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When this weather warms i have a few jobs to do like i've mentioned, drop links, brakes and general service. Is there any tools i need before tackling things like this? last thing i want is the car up on stands when i realise feck it i aint got one of those

I have a decent set of spanners 8-25mm plus whatever is kicking about in my shed.
Decent range of sockets.
Bought a torx key set earlier from t9 up to t50 and have some that will fit a screwdriver or ratchet.

Reason i ask is on my old Citroen i needed a 33mm (i think it was) for the nut that holds the rear drums on and had to borrow that until i picked one up so what i'm really asking is are there any size spanners, torx or sockets that a novice wouldn't normally have that are essential for the odd job.

Thanks in advance

Hi

If you are doing the front brakes make sure u have got a breaker bar to take the torx bolts out that hold the brake caliper carrier to the hub. They won't come out easily without one you will need loctite to put the bolts back in as well when you have put new pads/discs on. The rear droplinks can be a pig to get off. Last time i did them i had a set of flexible ratchet spanners which i borrowed from the next door neighbour they made it a bit easier as they bend and you can get in at an angle because its difficult to get a ratchet in straight on.

If you haven't got a set of those spanners then one of those extension bars that allows you to go in at about 30 degrees with your ratchet would do the job. I found there wasn't much room where you have to unscrew the nut. Some droplinks have a torx fitting on them so you can hold and unscrew the nut others just have a flat to put the spanner on. The front droplinks are a lot easier to do if it looks like the nuts are seized or rusted solid its easier just to get the angle grinder and cut them off. I always put some copaslip on the threads when the new ones are on so that its easy to take them off later if need be. I think the spanner sizes you were talking about should be okay.Hope that helps......

Can't remember for certian, but I think the caliper mounting screws are T55

it is T55 torx for the caliper bolt. you will need a T55 torx bit on a 1/2" drive ratchet . ive never struggled getting them off with this setup.
the sump is i think 19mm and you should easy get that off with a good spanner or socket.

Thats the kind of answers i was after i thought i'd need bigger than a T50.. Any idea if that 19mm sump bolt is also a torx bit like it was on my old citroen? i think that was even bigger than T55 might be wrong though.

Sump plug is 21mm, but some of them do have a torx in the middle.

21mm is the same size as the old type spark plugs, such as on the old Mini etc.

Don't forget you will need a sump plug washer when you do the oil change.....you will also need a tool for removing the old oil filter, I use a large pipe wrench.

Get an angle grinder if you're going to attack drop links. A dremel with a carbide cutter will also do at a push

jasper5 wrote:Sump plug is 21mm, but some of them do have a torx in the middle..

My coupé's is an 8mm square drive in the middle

mjb wrote:Get an angle grinder if you're going to attack drop links. A dremel with a carbide cutter will also do at a push

jasper5 wrote:Sump plug is 21mm, but some of them do have a torx in the middle..

My coupé's is an 8mm square drive in the middle

Angle grinder is at the ready, 8mm square drive may have been what was in my xsara coupe sump plug to be honest.. might be wrong though.

mjb wrote:Get an angle grinder if you're going to attack drop links. A dremel with a carbide cutter will also do at a push

jasper5 wrote:Sump plug is 21mm, but some of them do have a torx in the middle..

My coupé's is an 8mm square drive in the middle

Yep and some have an 8mm allen key hole.

jasper5 wrote:

mjb wrote:Get an angle grinder if you're going to attack drop links. A dremel with a carbide cutter will also do at a push

jasper5 wrote:Sump plug is 21mm, but some of them do have a torx in the middle..

My coupé's is an 8mm square drive in the middle

Yep and some have an 8mm allen key hole.

21mm spanner is probably the best bet then?

I use a 21mm socket mounted on a ratchet.

It was a T40 on my rear calliper release and some bugger has rounded it off so i managed to push the pad back into the calliper and it's stopped squeeking, drum didn't get hot and the car moves a lot quicker... all sounds good but if it happens again am i looking at a seized calliper?

I'm off in the caravan tomorrow i can see me pulling into every other laybe and jacking it up.

am i looking at a seized calliper? no it will just be the pad sticking