrench when a shot of PB Blaster and an O2 socket will get ‘er done?

Extras For those odd or one-time jobs, these can save your butt - or just make the job a little easier:

* 3/8”-drive 14mm wobble socket. The ONLY place I’ve needed this is to remove the rear transmission mount insert from the steering rack. No other socket or combination of socket/u-joint would work.
* 3/8”-drive Phillips-head #2 screwdriver socket. Who says you need an impact gun to get those rusted brake rotor screws out? What you NEED is a way to get torque on them, and a socket and long ratchet provide plenty of that.
* GearWrenches. These are your basic combination wrenches, with a twist: the box-end part is a ratcheting wrench. Wonderful for tight jobs where you can’t quite see to get the wrench on, a socket won’t fit, and you don’t want to spend all day loosening or tightening. Not essential, but nice to have for the price. I got a set that includes 10mm-19mm sizes, but I had to search a bit to find it. Many of the sets only go to 18mm, or don’t have a 17mm size. They DO make a set that has 10mm, 12mm, 14mm, 17mm, and 19mm sizes included. I got mine for $40 at Sears. Lowe’s also sells them.
* Something to remove the crank pulley bolt. You can go two different ways: a really big air impact gun and an air compressor, or the "official" Honda tool, which sells for anywhere from $60-$120. I've had luck (both good and bad) with the impact gun, but the RIGHT tool has never let me down. It's not cheap, but it's well worth the price.

That's it. If I've left anything out, add it in.</TD></TR></TABLE>

Mike