Basic Tool List for BMW DIYers

[dternst]

One of the Technical Advisors to the Lone Star Chapter BMWCCA, Trent Cole, published an article in Decemeber 2005 issue of "Der Bimmer Rundscreiben", a club magazine, a complete listing of tools for the DIYer that "take their BMW wrench turning seriously." Trent recently published the article again after a new member made the inquiring in our Yahoo LCSChat Room. So I wanted to share the article with my Bimmer.Info Family. I've also included other suggestions from Mark Yujuico and Jeron Gibson.

Tool Basics for the Weekend Warrior!

By: Trent Cole, Lone Star Chapter Tech Advisor.

Most of you probably don't know that I was a DIY and a club member long
before I opened Lone Star Bavarian. I purchased my first BMW back in 1991,
when I was still in college. My interest for BMW, or should I say my
interest for turning wrenches was sparked after that purchase. You see my
first Bimmer was a 1977 630CSI that was turbocharged. I was convinced to
buy this car by a dealer friend, who's dealership was in a very small town
in Louisiana. He had taken this Franken-bimmer in on trade for partial
payment on an I-Roc Z28 Camaro and he knew his chances of reselling it to
anyone in backwoods Louisiana were slim. There aren't too many bubbas
small town Louisianan that want a hopped up BMW from the past. So he
gave me what I thought was a good deal at the time(I could afford it) and
off I went, back to Baton Rouge in my ridiculous purchase.

My epiphany came when I dropped the "Shark" off to get an estimate for
front end suspension work and that estimate was for more than I paid for the
dino-six. It was at that very moment that I realized I would have to learn
to fix it myself, sell it or somehow learn to enjoy walking. I chose to
dive into BMW repair, since selling it still would still be a daunting task
in Baton Rouge (the big city)! Although I did have some yahoo want to trade
me a T-Bucket, hot-rod for it. I passed. With that said, Mr. T-Bucket
called me a month later to let me know he had sold it for $12k, which was
considerably more than I paid for the 6er. What the heck did I know, I was
22 and I just couldn't imagine what I was going to do with a convertible
T-Bucket in Louisiana. It rains and it rains a lot. I guess I wasn't real
shrewd in car sales at that time. And besides, I liked the 6er, it was
unique.

Then as now there are a few basic tools that you will need to work on your
modern, not so modern and for some of you "historic" BMW's. I am only
covering the basics because as special tools go, I could go on for days and
those really are based on what model and year you own. It also depends on
just what you are willing to tackle in your driveway (for some of you, you
will need to substitute "what your wife will tolerate" here). Here is the
list. It is not complete but rather a great foundation to build from.

Pictured in Photo 1:

1. A complete set of screwdrivers, flat head and Phillips.
2. A good flashlight/drop-light.
3. Adjustable wrench, a couple of sizes.
4. Metric Box End/Open End Wrench set, 8mm-22mm.
5. A Needle Nose Pliers Assortment
6. Wire cutters
7. Water pump pliers
8. Brass Hammer
9. Dead blow hammer
10. Sharpie or Black Magic Marker
11. Assortment of 1/4" and 3/8" extensions.
12. Set of Automotive Piks
13. Set of Metric Torx
14. Set of Inverted Metric Torx
15. 3/8" socket drivers, fixed and adjustable heads.
16. 1/4" socket driver (fixed only is fine)
17. 1/4" and 3/8" wobble attachments
18. 3/8" socket set, 8mm - 22mm
19. 1/4" socket set 4mm - 15mm
20. Tire gauge
21. Good quality pry-bar
22. Telescoping Mirror (for finding leaks and tools and parts you drop)
23. Telescoping Magnet (for grabbing un-reachable parts and tools you drop)
24. Set of Metric Allen Sockets
25. Large Break-over Bar

Pictured in Photo 2:

1. Heavy Duty Socket Wrench or Break-Over Bar.
2. Good quality Ft. Lbs and inch lbs torque wrench. Ft. lbs is more important.
3. 36 mm socket for oil filter canister top removal
4. Small Heavy Duty Maul
5. Rubber mallet
6. Fan clutch tools for your model
7. Cheater pipe for use with hvy duty break-over bar.
8. Sm. Quick Ignite Propane Torch
9. Wire strippers
10. Soldering Iron, either propane or electric
11. Good quality multi-meter.
12. Slide Caliper
13. Code Reader (the best you can afford, Peake is what I recommend)
14. Infrared Pyrometer.

