Can You Name All of These Repair Shop Tools?

By: Jacqueline Samaroo

About This Quiz

If you are a back yard mechanic, your idea of a fun weekend is probably working on your project car - but even the best weekend mechanics tend to have a limited set of tools.  Just about every household owns some of these basic repair tools, such as pliers, wrenches, and screwdrivers. Those, after all, are multi-purpose tools that can be used both in the house and in the garage. But if you enjoy working on your car - or if you do so reluctantly, to save money - you've probably got some more specialized tools in your repair arsenal. You might have a set of jack stands and a creeper. Sure, you can put down a tarp and slide under your car, but a creeper - in its simplest version, a board on wheels that rolls under the car - makes things so much easier. As for a jack, your option is cinder blocks, and those are pretty darn clunky. Wouldn't it be wonderful to have an array worth of a real mechanic's workshop?

If you find that you are jealous of master mechanics and their drawers full of professional tools, then this quiz is for you! We've created a list of 50 pretty pictures of repair shop tools. We wonder if you can identify all 50 of them!

A comfortable creeper is essential in helping to prevent a sore back at the end of the day. One with larger wheels will tend to be easier to maneuver, but the vehicle may have to be raised higher to accommodate it.

Pliers come in very handy in helping to get a wide variety of jobs done. Perhaps that’s because they are made in so many different styles – regular, needle-nose, groove joint, slip joint and wire cutting are just a few.

An electric impact wrench will likely be less powerful than its air-powered counterpart. That said, it should provide all the torque needed for removing lug nuts and for doing similar jobs. Plus, the electric impact wrench saves time since there is no need to wait on an air compressor to build pressure.

The are times when only the solid whack of a hammer is good enough to loosen a stubborn joint. There are several types of hammer, but having at least a claw hammer and a ball peen hammer should cover most mechanics’ hammering needs.

Riffling through a cluttered toolbox can be time-consuming, frustrating and dangerous. There are many different types of tool organizers to choose from, including magnetic ones which can be secured to a tool cart.

Hoses are found in numerous places in a vehicle, and having to remove them (quite often) takes a great deal of extra effort. That is where the hose removal tool comes in. The end fits neatly between the hose and fitting, while the handle provides sufficient grip for the mechanic to pry stubborn hoses free.

Rolling creeper seats come in such a wide selection that it’s very easy for a mechanic to find one that suits his/her needs. Some, for example, have a single shelf below the seat while others give you multiple shelves. Some are adjustable to different heights and some give you a back support.

Crowfoot wrenches are ideal for working in tight spaces where limited head room directly above a nut or bolt means a normal socket wrench won’t fit. They grasp the nut or bolt from the side and can loosen or tighten it without requiring any extra space to work in.

As suggested by their name, locking pliers give the mechanic the advantage of locking them in place once the correct separation is achieved. They are also called vise-grips or mole grips.

A heavy-duty bench vise can be an indispensable tool in a repair shop. Apart from the obvious clamping function, a good bench vise will likely feature a large anvil area, a swivel base and sufficiently wide jaws to hold large parts.

A steel or titanium crowbar can be a real time and energy saver if you have to pull apart two components that are really stuck fast together. The strength and length of the crowbar provides a good deal of leverage, reducing the amount of force the mechanic has to apply.

Diagnosing hard-to-pinpoint engine problems becomes much simpler if you have an automotive stethoscope. They typically have different length probes and sometimes they include an attachment for detecting air-induced sounds.

The air hammer is also known as a pneumatic hammer. It uses compressed air as the force which drives any attached tool. Stuck, rusted bolts can be loosened by blasts from an air hammer.

A rolling toolbox cart makes it easy for a mechanic to move tools and equipment from one work area to the next. The cart should feature a chemical-resistant finish to prevent corrosion.

Needle-nose pliers go by a variety of names, including long-nose, pinch-nose, pointy-nose and snipe nose. They come in different lengths and can also be bought in both straight and curved varieties, giving mechanics plenty of options to choose from.

Parts washers ensure that components being worked with and reassembled are free from any dirt and grime. Parts that are clean will fit together better – plus, without all the gunk in the way, the mechanic can see exactly what’s going on.

Tires that are either over or under inflated pose a safety risk to drivers and their passengers as well as to other road users. A tire inflator with gauge is easy to use, portable and allows you to monitor the amount of air you are putting into each tire.

Rubber mallets are used in situations where you need to strike a much gentler blow than could be done with a metal hammer. They are great for smoothing out dents, since they themselves won’t dent the material.

Strap wrenches work in the same way as chain wrenches. The “strap’ is typically made from metal, rubber or leather. Strap wrenches are often used as oil filter wrenches.

While jacks are for lifting a car, they are not meant to be used to keep the car elevated. For that, you will need a jack stand (preferably two). Jack stands are rated for maximum weight capacity, so mechanics who typically work on large industrial vehicles should go for ones with a higher rating.

Garage floors can get real slick really quickly thanks to spilled oils and other fluids. A large drip pan with raised edges all around is perfect for catching drips, leaving the floor cleaner and safer. Plus, it makes disposal (recycling where possible) of used oil easier.

Rust, old paint and scale can be easily removed from metal using a needle scaler. The needle scaler is actually made up of a set of long, fine chisels (needles) which move rapidly forwards and backward to chip away debris.

