Basic Overland Toolkit Contents For Beginners?

[M Rose]

Very organized, but do you have a tool that can handle the nut that holds the steering wheel? lol

Mrs Ubiety Carrie’s it in her purse.

 

[kwill]

A tool is only useful if you know how to use it.

Mostly true. However, tools can be useful if someone more knowledgeable stops to help. I have a pretty good toolkit in my wife's car for that reason.

 

[grubworm]

vice grips are definitely popular in the south for repairs....

 

[Viking1204]

Here's a pretty good all around toolset at a good price if you have a Sam's Membership or know somebody who does, has a lifetime warranty!

Let us know you're not a robot - Sam's Club

 

[ggreen]

Everyone has pretty much covered the basics, but a couple of things I haven't seen mentioned would be a head-mounted flashlight, ODBII reader/scan tool for when the check engine light comes on. It's a good idea to carry some basic spare parts too. It's all well and good having tools to fix an issue but often times you'll need to replace a component.
Some simple things would be; Fuses, relays, hose clamps, radiator/heater hoses, fan belt/serpentine belt, cam and crank position sensors

 

[OTH Overland]

Everyone has pretty much covered the basics, but a couple of things I haven't seen mentioned would be a head-mounted flashlight, ODBII reader/scan tool for when the check engine light comes on. It's a good idea to carry some basic spare parts too. It's all well and good having tools to fix an issue but often times you'll need to replace a component.
Some simple things would be; Fuses, relays, hose clamps, radiator/heater hoses, fan belt/serpentine belt, cam and crank position sensors

Great advice, We have the cheap amazon plug in OBDII bluetooth dongles in each rig, takes up no space, and ties to phone or tablet. less than $20. For those us with Jeep/Ram vehicles, carrying a Throttle postion sensor and Idle air control valve is a really good idea, lots of fails on those parts, then no start or limp mode. after 100k I replece them on the Jeeps because they are cheap and easy to do in driveway, the old ones become spares squrirelled away in the rig.

 

[reaver]

Great advice, We have the cheap amazon plug in OBDII bluetooth dongles in each rig, takes up no space, and ties to phone or tablet. less than $20. For those us with Jeep/Ram vehicles, carrying a Throttle postion sensor and Idle air control valve is a really good idea, lots of fails on those parts, then no start or limp mode. after 100k I replece them on the Jeeps because they are cheap and easy to do in driveway, the old ones become spares squrirelled away in the rig.

That's something I forgot to mention. Every vehicle has specific common failure points, and it even varies from year to year. For example.... My 2003 Xterra has the alternator down low. This makes it prone to having mud/water intrusion if you're not careful. Carrying a spare would be a very good idea. I've been fortunate to not have an issue yet, but that doesn't mean that I won't in the future.

 

[MidOH]

Very organized, but do you have a tool that can handle the nut that holds the steering wheel? lol

[Mine's held on by a 19mm nut. But getting the airbag out of the way is tricky.]

 

[MidOH]

I completely agree with those who've said that they carry just the tools that fit their rig. My personal exception is that I carry deep sockets in common lug nut sizes, as well as a handful of oddball lug nuts that don't fit my rig, but might fit someone else's. Tools can get heavy and weight can cause its own damage.

I'm not sure I agree with the "cheap tool" answer. Sure, they don't have to be Snap-On tools, but if that K-Mart ratchet breaks on the first use, things could go sideways really fast.

As for skills, gaining our own set of them is critical, and we all should work on them over time; but having a tool or two we may not know how to use might just be useful to someone who DOES if they come upon us in trouble.

Cheap tools simply won't fit. Cheap combo wrenches are thicker, and will get blocked by something.

Ironically, Harbor freaight has decent sockets and Icon combos, but not ratchets.

 

[Kent R]

My ten cents,
If you are not familiar with your rig, an easy way to figure out what basic tools you need is to hire a mechanic with a lift for an hour. Get the rig up in the air and get under the hood to find out what tools will be needed for repairs on the trail.
This is also a good way to find out what the weak link is, and also get a list of spare parts you might need.

 

[OTH Overland]

Cheap tools simply won't fit. Cheap combo wrenches are thicker, and will get blocked by something.

Ironically, Harbor freaight has decent sockets and Icon combos, but not ratchets.

Have bought a few tools from Tekton and been pretty happy with thier quality and how fast they showed up. Favorite so far was thier metric combo tool roll, came with a couple of sizes most don't. Allways leary of HF tools, although they do seem to be improving on quality of many things. Used to allways buy Craftsman, but they have gone downhill a lot, and do not have the extra folding money for Snap on or the similar. As I do most of my own mechanic work, I do know most of the fastener sizes for my rigs, but still carry a full set of sizes as I end up spending more of my trail wrenching on other peoples vehicles so just gave up and bring way to much. so far have left the roll around in the shop though:)

 

[Michael]

Yup. Heed the advice on tool roll and bailing wire! The old saying “put together with duct and bailing wire” is true! Also, consider trimming for your vehicle as mentioned. You’ll have a whole handful of vehicle specific parts to. Example: with the FJ80 if your solid state igniter goes out, yer bricked, period. I carry a spare. I have belts too.

 

[OTH Overland]

Remember my dad telling me when I was a kid, all you need is duct tape for things that move that shouldn't, wd40 for things that don't move but should, and bailing wire for things that fell off... lol

 

[grubworm]

at most of our ages on here, THIS is now the most important item for making repairs...

 

[M Rose]

[Mine's held on by a 19mm nut. But getting the airbag out of the way is tricky.]

You missed the Joke. The nut that holds the wheel is you.

 

[M Rose]

Remember my dad telling me when I was a kid, all you need is duct tape for things that move that shouldn't, wd40 for things that don't move but should, and bailing wire for things that fell off... lol

It’s still a good analogy for quick fix trail repairs. It’s a rule of thumb I have lived with for many many years and very seldom fails me.

 

[OTH Overland]

I think rachet straps have become the next gen bailing wire now though

 

[MazeVX]

at most of our ages on here, THIS is now the most important item for making repairs...

View attachment 234680

Recently noticed that I don't see anything under the jeep, much to close.
So lift it further or pick up some reading glasses.
Not really sure if I really want to spend even more money on glasses...

 

[Aunt_Minnie]

Thank you all for your excellent suggestions! From the looks of it, my 2020 JL won't see much use for SAE sockets. Great tips with the ODBII reader, throttle postion sensor and Idle air control valve. My Jeep is still new-ish (19k miles), so hopefully nothing fails soon, but agree that it's always good to be prepared. I will have to do some more research on common fail points for JL Wranglers.

 

[Ubiety]

Yes, have

Very organized, but do you have a tool that can handle the nut that holds the steering wheel? lol

Maybe ;) Have a sector shaft socket and that one is a doozy.