Pictured in Photo 3(next page):

A good set of jack stands. Two of these will suffice for most jobs but you
will need four for some of the more involved jobs. You will also need a
good quality floor jack to get your vehicle up on those jack stands.

As I stated before this is a list of items to build on. You will find
that there are other items that will makes some jobs easier but for the most
part you will be able to accomplish most task with this list of tools. And
as you move from the amateur category into the more novice DIY category
you will add more specialty items to your inventory. Some will be BMW
specific and others won't. I find the following items to be very useful but not
needed.

1. A set of half moon box end wrenches.

2. A set of wobble sockets both 1/4" and 3/8". These are very pricey if
you are to buy good quality.

Of course air tools and compressor are of great help but I caution the use
of these until you have become comfortable with turning wrenches manually.
I did not buy any air tools until I actually opened Lone Star and I still
don't like them but they sure do speed up certain jobs.

Finally the best tool you have, you already own. The BMW CCA is by far
one of the best tools/resources you have and there are many sponsors and
members that are readily available and willing to help and direct. I
suggest that you develop a strong relationship with a couple of shops, techs
and technical advisors. Remember these guys have jobs and usually are very
busy so be judicious in how much time you take from them. Back in the day I
would never use the same reference person twice in a row since I did not
want to wear out my welcome. Often times, especially when I was tackling a
big job that needed advanced direction, I would tip or pay the advisor/tech
for his time. This way I knew that when I needed them again they would
welcome my questions and not feel as bothered.

One other tool that I am assuming most of you have is your computer.
There are many sites dedicated to shade tree repair. In addition there is also
www.bmwtis.com that has most of the information you need to do
most repairs. This site is a pay site and does require some searching,
especially if you are not familiar with it and BMW's way of categorizing the
material contained within. This site is aimed at the seasoned BMW tech so
don't expect to log on and find Bentley styled instructions.

Most of all remember to budget a lot more time then you need to accomplish
what ever it is you are trying to accomplish and do your homework ahead of
time. And remember being a DIY can be fun and should be. Good luck and
don't be afraid to ask for help!

I hope this helps some of the new owners as well as the ones that have been
around here for awhile.

David

[Blitzkrieg Bob]

come real handy when you get into engine and suspension rebuilds

[genphreak]

Nice contribution David, thanks- esp. on behalf of those who haven't got the hang and started posting a lot on the board. I hope they get to read your missive, its good oil. Nick

It is a pity the pics aren't there though...

[Gayle]

Ok, I am falling behind on asking clueless questions.

What is a dead blow hammer?

What does a pyrometer measure?

What is a wobble wrench?

[dternst]

Nice contribution David, thanks- esp. on behalf of those who haven't got the hang and started posting a lot on the board. I hope they get to read your missive, its good oil. Nick

It is a pity the pics aren't there though...

I'll see if I can't scan the article with pictures.

[Jon K]

Ok, I am falling behind on asking clueless questions.

What is a dead blow hammer?

What does a pyrometer measure?

What is a wobble wrench?

Dead blow hammer is usually a lead/copper or thick plastic or rubber hammer filled with sand. The sand deadens the recoil so that the force is applied to the object youre smashing. Think trying to get rusted rotors off of a hub... you dont want a metal hammer it will just bounce.

Pyrometer measures temperature usually on exhaust or head. I don't know why you would need that unless you're trying to do headgaskets and need to warm the head up to a certain temperature or something.