A jumper pack/charger is an essential tool for any mechanic, whether working in the shop, making house calls or providing roadside assistance. Thanks to modern technology, many jumper packs/chargers can also be used to charge your electronic devices such as phones and laptops.

An air compressor is a necessary piece of equipment to have if you intend to use air-powered tools. Such tools will normally pack more power than similar electric ones.

Sockets fit entirely around a fastener and so lessen the chance of slipping as the fastener is tightened or loosened. Some sockets are marked with both metric and imperial units.

Spark plug pliers are specifically designed to reach and grip hard-to-reach spark plug boots. Some are curved or have offset jaws and many have vinyl coated grips to help prevent boot and wire damage.

Instead of struggling to remove a rusted part, you could reach for your cut-off tool and cut through the metal in a matter of seconds. Cut-off tools come in both electric and air-powered varieties.

A lug wrench also goes by the names wheel brace or spider wrench (when it is made in a cross shape). They are used to loosen lug nuts on a vehicle’s wheel and, in the absence of a torque wrench, the lug wrench can be used to tighten the lug nuts, as well.

Headlamps are convenient for directing light straight ahead of you and into tight spaces. Their position leaves your hands free to work, plus they are generally durable and inexpensive.

Breaker bars work on the simple principle that a longer arm will generate much greater torque (turning force) than a shorter arm will. A simple breaker bar can be made by attaching a metal pipe to a wrench.

Pincers are similar tools to pliers – in appearance. In terms of functionality, pliers are used for squeezing and turning, whereas pincers are used for pulling or cutting.

Manufacturers will indicate the specific torque to which a nut or bolt should be fastened. To achieve that, a mechanic will need a torque wrench – preferably one that is marked in both metric and imperial units.

An auto mechanic’s hands are often the key to his/her livelihood, so protecting them is of paramount importance. Simple latex gloves simply aren’t good enough. If disposable gloves are what you’re after, then opt for ones made of a strong, resistant material (like nitrile), instead.

Car oil filters are notoriously difficult to remove. That’s due to several factors, including their shape; slippery oil on the outside of the filter; and a build-up of grime leaving the filter stuck. Any of the different styles of oil filter wrenches can help to make the job much easier.

Ramps are an alternative to jack stands, helping to keep a vehicle elevated while the mechanic completes work on it. The one disadvantage to ramps is that they cannot be used when free movement of the wheel is required.

As its name suggests, a multimeter measures various quantities (including resistance, voltage and amperage). It is a necessary tool for mechanics to carry out diagnostic tests or do troubleshooting on a vehicle’s electrical system.

Jumper cables are a must-have piece of equipment, especially if you do not own the more sophisticated jumper pack/charger. They’re simple to use as they are typically both color-coded and marked to show polarity.

Not all calipers are made with a digital readout – but having one makes it easier to get jobs done accurately when precision is a big factor. Calipers that read in both metric and imperial units (mm and inches) are best.

Quite often, it is necessary to elevate a vehicle in order to carry out repair work. At other times, elevating the vehicle just simply makes the job easier. The scissor jack has been around for a long time and is still a pretty useful (and simple) tool for a mechanic to have.

Stubby screwdrivers may not provide the same amount of torque as long-handled ones, but they do have advantages. These include fitting into spaces long screwdrivers simply will not maneuver into and ease-of-storage.

Working in light that’s too dim or which throws too many shadows can be very hazardous. So, too, is working with a hot incandescent bulb. Fluorescent work lights brighten an area in a safe (and energy efficient) way.

A funnel helps to direct poured liquid exactly where you want it to go (instead of all over the vehicle’s engine or all over the garage floor!) Ideally, a mechanic needs two sets of funnels: One set for use with oils and the other for use with water and coolants.

Flex sockets are typically more expensive than regular sockets. They are worth the extra spend, however, to mechanics who regularly work in extremely inaccessible or crowded regions of an engine.

“Torx” is a trademarked name but has come to be generally applied to any 6-point star-shaped screw head. Such screws are very common in all types of vehicles. The Torx screwdriver is specifically designed to fit this type of screw to fasten or loosen it without damage.

A carbide-tipped scriber is a simple, inexpensive and indispensable tool to have if you plan on disassembling and reassembling parts. The marks are thin, clearly visible and are not easily erased when the parts are handled.

Circuit testers may be powered or unpowered. With the unpowered type, the voltage from the vehicle illuminates the bulb. The mechanic will know a circuit needs attention if the bulb fails to light.

For work in tight spaces, a mechanic can reach for a stubby air impact wrench (also called compact and nano). Many of these will only skimp on size since they still give you plenty of torque, reversibility and variable speeds.

A nut splitter is the tool to call on when everything else has failed. Operation of a nut splitter is easy, and you don’t have to worry about it damaging the threads of the bolt underneath the nut.

Spark plug wrenches are used to remove spark plugs from a cylinder head and to tighten them once they are replaced. They are much less likely to cause damage than an ordinary wrench would.

Many vehicles have a low ground clearance, making it difficult to fit an ordinary jack under them in order to raise them. Low profile floor jacks are ideal in these cases, with many having a maximum lift height of over one and a half feet.

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