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Today I was changing the timing belt on our 2003 Pilot, and the crank pulley bolt was giving me major problems. Thanks to ETCG advice, the only thing off was the wheel and splash guard. A couple broken extensions later I said screw it and put the tire back on and headed to THD because it is closest to my house.
Looking through their site, the DW059K seemed to have the best cordless electric impact that they had, so I went with that. The crank pulley bolt was not going to defeat me! Get it home, get it charged, and the bolt doesn’t budge! $200 for nothing. Bout that time I get the feeling it had been a rage-induced decision. It eventually came off the old school way with the crank pulley tool, 2 breaker bars, and lots of sweat. Did the hammering from the impact help the cause at all? Not too sure…
It only has one battery and by the end of the night it was a bit sluggish when it came time to put the lug nuts back on. I definitely had to tighten them further by hand. I will charge it tonight and give it another trial tomorrow.
Wife isn’t going to buy into getting a full-sized compressor in our current garage, so I’ll be stuck with electric tools for awhile. What do you guys think…should I return the 1/2″ DeWalt why I have the chance and put the $200 toward something else? Or will it eventually shine and show its worth through various projects for a long time to come?
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You need an impact that will deliver a tremendous amount of torque when dealing with things of this nature. Anything less than 700 ft/lbs of torque is a joke when dealing with a crank pulley bolt. An Ingersol Rand 1,000 ft/lb. impact will get the job done. I’m not sure if this amount of power is available in electric/cordless form.
Return. If you want a good cordless impact for projects, go with higher torque rated ones. That only does 145lbs max, in what it’ll actually do, you’ll be lucky to get off lug nuts with it, fairly sad rating for a 1/2in impact.
DEWALT – 20V MAX* Lithium Ion 1/2″ Impact for example. 300lbs and last 4x plus as long for usage on a single charge.
The 3/8’s(20v max) one I got myself for various projects that I’ve used the crap out of, has near the same rating as the one you purchased, half the size and weight. Works great, hardly need to charge it, better range of attachments as it’s 3/8’s, and will do just about anything save what you mention that needs ridiculous torque, or is rusted into a 1 piece.
I have the same dewalt impact as you, and it removes crank bolts with ease. You might want to return and exchange for another of the same model (just to make sure you didn’t get a defective tool). One thing I’ve learned about this tool is that it needs to be fully charged in order to get full torque out of it.
Opinion #1:
it removes crank bolts with ease.
Opinion #2
That only does 145lbs max, in what it’ll actually do, you’ll be lucky to get off lug nuts with it
got some controversy here… i like it. banana:
Q: is it really possible to remove a crank pully bolt with 145ft/lbs of torque..? Discuss!
Where did anyone get “does 145lbs max”? This impact is rated to 350 ft/lbs of tightening force, and I believe 575 ft/lbs of removal torque (when fully charged, as stated by the manual). Granted I haven’t tried this impact on a honda crank bolt, but I used it to remove the crank bolt on my dodge stratus (when changing the timing belt) and it worked just fine. With the right puller, it also zipped the harmonic balancer (which is a tight interference fit) off of the crank shaft in seconds.
Maybe you got a bad tool/battery? It’s worked great for me. My only complaint is that it’s tough to fish into tight spots to get at things like some engine mount through bolts and exhaust fasteners.
EDIT: See this link that compares a lot of cordless impacts. I used this page to decide on getting my DeWalt a few years ago, and it has proved fairly accurate in what to expect:
http://www.caranddriver.com/features/impact-wrench-comparison-seven-electric-models-tested-gearbox
The DW059K uses a NiCd battery, which may need to be conditioned through a couple charge-discharge cycles unlike a Li-Ion battery. Or, as previously suggested, you may have gotten a defective tool or battery.
The energy needed to apply 250 ft*lbs or more of torque seems like (to me) heavy demand for any battery, even for a short period of time.
Have you considered a 120 VAC corded impact gun? There is no need for a compressor and are not limited by a battery.
