Club 80-90 Forums

This is something that I have been thinking about for ages. Everytime I get an email from a tool company selling socket sets or complete car maintenence sets, just before I press the buy button because it looks such a good bargain I always hold back. The thoughts in my head saying but will they be the correct range of spanners and sockets for your van. What else might I need when I am faced with a small technical issue at the side of the road. Has anybody ever worked out what the perfect kit is for each and every eventuality that may arise.

Any thoughts or will the next socket and screw driver set with a set of jump leads and a tow rope do it. Maybe I should just forget it all and get an AA membership, certainly save space.

Mines the t4, I have yet to find myself unable to sort a problem with what I have on board although it's not very practical for camping.


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you only need I think 31 tools for a t3 petrol syncro I did work it out once, maybe more depending on multispline or allen head cv bolts

It will depend on what jobs you think you want to tackle on the road. You can make a pretty comprehensive tool kit fit in not much space by using a tool roll and some socket rails. Generally something like 100 piece socket & spanner set, plus some screwdrivers and pliers/ grips, would be enough to deal with most jobs.

Multimeter is a must have

I like your comments about "it depends on what jobs you are going to tackle on the road" if we all knew that we would do them before we were on the road

I think your right though any time that I have had a problem out and about I have not had the proper tool for the job. New fuel filter comes to mind once.

My on the road kit (plus a discovery bottle jack)... anything crucial missing?

Are each of these spanner and sockets sizes especially chosen or just a case of they'll do?

Servicing and proper maintainance is the key- inspection and preventative etc etc.

In last ten years had a tail light bulb go near Salisbury and a turbo poop it's pants near Lille.

Don't like certain FB pages reliance on having a good breakdown policy as it's infinitely cheaper than looking after(spending money on) van.

chiz wrote:I like your comments about "it depends on what jobs you are going to tackle on the road" if we all knew that we would do them before we were on the road

(sigh) Perhaps if you have a think about what spares you're going to carry and the type of jobs you're confident to tackle, then that would provide a fairly good indicator as to the type of tools you're likely to need.

Yeah, I have one of the halford pro 150 bit kits and apart from a pair of grips , a good knife , a hammer and a spring clip tool that pretty much all I use for any job on a t25 .

I agree with all of the comments about proper maintenance, however, I still think a vehicle specific set of tools is a worthwhile thing to keep in the van.

We did a similar exercise when trying to minimise weight on Landrover expeditions. Certain sized fasteners are standard, but there are specific oddities that you need to be prepared for without taking the full 200 piece socket set with you when half ot will never be used. There also some very specific tools that will never be part of a normal set, but you definitely want. For example, my defender is largely metric, but I also carry a 9/16"AF spanner for prop shaft bolts, a 1/4" whitworth spanner for battery terminals and a 52mm impact socket for hub nuts. I have also had to use them all at times!

It sounds like Aiden has already done something similar, but I will ask the questions as I don't know t25s well enough yet...

On the assumption that these vans are 100% metric, you don't need to carry any imperial sized spanners or sockets. Correct?

Can the range of metric sizes be reduced? Standard metric head sizes for M5 though M12 are 8, 10, 13, 17 an 19mm. Do you need to carry the intermediate sizes for reduced head fasteners? Are there any 16mm fasteners on a t25 for example? Are M14 or M16 fasteners used?

This would be where I would start once I had assembled my set of basics... screwdrivers, cutters, pliers etc...

Any thoughts?
Ta
Mark

You will need a 15mm and a 16mm spanner and socket without a doubt over and above the normal 10,11,12,13,14,17,19,21 and 22mm .
46mm for rear hub nut .
7mm for brake and clutch bleeds, 8mm for carb top pancake on DG .
Splines and hex for driveshaft bolts , 17mm hex for gearbox plugs
24mm for steering wheel nut and oil senders ( long reach socket for the latter)

syncro
add 7mm spanner or socket for the vac unit, ditto circlip pliers external, but I use one of those sets that can do both types by changing the pivot point and a proper 3mm parallel pin punch not a imperial one masquerading as 3mm for the roll pin or at least a nail that you have previously functionally checked is the correct diameter
30mm for the front driveshaft and wbx pulley
22mm spanner for difflock switch, 22mm socket for brake caliper bolts, really good 13mm spanners, for prop bolts, they are a small 13mm and no socket access
17mm spanner needs a thin head for use on brake calipers if Girling, cheap ones are too fat, 8mm hex tool if ATE (sliding caliper late types)
46mm strikeable tool for hub nut unless you carry the 3/4" breaker bar or your 1/2" is snap-on but even they can fail before 500Nm
some extensions for sockets in a range of lengths and wobbleness
set of irwins for any corroded or damaged fixings and locking wheel nuts in emergency

In the real world, stuck in a layby you tend to need two of each size in spanners. I took out a gearbox for another 80-90 member, laying in a wet puddle in Manchester one morning and took the exact amount of tools I knew I'd need for the job but this is all down to experience. I doubt theres an ultimate one but certainly double up on 10mm, 13mm, 15mm, & 17mm.