t3am 83rd

+1 for a kit from Sears. It's cheap and will have most of the tools you'll ever need. Also if anything breaks just drive over to a Sears and replace it for free.

street_ruler

there really isnt an advantge to the kit other than cost. however, atleast 50% of the tools will be useless to you because they will be in SAE and this car is all metric (except for the shift knob jamb nut i think. i think thats a half inch).

theres some debate on brands and quality, however i prefer craftsman for the blend of quality, price, availability and warranty. for some things like seldom used tools i have no problem with harbor freight sockets and one-off things.

if you want to do general maintenance heres a list of jobs that i think you should tackle. if you arent interested in doing some of them cross them off the list and we'll tell you what tools you need for the job. I also dont like some of the things in that blog. missing a 10mm 3/8ths socket is a cardinal sin when working on a metric based car like this.

TOOL LIST:
--3/8ths 12POINT sockets. dont bother with 6 point. yes 6pt are theoretically stronger, but in 15 years of doing this ive never broken a socket. and 6pt annoy the hell out of me as they take slightly more to get "on" a bolt head. personal nit.

--set of screw drivers from sears (12 piece or greater, just get whatever is on sale).

--3/8th drive socket wrench, also called a ratchet. the more often it "clicks" per degree of movement of the handle the better. you dont want one that clicks every 45 degrees or you'll never get a bolt in tight spaces turned.

--combination wrenches: these are the ones with circles on one end and open U-shapes on the other. make sure your set goes from 10-17 at the very least. and again, 12 point, not 6. this is even more annoying when working in a tight space with a 6pt socket.

--extensions: 3/8ths drive extensions. i typically carry 2-3inch and 1-6inch. that gets me a foot. anything else and its hard to carry around, but i do have a 2 footer in my toolbox i use very seldomly.

--magnet on a stick: this is critical. if you drop something the last thing you want to do is be fishing it out with pliers.

--pliers: needle nose are more helpful than the blunt "lineman" style. i dont even have the blunt ended ones in my toolbox.

--slide lock pliers: also called "channel-locks" however channel lock is a brand. these can be used in place of a big socket wrench from time to time. i use them often to get egr fittings loose.

--oil filter wrench: get one that collapses on itself as you tighten down. its a little more useful than one that goes on the end of the oil filter. sometimes filter bodies vary slightly and you get a different brand filter, your wrench will still work. you really shouldn't NEED this, but sometimes they are just stuck on.

--flare nut wrenches: these are for brass fittings and brake line fittings. if you dont intend to do anything hydraulic--clutch master, clutch slave, brakes--then you wont need these. but if you do, you will need 10-14mm. it will also be advantageous to buy an 8mm one by itself.

--impact screw driver: this is not an impact gun. this is the manual version you use to undo set-screws on a brake rotor. you hit the back end of it with a hammer and it slowly loosens the screws.

--tq wrench: unlike the blog i suggest a little higher range 25-125, or whatever the craftsman 1/2in drive covers. lugs are 80ftlbs, head gaskets i think are under 100...and ive never torqued anything else to spec. i do it the german way, goude-en-tight. if you feel like you need something with more range think about geting a second wrench. when they cover large ranges (10-350) then tend to be really inaccurate at the far reaches of the scale.

--"Bolt out kit" this is a rescue tool. look in any mechanics tool box, like a life long tech and what does he have? standard tools, a set of specialty tools and a shitload of rescue tools. this is used to get bolts that have rounded heads (went form 6point to 0 point) out. this is great for the jr.-wrench that is new at this. can be had from sears in a set for like 20 bucks

--cheater bar: this is just a length of pipe that you slip over a wrench to get more leverage. can be had at any hardware store.

--breaker bar: i like the newer craftsman one. 1/2in drive or nothing.

--socket adapters and reducers: get one of each to go to and from 1/2-3/8 etc.

--wobbles and universals: i dont use wobbles, they annoy me. they never have enough range. if you get a universal joint, get one that you can adjust the tension on. craftsman again has this. comes in handy. sometimes they are too loose and things fall off.

--spark plug wrench: get two of these in different sizes. they are fairly universal but some are fatter than others and wont fit down the spark plug tube hole. 3/8ths drive is enough. they shouldnt have that much tq on them anyways.