[quote=”tbonedude89″ post=107485]Where did anyone get “does 145lbs max”?[/quote]
Actually upon reviewing, perhaps I looked up the wrong one; might have been a 12v model. The model listed is 300lbs max, which is fine. Should be a keeper.Can’t see it being 345lbs though, they usually come in quite a bit under what they’re max rating is for real-world usage, not over. My bad on the original lookup though. Were it me I’d still probably exchange for the better battery life of the “max” model, unless this was a tool only deal. In which case you can just get the better batteries, all of which is likely to be found at the same price via amazon.
Did you read the link I added to my post? All of the impacts they listed were tested for their fastening and loosening torque (using a 1 inch bolts threaded into a steel beam), and those numbers are included in the breakdown.
tbone – Thanks for that link. I like that it highlights that loosening torque is really king. When you look at marketing for different wrenches, they aren’t always transparent on what’s loosening or tightening torque. The box for this DW059 states 300 ft-lbs for max torque, and the included manual shows the same, with no indication of that being loosening or tightening (attached).
Hanneman – Yes, I would certainly consider going with a 120 VAC corded impact wrench. I ran a couple extra 30A circuits to the garage when we rewired the house and the capacity is there. It would be a purchase I could take some time with and order online, so wouldn’t be limited just to whatever is close/convenient to me. Going on the notion that cordless is better than nothing, corded is better than cordless, and air is better than corded, I’m very open to investigating the corded route given my need/usage. Portability is not a deciding factor for me at all.
I tried out the drill again the next day on lug nuts with a fresh charge. Took them off fairly effortlessly and put them back on at least 80 ft-lbs (as high as my torque wrench measures). Still just feeling lukewarm on the purchase since it didn’t handle the original need and my back still aches from all muscle it took to break the bolt free.
I think my usage is fairly typical. We drive/buy used cars for daily drivers and I take care of regular scheduled maintenance items and whatever else happens to break. I leave these jobs to the professionals: exhaust work, anything needing welding, any one-time projects that would require a special hand or diagnostic tool that just makes no sense for me to own, or or any other significant repair that would make the car unusable for more than 1 day at my pace. I’ll probably be doing another J-series timing belt in 25k miles on our Odyssey when that’s due.
I like to buy things that last and have this $200 to reinvest if I return the DeWalt and can dig up a bit more to make a better informed purchase. What I don’t have is the space for a compressor, or a 3rd car to use when family is out with the 1st car and I’m stuck at home mid-project on the 2nd car with a stuck fastener.
Thanks for all the info an opinions…very helpful to hear the different points of view.
[quote=”tbonedude89″ post=107566]Did you read the link I added to my post?[/quote]
Have now, interesting. Still finding those figures a bit hard to swallow, if there was some way to say 575 ft lbs of max torque, or even 350, using fastening, I can’t see any of those companies passing up that selling point on the packaging.. Rather than underplaying it.Over or under-played that testing does show what each does relative in comparison to the other at least.
For air specific impacts, but still relevant I think:
http://www.industrysearch.com.au/Air-impact-wrench-torque-ratings-science-or-magic/f/12099Be nice if they’d have done those comparisons along with a couple common air ones as well for a gauge.
Ingersoll Rand Air Model: 2135TiMax Electric: W7150 I own both and they are both 1100ft/lbs and both legendary!
Teddy – I appreciate the Barney-ism and felt that something legendary was worth looking into. The IR W7150 and the Milwaukee M18 Fuel 2763 have had me drooling while watching youtube demonstrations. I think the DeWalt is going to have to go!
Ok, well, the main problem you have is that Honda Crank pulleys (harmonic balancers) use a fine threaded bolt. These are disgustingly difficult to loosen with even the biggest 1/2 inch air impacts. I did a timing belt on a Ridgeline (same thing) and it took 2 of us to break it free. If you look at the harmonic balancer itself there’s a hex pattern on the inside edge because they make a special tool to hold it while you use another huge breaker bar to remove said bolt.
A tech I worked with actually went out and bought a 3/4 drive breaker bar specifically for Honda crank bolts. Unfortunately the flaw isn’t really with your tool it’s with the design of the crankbolt and the bolt itself.
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