[njbloodline666]

i would highly recommend not removing the "shifter" from your ratchet if you dont have to. getting that detent ball back in is a pain in the arse. i was wondering if you guys have any tricks to get it back in. i mean, i did it, it just took about an hour. seems too long for such a simple task. any tricks for future use? btw it was a matco ratchet if it makes any diffrence

[Kevin45]

I did that to my Craftsman ratchets (junk BTW) because they always would slip a tooth and let you bust a knuckle. After swapping them out with Sears four times I though I would see what made them tick so I tore them apart. I pulled the spring to make it longer and it cured the problem on the ratchets. All three of them. BUT....it was a pain getting the detent ball back in. It probably took me a little less than an hour, but after the first one it went pretty well. A word of advice....do it inside of some kind of container like a shoebox that has some sides to it. When the ball or spring hits the floor, it is a good 30 minutes minimum trying to find them

[schnitz]

Originally Posted by Kevin45

I did that to my Craftsman ratchets (junk BTW) because they always would slip a tooth and let you bust a knuckle. After swapping them out with Sears four times I though I would see what made them tick so I tore them apart. I pulled the spring to make it longer and it cured the problem on the ratchets. All three of them. BUT....it was a pain getting the detent ball back in. It probably took me a little less than an hour, but after the first one it went pretty well. A word of advice....do it inside of some kind of container like a shoebox that has some sides to it. When the ball or spring hits the floor, it is a good 30 minutes minimum trying to find them

Gee Kevin, if you only took about 30 minutes to find them, your garage must be very well lit and surgically clean. Do I need to come over and dirty it up a bit?

Use just a small dot of wheel bearing grease to help hold the ball. It worked for me, but I don't know if you are really supposed to do that.


In a while, Chet.

[njbloodline666]

Originally Posted by Kevin45

I did that to my Craftsman ratchets (junk BTW) because they always would slip a tooth and let you bust a knuckle. After swapping them out with Sears four times I though I would see what made them tick so I tore them apart. I pulled the spring to make it longer and it cured the problem on the ratchets. All three of them. BUT....it was a pain getting the detent ball back in. It probably took me a little less than an hour, but after the first one it went pretty well. A word of advice....do it inside of some kind of container like a shoebox that has some sides to it. When the ball or spring hits the floor, it is a good 30 minutes minimum trying to find them

yeah after spending about 20 mins looking for one i ended up taking apart a strut mount bearing lol now i have about 40 of them.