6 Harbor Freight Gadgets You'll Want For DIY Car Projects

Among professional tradespeople, hardcore DIYers, and tool lovers from all walks of life, one store has developed a legendary reputation for both high-quality products and affordable prices. If you haven't guessed already, that store is Harbor Freight. The company has been in existence since the late 1970s, and it's developed a reputation for catering to working people on a budget.

Harbor Freight maintains dozens of in-house tool brands, each offering quality products at various price levels. Some of these brands, like the ICON series tools, are designed specifically to compete with professional-tier names like Snap-On and Matco and offer various specialty devices and mechanics tools for significantly lower prices than pro brands. These facts, combined with the lifetime warranty that Harbor Freight offers with many of its tools, make the budget store a prime destination for everyone, from experienced professionals to die-hard DIYers and casual home improvement enthusiasts. 

Auto repair technicians and home mechanics, in particular, are known to rely on the store for everything from sockets and ratchets to diagnostic tools and cleaning supplies. If you're someone who likes to perform your own auto maintenance or repairs, Harbor Freight should definitely be on your radar when it comes time to buy a new or specialized tool. We checked out the Harbor Freight website for ourselves and found six unique and handy gadgets that any home or professional mechanic is sure to love. We selected these devices based on things like price, features, and user reviews, but we'll cover our methodology at the end of this article. 

If you drive a car with a rack and pinion power steering system — which is most modern passenger vehicles — then you may be aware of how difficult it can be to replace broken inner tie rods without the proper tools. That's because inner tie rods are extremely difficult to grasp with standard wrenches and pliers, thanks to the rounded design of the "socket" that connects the inner and outer tie rod ends. 

You can sometimes remove inner tie rods using high-quality alligator pliers that bite into the metal. However, that's all but impossible if you're a home mechanic who doesn't have a car lift in your home garage, as you basically need to be standing directly under the tie rod to get the proper leverage using pliers. Fortunately, tie rod tools can make quick work of these stubborn components by slipping over the rounded fastener and allowing us to connect a ratchet to the other end.

The MADDOX Inner Tie Rod Tool Set is a versatile kit that could be a valuable addition to any home mechanic's tool kit. Unlike some tie rod tools, the MADDOX kit allows you to swap between 12 crowfoot adaptors in various sizes, making the set compatible with most makes and models. The long tube measures 2-⅛-inches in diameter, allowing you to use it on vehicles ranging from small cars to large SUVs and pickups, while the ½-inch drive end lets you attach a ratchet or breaker bar to easily break free stubborn tie rods. The kit comes with a heavy-duty blow mold case to keep your devices safe and secure, costs $57.99, and boasts 4.5 out of 5 stars based on roughly 250 user reviews.

Anyone who's worked on cars in any capacity — be it as a professional technician or a casual DIYer — probably understands just how hard it can be to separate and remove automotive parts. That's due largely to the harsh conditions that cars experience during normal operation. Between the extreme heat generated by your engine and various road hazards, like salt, rain, and humidity, even the most well-maintained vehicles are likely to develop stuck and seized parts over time. We can use things like breaker bars and pry bars to help us remove some of these components. However, sometimes, we need something much more powerful.

For those times when standard hand tools won't do the trick, a CHIEF Professional Long-Barrel Air Hammer could be just the device you need. Pneumatic or air hammers allow us to hit things with extreme force. Using different attachments, like a hammer, chisel, or pickle fork, you can dislodge and remove various components, and these devices are especially handy for suspension work. The CHIEF device features a long 4-inch barrel that Harbor Freight claims provides 65% more force with every impact compared to other models sold by the company. 

It comes with a variable speed trigger so you can have precise control of your work, while the built-in anti-vibration technology helps prevent hand and muscle fatigue during extended use. The tool weighs less than 6 pounds, making it light enough to use all-day use or overhead work, and a rubber grip helps keep the device comfortable and secure in your hand. The CHIEF long-barrel air hammer works using standard 0.401-inch shank attachments, costs $139.99, and features an impressive 4.8 out of 5 stars based on more than 500 customer reviews.

When it comes to hand tools, pliers are probably some of the most recognizable and well-known devices out there. However, not all pliers are the same. Lots of specialty and niche variations exist, like alligator pliers and vice grips, and they're each useful for different jobs and applications. One type of pliers that you may not have heard of — especially if you're not involved in the car world — is snap ring pliers. But just because they're not as common as needle nose pliers or lineman's pliers doesn't mean they're not extremely useful. In fact — if you're a professional or home mechanic, you should absolutely have at least one or two solid sets in your kit. That's because we use snap ring pliers to remove the thin metal retaining rings that automakers use to keep things like bearings in place, and they're all but essential for many repair and maintenance jobs.

When it comes to quality and affordable snap ring pliers, the ICON Precision Snap Ring Pliers Set is difficult to beat. Unlike some snap ring pliers, which require you to swap out different heads or teeth, the ICON set includes eight individual pliers with different jaws, making them extremely versatile and handy for various vehicle makes and models. They come with non-slip cushion grips to help with comfort and security, while the built-in spring allows you to use the pliers one-handed. The pliers are drop-forged for long-lasting performance and are backed up by ICON's complete lifetime warranty. The snap ring pliers set costs $74.99 and features 4.7 out of 5 stars based on more than 1,000 customer reviews.

