- Joined
- Feb 7, 2013
- Messages
- 2,496
So I have been putting up with my Craftsman 1/2 inch drive ratchet for some time as it would not hold on
to the sockets, a major inconvenience especially when the socket falls off while you are under a vehicle!
Supposedly they have a lifetime replacement if defective but I decided to fix it myself just because I can.
The ball was visible in the head of the tool but somehow was up higher than it is supposed to be. I milled an
1/8 inch hole in the end of the drive head so I had a way to punch out the inner workings.
Inside I found a broken ball and a spring and the plastic part one pushes on to release the socket. Everything inside has to be .186 inches wide
or less including the ball to fit in the hole on the button side. In my ball bearing collection I found a ball of the proper size.
I machined a little piece of steel that would fit the bill installing the spring first, then the
ball, then my machined part, then pushing on the assembly to see if it would work. It did!
The arrow points to the machined part I made so the release assembly would function. Yes, it's a krappy photo but I'm sure you
get the idea.
The last part was to shorten the plastic button part so the spring would release the socket. It took two tries as I didn't want to start making the part
too short.
There, finally after putting up with the thing for years, it works once again. I will likely plug the hole I bored with a little JB weld or similar fix.
to the sockets, a major inconvenience especially when the socket falls off while you are under a vehicle!
Supposedly they have a lifetime replacement if defective but I decided to fix it myself just because I can.
The ball was visible in the head of the tool but somehow was up higher than it is supposed to be. I milled an
1/8 inch hole in the end of the drive head so I had a way to punch out the inner workings.
Inside I found a broken ball and a spring and the plastic part one pushes on to release the socket. Everything inside has to be .186 inches wide
or less including the ball to fit in the hole on the button side. In my ball bearing collection I found a ball of the proper size.
I machined a little piece of steel that would fit the bill installing the spring first, then the
ball, then my machined part, then pushing on the assembly to see if it would work. It did!
The arrow points to the machined part I made so the release assembly would function. Yes, it's a krappy photo but I'm sure you
get the idea.
The last part was to shorten the plastic button part so the spring would release the socket. It took two tries as I didn't want to start making the part
too short.
There, finally after putting up with the thing for years, it works once again. I will likely plug the hole I bored with a little JB weld or similar fix.