Basic Tool List for BMW DIYers

[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

[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