Working on cars comes with a lot of challenges. From seized nuts and bolts to enigmatic leaks and strange sounds, our vehicles can pose a lot of problems that are frequently difficult to diagnose and repair. One issue that may be easy to identify but extremely challenging to fix is a broken bolt or fastener, especially if it's located in a tricky or hard-to-reach area. 

Removing a broken bolt is demanding enough on its own. However, the situation becomes even more difficult if you have to drill out the old fastener and retap the hole. Unfortunately, this is more common than you may expect, and if you don't have access to the proper tools, you'll really struggle to move forward. Tap and die sets allow us to create fresh threads in any hole, and they're all but essential for anyone who performs serious mechanic work.

Fortunately, you can pick up a PITTSBURGH SAE and Metric Tap and Die Set from Harbor Freight without breaking the bank. The 60-piece set contains a large assortment of metric and SAE sizes, and each tap and die is built from high-quality alloy steel for long-lasting performance and durability. The parts are heat-treated and hardened for maximum cutting potential, while a convenient, compartmentalized storage container helps keep everything safe and secure. The kit comes with a lifetime warranty, costs an attractive $42.99, and boasts 4.5 out of 5 stars based on nearly 2,000 user reviews.

If you're into cars, you probably already know that internal combustion engines rely on a combination of air and fuel to make the wheels turn. However, air and fuel are only two parts of the combustion process. Another essential ingredient for making your engine purr is compression. Compression refers to the pressure applied to the air and fuel inside the engine and it's essential in helping create the mechanical energy that moves your car. As the air/fuel mixture is ignited by spark plugs in a gas engine or extreme pressure in a diesel, the compressed mixture releases its stored energy and explodes, causing the piston to move downward and transfer mechanical energy to the crankshaft. 

That's an extremely simplified explanation, but the point is that compression is essential to your vehicle's healthy performance. However, if the engine isn't sealed properly or experiences a malfunction, it may lose compression, resulting in a lot of annoying issues. The problem is that, without the right tools, it's difficult to test an engine's compression.

Fortunately, you can grab yourself a MADDOX Deluxe Compression Test Kit from Harbor Freight. The 10-piece MADDOX kit is designed to be compatible with most contemporary vehicles and includes all of the adaptors, hoses, and gauges you need to diagnose compression issues. The gauge is capable of providing pressure readings from between 0 and 300 psi, making it suitable for most gas engines, while a rubberized gauge protector is included to help prevent damage. The kit comes with a sturdy storage case to protect your tools, costs $57.99, and features an impressive 4.7 out of 5 stars based on more than 300 customer reviews.

You probably already know that your car relies on various systems that work together to keep the wheels turning and your engine running smoothly. One of the most vital of those systems is the engine cooling system. It's responsible for preventing engine overheating issues by sending coolant through a network of hoses and passages to absorb excess heat and carry it away from sensitive components. However, despite its importance, the cooling system is not immune to wear and tear. 

Because it relies on a liquid — coolant — the system is especially vulnerable to leaks. The problem is that coolant leaks can be difficult to pinpoint — you may even be losing coolant without a visible leak, making the problem even more challenging to diagnose. Unless the leak is obvious — like in the case of a catastrophically damaged radiator — the best way to identify coolant leaks is by using a pressure test kit, which enables us to pressurize the system, forcing coolant out of any holes or cracks.

If you're a home mechanic or you're planning to complete some DIY work on your car's cooling system, the PITTSBURGH Radiator Pressure Tester Kit could be a worthwhile investment. Featuring 13 different radiator caps and reservoir adaptors, the set is compatible with most U.S. and foreign-made vehicles. It's capable of pressurizing systems up to 30 psi and features a thumb-operated relief valve, allowing you to focus on identifying leaks instead of fumbling around with a gauge. The kit comes with a large volume pump to prevent what can feel like endless pumping, as well as a sturdy plastic case for convenient storage. The radiator pressure test kit costs $94.99 and features 4 out of 5 stars based on nearly 1,000 user reviews.

We chose to include these Harbor Freight gadgets based on a few criteria: Price, features and application, and customer reviews. First of all, many hobby mechanics and DIYers aren't in a position to dump thousands of dollars on pro-tier Snap-On or Matco tools. However, they still need quality items that can get the job done. Each of the products on this list costs less than $150, and most of them fall well below the $100 mark, despite offering very real utility for home mechanics and even pros. 

That utility ties into our next point, which is that we searched for products that address real needs when working on cars. The gadgets covered here may be less well-known than something like a ratchet, but if you dabble in DIY auto repair and maintenance for any extended period, you're sure to understand why these products are so handy. Finally, we checked out the user reviews and chose to include only products with at least 4 out of 5 stars based on hundreds to thousands of Harbor Freight customer reviews.

All that said, remember to understand your own needs when buying tools. Consider the jobs you plan to perform and your budget, and also don't forget that Harbor Freight offers its Inside Track Club, through which you can find discounts on many items, including several of the gadgets covered here.