Cheap tool kit for servicing?

Something that I will need to remove the skid plate, to remove the kdss plate(for cleaning), and also do oil change. And a cheap Jack. How much do I need to spend and what do you recommend?

 

Every now and then Lowe’s has good deals on their tools there. I was able to pick up a craftsman 216 piece tool set for like $95 earlier this year.

 

Wow, thanks

 

A small metric socket set that includes (in millimeters) 8, 10, 12, 13, 14, 15, 17, 19

Small 2 ton floor jack from Wal-Mart.

2'x2' piece of 3/4" plywood to put under the jack (if you're on soft ground).

 

Thanks. I love my 4Runner and I want to learn how to service it. It is a simple truck they say.

 

just don't go too cheap on the jack and jack stands. you don't have to spend a ton of money to get something good, but getting crushed by your truck not a peaceful way to go

 

I've had a car come down on me. Not fun at all. A cheap jack stand folded at the rear and the front was on ramps.

You never know when a jack will fail. I had the same heavy duty floor jack for 20+ years. It never gave sign of going out.
I jacked up my mustang to rotate the tires, put jack stands under it and later when I went to jack it up off the stands, it would not lift the car.
It was late in the day and the only place open was Home Depot and I needed to get the car back on the ground.
I bought one of those cheap "2 ton" floor jacks that weighs about 15 pounds. It worked that one time, and it would not lift the car again.

 

I'm another one to chime in on not going cheap on jack stands and floor jacks. My old 3-ton floor jack from Sears weights 68 lbs. and my BIL's 5-ton weights over a 100 lbs.
The four jack stands I bought for my TJ when I changed to a 4-link rear, are rated at 10 tons each.
It might overkill to some but, being killed before I got to enjoy the fruits of my labor was not an option.
The same with tools. If you enjoy wrenching, buy once, cry once. I'm still working with the same tools I bought from the Mac tool truck when I was a teenager,
and that was almost 50 years ago.

Speaking about my teenage years, in Jr. High School, I made a set of car ramps out of 1" angle iron (Welding Teacher approved) that I still use today.

Do they still teach stuff like wood, metal and small engines class any more?

 

Sir, kids today can't even change a flat tire. America is too busy with apps.

 

Im gonna repeat this too. Dont go cheap on the floor jack, and do not go cheap on jack stands.

Learn the best ways to lift w/ jack, and the placement the jack stands. After that, don’t trust them anyway…they may fail, they may slip. So always use redundancy (like putting wheel under car, leaving the floor jack in place as a backup to the stands).

As far as tools, get some good fine toothed ratchets (1/4”, 3/8” and 1/2” drive)… those are worth spending extra money on. Also a few phillips and flathead screwdrivers of varying sizes/lengths, including one with removable bits. Then try to snag a basic socket kit that has a lifetime warrantt when they go on sale, like mentioned before.

 

At the risk of being lampooned, Here's three things to buy from Harbor Freight.
Their 1/2 breaker bar, the 1/2 extendable ratchet and 3/8-1/4" extendable ratchet.

 

Since we’re spending your money here, I forgot to mention that a pair of steel ramps and chocks can be an easier and safer way to get the front high enough to remove skidplates and oil/filter changes. You still need to be distrustful of them, but it’s less hassle than putting the front of the car up on stands.

You may also be skinny enough to get under it without even raising the front, so that might be worth trying. That in no way applies to me lol. You might even be able to grease the ujoint zerks on the driveline with it on the ground.

Once you start doing tire rotations, brakes, or suspension work, thats when you really need the floor jack and stands.

 

For regular maintenance I think 1/2" is overkill.

3/8" is more than enough. I've laid into my 3/8" stuff just because and so far so good. Sometimes the walk to the tool box to grab the 1/2" is too far.

 

I’ve been doing all my general work with HF tools forever. I’m not a mechanic by trade so they hold up fine

 

exactly what I have. I also grabbed a torque wrench. That does 95% of the truck

 

The extendable 3/8 I linked really does help to bridge the gap to needing a 1/2'.
The 1/2 ratchet is good for lug nuts either after you break them loose or if you are strong enough you can use it to break them loose.
And someday you may need it for other things, and you'll have it.

 

ha!! When I actually worked on my vehicles regularly (many moons ago) I had all Walmart tools lol. I can’t even tell you how many 10mm sockets I broke. It’s funny that now that I just do regular maintenance, I have quality.

 

I've never broken a 10mm socket, but I've lost a few.

 

WHAT?? THERE'S NOT AN APP FOR CHANGING TIRES - OH CRUD - WHAT IS A PERSON TO DO? Oh, I know - It's just sad, ain't it, that so many kids are steered so far away from the basics. God help them when they flip a switch and the power don't come on. No problem says he - "I'll just drag out my generator..." "what, the gas station is closed? No power for the pumps?" "Wa, wa, what am I gonna do, where's my phone mommy?" "The cell towers are down?" Ah just shoot me...... Child, Parent, Adult egos, which one do ya think comes up with a plan..... ?

 

i always throw the wheels under the vehicle when it’s up as well. As much as it would suck to ruin one, i would be alive to bitch about it.

we had a guy back in the day have his cobra drop on him and kill him when he was swapping his clutch. Huge wake up call for all of us when it happened

 

This should help you immensely.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3O0N7ZinDK4
.

 

That was certainly a good video. I got a Craftsman set and it was broken right off the box. Socket does not lock in place. Very poor quality control. Return it and got a Kobalt set and it was soo much better quality and works great



(Update)
What I use now-

 

Craftsman, like Champion spark plugs, may have seen their better day.

 

Too late. I bought this monster 227 piece set for $99. Cheap means low quality I guess

 

I bought a dewalt socket set for body and trim work and the ratchet mechanism is broken.

 

Buy the best reviewed, most expensive tools you can afford if you're talking about long term use. Or those with a lifetime warranty.

 

Check out https://www.tekton.com. In recent years I've been searching for a replacement to the old (30+ years ago) Craftsman quality and value and have settled on Tekton as the replacement.

Lifetime warranty is only so good if you can't finish a project because the tool broke on you in the middle of the project.

 

https://www.jpcycles.com/product/550-2205/stockton-metric-roadside-tool-kit

 

I have Tekton Torque wrench and impact sockets. They seem to be very well made. I keep them in the vehicle in case I need tire change.

 

I just ran across this video from a Toyota Master Diagnostic Tech:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3O0N7ZinDK4

TLDR:
1/4": 8, 10, 12, 14mm shallow, deep, & swivel sockets, plus stubby ratchet
3/8": 8, 10, 12, 14, 17, 19mm shallow, deep, & swivel sockets, plus regular and long ratchets, plus breaker bar
1/2": 17, 19, 21, 22, 24, 27, 30, 32mm shallow and deep sockets, plus breaker bar, plus 35mm if you're doing the front axle
Hex: 5, 6, 8, 10mm
Torx: T10, T15, T20, T25, T30, T35, plus T50 & T55 if working on Tundra beds
Open end one side Ratchet other side wrenches: 8, 10, 12, 14, 17, 19, 22, 24, 27, 30mm
Plus good quality pliers, screwdrivers, channel locks, & vice grips

If you're doing alignments, the lock nut could be either 19, 22, 24, or 30mm and the inner could be either 13, 14, 15, or 18mm

This guy is opinionated but he makes a lot of sense since he works on Toyota & Lexus daily