Automotive Shop/Garage Equipment + Hand/Power Tools

LEARNING GOALS

¦ List the basic units of measure for length, volume, and mass in the two measuring systems.

¦ Describe the different types of fasteners used in the automotive industry. ¦ List the various mechanical measuring tools used in the automotive shop. ¦ Describe the proper procedure for measuring with a micrometer. ¦ List some of the hand tools used in auto repair. ¦ List the common types of shop equipment and state their purpose. ¦ Describe the use of common pneumatic, electrical, and hydraulic power tools found in an automotive service department. ¦ Describe the different sources for service information that are available to technicians.

Repairing the modern automobile requires the use of various tools. Many of these tools are common hand and power tools used every day by a technician. Other tools are very specialized and are only for specific repairs on specific systems and/or vehicles. This section presents some of the more commonly used hand and power tools with which every technician must be familiar. Because units of measurement play such an important part in tool selection and in diagnosing automotive problems, this section begins with a presentation of measuring systems. Prior to the discussion on tools, there is a discussion on another topic that relates very much to measuring systems-fasteners.

---- A meter stick has 1,000 increments known as millimeters and is slightly longer than a yardstick. Meter stick; Yardstick

MEASURING SYSTEMS

Two systems of weights and measures exist side by side in the United States-the Imperial or U.S. customary system and the international or metric system.

The basic unit of linear measurement in the Imperial system is the inch. The basic unit of linear measurement in the metric system is the meter. The meter is easily broken down into smaller units, such as the centimeter (1/100 meter) and millimeter (1/1,000 meter).

All units of measurement in the metric system are related to each other by a factor of 10. Every metric unit can be multiplied or divided by the factor of 10 to get larger units (multiples) or smaller units (submultiples). This makes the metric system much easier to use, with less chance of math errors than when using the Imperial system.

The United States passed the Metric Conversion Act in 1975 in an attempt to get American industry and the general public to use the metric system, as the rest of the world does. While the general public has been slow to drop the customary measuring sys tem of inches, gallons, and pounds, many industries, led by the automotive industry, have now adopted the metric system for the most part.

Nearly all vehicles are now built to metric standards. Technicians must be able to measure and work with both systems of measurement. The following are some common equivalents in the two systems:

Linear Measurements

1 meter (m) = 39.37 inches (in.) 1 centimeter (cm) = 0.3937 ” 1 millimeter (mm) = 0.03937 ”

1 ” = 2.54 centimeters; 1 ” = 25.4 millimeters; 1 mile = 1.6093 kilometers; Square Measurements

1 square ” = 6.452 square centimeters 1 square centimeter = 0.155 square inch

Volume Measurements

1 cubic inch = 16.387 cubic centimeters 1,000 cubic centimeters = 1 liter (l) 1 liter (l) = 61.02 cubic inches 1 gallon = 3.7854 liters Weight Measurements

1 ounce = 28.3495 grams 1 pound = 453.59 grams 1,000 grams = 1 kilogram 1 kilogram = 2.2046 pounds Temperature Measurements

1°Fahrenheit (F) = 9/5C = 32°

1°Celsius (C) = 5/9(F - 32°)

Pressure Measurements

1 pound per square inch (psi) = 0.07031 kilogram (kg) per square centimeter 1 kilogram per square centimeter = 14.22334 pounds per square inch 1 bar = 14.504 pounds per square inch 1 pound per square inch = 0.06895 bar 1 atmosphere = 14.7 pounds per square inch

Torque Measurements

10 foot-pounds (ft.-lb) = 13.558 Newton meters (N-m) 1 N-m = 0.7375 ft.-lb 1 ft.-lb = 0.138 m kg 1 cm kg = 7.233 ft.-lb 10 cm kg = 0.98 N-m

--- Common automotive threaded fasteners. Bolt Stud Capscrew Setscrews Round head Flat head Flat head Round head Fillister head Oval head Pan head self-tapping screws Machine screws Round head Flat head Carriage bolt Torx head bolt.

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