--screwdriver with replaceable bits: if you get one of these make sure you get "safety star" bits. those are the ones that have a recess cut in the tip to slip over a bolt head that has a little "nipple" on it. these are common in interiors and such.

--interior tool: get one that looks like a little prybar that has a U shaped end. its for interior clips and remarkably helpful to McGuyver things.

--set of allen wrenches, or hex-key wrenches. the t-handles are less useful than youd think but the "ball-end" ones are pretty trick.


with that tool list, you should be able to do almost any maintenance you come across. oil changes, filter changes, brakes, wheels, gaskets etc.

the jack was already covered and so were jack stands i believe. those i would get at harbor freight and save some money on. craftsman doesnt really warranty those anyways.

Saki GT

How much room do you have for storing all this stuff?

I think you need a good set of sockets, ratchets and wrenches - metric for a Japanese car but its good to have both sets, since you might get handy in general, and between sizes, a set usually ensures you're always covered. It is annoying to get half way through a job and have to go out for a tool.


If I was just getting started with all this stuff, and had S2000 work in mind, I'd focus on:
-Screwdrivers - Philips and flathead, and it helps to have an extended and a stubby for each type
- oversized wrenches/stubby sockets for the diff - 23 & 24 mm
- 10mm wrench/socket - always good to have an extra one of these it seems
- rubber mallet
- claw hammer
- torque wrenches for different ranges (small, large)
- vice grips
- low profile oil pan
- jack that fits under your car (low profile)
- at least 2 jack stands
- at least 2 wheel chocks
- long extension for a ratchet - needed for spark plugs
- 3/8ths spark plug socket (if you don't get a socket kit with one)
- needle nose pliers
- And get a nice toolbox or some place to keep it all.

dantediss

If you can find a way to get the mechanics s2000 service manual i believe it lists the tools you will need for all maintenance on the car. Im not at home so i cant check. But if my memory serves me correct you can scan it over and make your decisions. I wouldnt concern myself with hondas specialty tools but more or less the sizes and what not. Piece that up then price out a complete toolset. For about a grand you can get a nice toolset from sears and a nice tool chest from harbor freight.

grubinski

I agree with this advice, but I'd start with a minimal wrench/socket/plier/screwdriver set. You *know* you're going to be needing those.

zeroptzero

The worst feeling in the world is when you strip a bolt thread, depending on the location of the bolt it can be a major pain in the arse. Use a proper sized torque wrench on all your jobs and it will save you a ton of grief. Buy a 3/8th drive torque wrench that does approx. 2-22 foot lbs (20-240 inch lbs), then a 1/2 inch drive torque wrench that does 20-150 ft lbs . That will be your best investment IMO.

Jdrum1

I used to buy nothing Craftsman tools, until I grabbed a Harbor Freight ratchet and socket set on a whim (needed a drive size I didn’t have). Now I get almost everything there……..

I’m not saying HF tools are Snap-On quality, but I find most things to be as good (better in some cases) than Craftsman and for much less.

aero3685

In my opinion...

I would start with a basic setup of sockets, and wrenches (not harbour freight brand) Even though some of the harbour freight brands do have warranties and they'll swap them out for free...that doesnt matter when your stranded and needing that size. I have busted a few types of their wrenches/sockets and while they do have their place, I've just started tossing the extra ones that are their brands since its more of a pain. A whole set of their pliers pretty much stopped working and rusted shut, even though I kept them lubed up and used regularly.

For that type of stuff, you can get GREAT deals at Lowes. Kobalt brand, most of the hand tools are solidly built and have a lifetime warranty, just bring them in and they'll swap them out if you do ever have a problem. Ive had another set of theirs for about the same length as the harbour freight, used less but still work good as new.

However, I would recommend the floor jack that they have and jack stands. It is low enough to slide under the s2k (even if its lowered a little). http://www.harborfreight.com/automot...html-7814.html I have had mine for quite a few years of decent use with no problems, and have used it on trucks, jeeps, cars... I have rebuilt it once using an o-ring set and got it back to working pretty well. They also have tons of kits (bolts, washers, hose clamps, clips, o-rings, etc..) that are cheap and great to have on hand when needed.

I started out with smaller kits here and there, and would've saved a bit of money just buying a complete set to start off with and adding what I needed.