Technical Impact wrench - repair or replace?

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My 40 year old 1/2" Chicago Pneumatics impact finally died, just like Squirrel said I took it apart and then went down to HF and bought a new one, yes an Earth Quake. A little while longer I fired it up for the first time, believe it or not the damn thing started shooting out sparks. I thought I was seeing things, who would of ever thought an air only operated tool would shoot sparks? I took it back for an exchange and damn if it didn't do the same thing but I needed my snow tires on so continued using it. After a few usages the sparks were fewer occurrences BUT now the air adjuster is acting up. Piece of crap compared to my old heavy Chicago ………………………...

 

Bought a Milwaukee 18V a couple years ago. Haven't had my air impact out of the drawer once since then. The 3/8" drive Milwaukee will remove bolts my 1/2" IR gun wouldn't budge. Already had a Milwaukee 1/2" 18V drill so I have a couple batteries and they recharge in about 10 minutes so it's not a big deal. It goes on all road trips with me.

Will probably never buy another air tool other than a 4.5" right angle grinder or air saw.
SPark

 

And the battery manufacturers will love you , or like many battery operated tools you'll buy a new tool and batteries cause its cheaper ..

 

Most have a button you can push to check the charge and get it in the charger at night.

 

Kind of like your printer for the computer. The ink cartridges cost more than the new printer with ink cartridges included.

 

If it hammers then quits, its worn out. My IR 231 did that, repair center said it wasn't worth repairing. If it's not spinning, you have air flow problem. My friend at work just purchased a new one that looks the same as you 30 year old one.

 

My go-to was a HF Earthquake XT for a long time, which replaced a Kobalt (that I eventually disassembled {twice}/ cleaned/fixed/gave away), which replaced a corded Craftsman that was heavy as hell (and corded). The HF XT is pretty impressive for the $$. I added a 1/2" impact to my 20v set about a year ago, never looked back.
Sometimes ya just gotta move on....

 

I bought a used 3/4 NAPA gun, was going to use it on my semi trucks. It looked nearly new, very few scratches on it. My 1/2 off brand has more torque than that thing. I took it apart, cleaned, inspected and oiled everything, it still didn’t have enough torque to pull a greased noodle out of a bull’s rear end. I threw it on a shelf and forgot about it.
My go to air gun now looks just like the op’s pic, but mine is branded Stanley. Damn good gun that hasn’t let me down yet. Think I got it at Walmart of all places. I’ve also got a Porter- Cable 20 volt 1/4” hex impact, that sucker will twist a 5/16” bolt in two, I’ve done it before!

 

The last 3 old impact guns I've taken apart had the drums the vanes run against looked like steps, they were not smooth at all. When the drums get steps in them, the gun is history. My current 1/2" impact gun was a 700 ftlbs torque composite model that is probably 15 years old. Lately I can tell it doesn't have the kick it used to have, I suspect its about time for a new gun. I abuse it pretty bad and I have worked it pretty hard, so one of these days I will pull it apart, but i'm not expecting a pretty site inside of it. A 15 year run with what this tool has been through means to me it was a good tool. Gene

 

Buy one of those new-fangled battery powered ones and use it to get that fitting off the old one.

 

Hey Bamamav ,
I think the 3/4 impacts take a larger air line,,,for more volume .
When I was a kid,,my dad bought one like that from a guy that said it was junk .
It was huge,,,looked like something you would put rivets in a bridge with .
Daddy got it to work on his dozers,,,talked to a guy that sells them .
The man asked what size air line he was using,,,,,,he told him 3/8 like everyone else .
The man said it would not work unless it had at least a 1/2 inch air source .
After that,,,the old man made a new line from the compressor and did it work !
Either the nut would come off the bolt,,,or it would turn you around,,,it was almost dangerous to use
He still has it,,,all these years later.

Tommy

 

Have you tried taking a hammer and hitting it a couple times.

 

I havent touched my air impact in....hell...I don't remember.

Milwaukee and DeWalt arent going to be changing their batteries any time soon, and air lines are a PITA.

 

Use c mine almost daily. The same for 30 + years. Will your cordless last that long.

 

I have a 3/4 inch Ingersol Rand impact wrench that suffered from the same symptoms you are describing. I disassembled the side where the inlet air and trigger were located, and found that the cast piece that regulates the throttle position which controls the amount of air into the unit, had fatigued and broke. I made a replacement piece, and it is working like new.
I oil my tools every time I use them, and there is more than enough capability in this well made tool, to outlast me.
I think it is worth a good look. They aren't that complicated.
Bob

 

At work I bought about 3-4 Chicago Pneumatic and their knock offs. Never seems to have enough power as I worked in a truck/heavy equiptment shop. I finally bought an Ingersol Rand Titanium gun and it blew me away! Gotta be careful with it even on 1/2" lugnuts. It's strong...brocure says 750 LB FT on installation and 1000 LB FT on take off.
If that really is an I.R. I'd hit it with some Marvel and if it doesn't heal up, pull it apart and fix it. If it's a C.P. derivative, I'd toss it.

 

I have a very old IR, an American version. It's a bit bigger than most normal ones and we actually got it from a junk yard. To this day it's the most badass impact I've ever pulled a trigger on. So badass in fact it split the 1/2" drive head piece. I can't bear to toss it even though 2 professional industrial rebuilders told me it's obsolete, no parts. During a lifetime of 30s car work (as in shit so stuck a torch is normal) it practically never failed. Why do I keep it? Some day I'll be draggin my fat ass through a swap meet or estate sale and I'll see one I can shag for parts. It was old in the mid 70s when we got it so I'm not surprised, and yeah it looks like a rat *cough-cough* rod air tool.

 

Although battery impacts are replacing air impacts, a lot of us still have the old air ones. As I have written before, I used to sell tools. Probably everybody knows to use air tool oil, but it's more important to put several drops in when you are done. Most air lines have some moisture. So your air tool probably has some moisture in it when you are done.

 

Now that's funny , what , a year , two , I have a shelf full of battery operated tools that work fine but the batteries are either discontinued or more expensive than buying a new tool WITH new batteries , while my air tools , with care and cleaning & a couple of repairs have lasted as long as 50 years . In my opinion , battery operated tools for the home mechanic , are a waste of money ....

 

At my age, I don’t need tools tha will last another fifty years.

I’m hoping for fifteen or twenty, though.

 

Your probably right. I never tried it on anything but a 3/8 line. I was going to get a 1/2” line and try it or buy a new one, but never got around to it. I hate fixing truck tires anyway!

 

Quality cordless tools have been the best waste of money I have ever spent.

If they only last five years....I would gladly replace them that often for the convenience and ability they possess.

 

Different expectations from a different generation...

 

Perhaps....or perhaps all technology ain't bad. Maybe I am willing to trade longevity for increased portability and utility...or maybe I just dont care for tripping over hoses...