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I am not really handy with cars but not afraid to watch youtube and perform some basic repairs and maintenance.

I have a 04 Honda Civic Ex. Can someone recommend a tool "kit" or list what are some of the basic tools I'll need to some basic work?

Thanks in advance

Also, any good repair book(s) that covers this Civic?

Thanks again

 
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A shop manual is the best book for working on the car:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/like/400600100651?lpid=82
A Haynes manual is also good and cheaper.

I started out with a 150 piece Craftsman mechanic tool set. It had all your standard tools that you need. I wouldn't cheap out on tools either.

 
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+1K on factory service manuals. For domestics they tend to be a lot harder to understand and often have the worst way to do a proc... but for JM imports and esp Honda, this is the only book you'll need. If not possible, Haynes or Chilton, probably both, if you can't swing a bill for the FSM...

As a former pro Honda powersports tech, if you're going to do most of the DIY stuff possible in your garage, this is a good place to start:

-- Safety glasses & at least some thick shop nitrile gloves. Solvents hurt your liver and pancreas eventually (had to leave wrenching due to it), plus greasy fingernails tend to kibosh date night action.

-- Craftsman metric sockets & ratchets (3/8" is fine for most jobs except for situs I'll cover a bit further down). Craftsman's pro hand tools tend to be nicer to work with, but their cheapies will do the job... they've come a long way since the '90s when I started...

49-pc Easy-Read Mech Tool Set - $50
58-pc Max Axess - $86

-- Craftsman wrenches. Used to be wretched to use daily for me, but they've improved their basic ones a lot since the '90s... and their Pro line is only the tiniest margin behind Snap-Ons in feel and comfort to use. Combos in 7mm, 8mm, 9mm, 10mm, 12mm, 14mm, 17mm, and 19mm is plenty to get you started (may want 13mm, 15mm and maybe 18mm if you also want to wrench on SAE stuff). I found double-offset box-ends in 8mm/10mm and 12mm/14mm to be very handy too. If you can afford racheting box-ends, get them in whatever sizes you use the most -- they'll see duty. I think Craftsman makes a set of metric rachet box/open combos, that'd be trick to have...

-- Decent multimeter. Making some test wires with blade connector ends, and either buying or making jumper wires will help a lot with electrical diag.

-- 1/2" breaker bar and 1/2" rachet. Doesn't need to be Craftsman, Harbor Freight makes burly-enough 1/2" stuff for the things 1/2" tools tend to be used for... and a lot cheaper. You'll need the 1/2" socket size for your axle nuts as well...

-- 36" cut conduit pipe for a breaker extension (you can use whatever you can find of course... a motorcycle fork tube works great too)

-- Craftsman clicker torque wrench. Not ridonkulous-expensive like my Snappie Golds, but not one-use, either. About $40 - $50 for a 25 - 250 lb/ft one, which IINM will cover 90% of Honda auto fasteners

-- Nice pry bar -- you'll see, they're the difference between hurling a toolbox across the garage, and a snag-free service (axle swap esp)

-- And a basic box to carry it all in. I like the rolling kind... Dewalt and Stanley (Fat Max) make some good ones you can grow into before a real rollaway is needed...

-- Drip tray, $10 at Wally World. Not only catches and reveals drips, but also allows you to hear if something hits the floor, like a vital fastener.

-- . See above...

-- Or better yet get something that magnetizes your tools.


-- Jackstands. Get 4, they're pretty cheap insurance (plus there are a few jobs where you need the car level but off the wheels). Never work under an unchocked car supported only by a jack, esp a hydro one, unless you like eating Propofol and breathing through a tube. You can chock with some lumber, though I prefer purpose-made chocks.

That's basics I can think of off the top; board will surely have more Honda-car-centric suggestions. Have fun!

 
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+1 on the Haynes manual!

a good craftsman set is key. All Craftsman parts have a lifetime warranty. I have a small kit like this that gets me by for most stuff:

http://www.sears.com/craftsman-58-pc...8000P?prdNo=21

Then you can buy whatever odd parts you need like extensions and a set of deep sockets.

This is a pretty stout kit that comes with probably everything you need expect maybe a 10" extension:

http://www.sears.com/craftsman-165-p...&blockType=G68

Also a quality speed jack and jack stands, or at least ramps for oil changes would be a good investment too.