A wobble wrench is an open ended wrench that has a pivoting section so you can fit in tight areas. Basically i'd rather have a short handled 12mm wrench than a 12mm wobbler

[dternst]

Nice contribution David, thanks- esp. on behalf of those who haven't got the hang and started posting a lot on the board. I hope they get to read your missive, its good oil. Nick

It is a pity the pics aren't there though...

Sorry if this may not download quick enough for some of you.

[Bill R.]

broken at least a dozen of them in my life and the steel shot rolls all over the place... A digital infrared pyrometer is a extremely usefull tool to have. You can use it spot clogged spots in radiators, measure how hot the cooling system is in various places, measure whether the a/c or heat is working correctly. Measure quickly whether all the brakes are retracting correctly or pulling evenly by checking rotor temps. Check tires temps when at the track to see if your car is setup correctly and to see if the tires are working right. Check hot spots on wires to detect high current draw. Verify whether temp sensors are accurate. Check heat loss/gain in the windows and insulation/walls at your home. Check when that steak is done on the barbecue. You can locate a dead cylinder by checking the heat at each exhaust port , etc etc etc
He doesn't mention wobble wrenches because there's no such thing. He mentions wobble sockets which is a slang term for a universal socket which is a socket with a universal joint built into the end of it so it will flex and not have to be aligned perfectly straight with the bolt. What Jon is thinking of as a wobble wrench is a flexhead wrench which is usually only on a ratcheting box end wrench ,here's a pic of a universal socket from snap on

Dead blow hammer is usually a lead/copper or thick plastic or rubber hammer filled with sand. The sand deadens the recoil so that the force is applied to the object youre smashing. Think trying to get rusted rotors off of a hub... you dont want a metal hammer it will just bounce.

Pyrometer measures temperature usually on exhaust or head. I don't know why you would need that unless you're trying to do headgaskets and need to warm the head up to a certain temperature or something.

A wobble wrench is an open ended wrench that has a pivoting section so you can fit in tight areas. Basically i'd rather have a short handled 12mm wrench than a 12mm wobbler

[Bill R.]

Cats go nuts chasing the laser pointer around the floor...

broken at least a dozen of them in my life and the steel shot rolls all over the place... A digital infrared pyrometer is a extremely usefull tool to have. You can use it spot clogged spots in radiators, measure how hot the cooling system is in various places, measure whether the a/c or heat is working correctly. Measure quickly whether all the brakes are retracting correctly or pulling evenly by checking rotor temps. Check tires temps when at the track to see if your car is setup correctly and to see if the tires are working right. Check hot spots on wires to detect high current draw. Verify whether temp sensors are accurate. Check heat loss/gain in the windows and insulation/walls at your home. Check when that steak is done on the barbecue. You can locate a dead cylinder by checking the heat at each exhaust port , etc etc etc
He doesn't mention wobble wrenches because there's no such thing. He mentions wobble sockets which is a slang term for a universal socket which is a socket with a universal joint built into the end of it so it will flex and not have to be aligned perfectly straight with the bolt. What Jon is thinking of as a wobble wrench is a flexhead wrench which is usually only on a ratcheting box end wrench ,here's a pic of a universal socket from snap on

[RichO]

13. Set of Metric Torx
14. Set of Inverted Metric Torx

David

Excellent post but what exactly is a "metric torx" ? Is it different from the normal E8, E10 E12 etc.. sockets?

I thought the beauty of torx (for a manufacturer at least) is that it is both SAE and metric. The threaded part of the fastner can be one or the other. The head remains the same so that if they ever want to change from SAE to metric they do not have to buy all new tools. I could be wrong though, it's been years since I worked as a manufacturing engineer.

The reason I ask is that I'm in the middle of pulling my 5 speed out of my 91 525i and am having a hard time finding the appropriate sockets. which sockets do I need?

thanks, Rich

sorry for bringing up an older therad but it's a good one!