 
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What would you consider a quality speed jack?

 
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I have a craftsman jack. I only use it if I need to remove a wheel, if I don't then I use ramps. If you have the money I would get a jack and ramps but just a jack is all you need.

 
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i think the absolute minimum would be.....

- large metric socket set (200+ pieces)
- metric wrenches 6mm to 19mm
- screwdriver set
- haynes or equivalent manual
- jack stands and jack
- torque wrench
- pliers, needlenose, vise grips also come in handy
- 1/2 inch drive breaker bar with pipe extension

i bought a 6 foot by 1 inch cast iron sprinkler pipe, i slide it over the breaker bar to remove tight bolts, it works great

 
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200 pieces? Jesus Christ. I doubt you'd end up using half of that ****, and you'd be dropping hella money on that thing. I think I can take apart my car with maybe 10 sockets, an array of extensions, and a socket wrench.

absolute basic tools I use to work on my car:For emergency purposes, I keep a small metric socket set and a 12" extension in my car, one of those flip-flop 6-in-1 screwdivers, as well as a 19mm deep socket and a breaker bar in case something happens on the road. I can almost take apart the car with my emergency kit alone.

Also, be careful with that breaker bar. Grab some liquid wrench if you encounter a troublesome bolt. You don't wanna end up stripping the head of a big *** bolt by using excessive torque. On the flip side, you don't want to snap or strip out a bolt by overtorque. Use anti-seize for things you don't want to seize up, and use proper torque to ensure it stays on. For things like sensors that can cause massive heartache and headaches, use some blue locktite. I had an incident where my TDC sensor decided to commit suicide and take the timing belt with it.

 
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What are some differences between the Haynes book and the one that comes from Honda?

 
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Honda one will be more in depth. I've had no issues using a Haynes manual. Anything more in depth I need, I just use the forums.

 
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You can get a PDF version of a 7th-gen manual on ebay for what, $5 - $10? Well worth it, and no big-*** book to tote around. You can even store them on an SD card on your smartphone like my past car & bike FSMs, so they're always on-hand.

When I grad from bike tech school in '97, I too wanted all these shiny neato tools. And as riceboy mentioned... when it came time to hang up my helmet, there were some that never got touched -- not even once. And my stocked rollaway was a $7000 Snap-On one (got it for 50% off though, ah the good ol' days...).

Point is... you'll figure out what you'll need as you go. I know morons who buy nothing but Snap-On, even for stuff you'll just beat up. I have no such money tree so my box contains all kinds of tools -- tools that do the job well are all that count. Yup, lotsa Harbor Freight too... and made 70 - 80 hrs flat rate a week, no problem.

 
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Don't spend money on a shop manual or a Haynes/Chilton. You can get the shop manual for free right here on this forum!

https://www.civicforums.com/forums/1...e-updated.html

I downloaded this to a USB drive, and take it with me everywhere. Works great!

 
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I saw that and every link I clicked on no longer existed. I did not go through every page but enough and thought the thread just went dead. Do you have a direct link to the download?

 
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I'm no handyman, but I ascribe to the same philosophy with tools as I do with kitchen knives: quality, not quantity. There are obvious basics you'll need, but I would avoid large "tool sets" with a variety of tools that you may or may not need. I would buy the highest quality of the ones I did know I was going to use. For instance, your tool needs will very much depend on what sort of car work you plan on doing, or house repairs. If you're changing your oil, you might find a socket that fits the oil filter useful. Changing spark plugs might require another specialty socket. If you're doing work with wires you might want a pair of electrical pliers (I'm sure these have a real name). Perhaps a set of nut drivers will be useful for automotive work, or maybe you won't need those at all.
I think everyone needs:
-One or two "normal" sized screw drivers (philips and flat)
-A set of mini screw drivers (always useful!)
-Probably a torx set, for your spy dies
-A pair of needle-nosed pliers
-A decent hammer
-A non-marring mallet
-A Smalish crescent wrench
-You'll probably want a socket wrench set for the automotive work, but the sizes/units will be dictated by the kind of work and make of car
From there I'd add as the tasks dictate. I've had fine luck with the "Husky" socket wrench set I have, I don't think you need to go snap on if you're not an actual tradesman.
However, I have found this tools list review informative and useful. Hope it will help you to get proper idea about some necessary tools for beginner.