Removing crank pulley on EJ25... got the bolt out. pulley doesn't come off...

[kevinrse]

Howdy folks,

 

Newbie here. I need to inspect my timing belt---suspected jumped a tooth... see earlier posts by me in the last couple of days if you're interested in the full saga.

 

I removed radiator, accessory belts already. Last step before removing timing belt cover is the crankshaft pulley, and I don't know how to get it off.

 

I began following this tutorial by MercedesDieselGuy on youtube 

 

He advocates a bit of a redneck method for loosening the crankshaft pulley bolt (bracing a breaker bar against the body and cranking the motor for a split-second). I applied WD-40 beforehand and followed his advice; it loosened up with no problem. (It was only later that I came across this thread where user Alias20035 said (s)he doesn't like that technique, but as far as I can tell I didn't bork it).

 

I can remove the crankshaft pulley bolt entirely, and the pulley itself stays in place. It rotates just fine (I'm using an old leather belt & vice-grips), but I can't for the life of me figure out how to get it to slide out.

 

MercedesDieselGuy, in the youtube link above, recommends turning the pulley clockwise to align the hash mark with the "0" reading stamped on the timing belt cover. (Later in the vid he seems to change his mind; thinks that step may be unnecessary). In any case, I did that (using a white paint mark I found on the front face & grooves of the pulley) and it doesn't seem to help with yanking the pulley.

 

The timing belt cover seems to be plastic---so there was nothing solid to brace against when I tried wiggling a prybar gently.

 

Other notes: the grooves at the back of my pulley are banged up, a couple of chips, making me think previous owner &/or a sloppy mechanic had the same trouble I am having, and tried brute force. Finally, I used a small mirror and my headlamp to get a good look at the pulley's center hole. I can see a notch at the back of the pulley on one side; hard to tell if it's part of pulley or another component/bushing behind it. But if I slowly turn the pulley with my belt wrench while watching with the mirror, I can see the notch rotates with the pulley. Is that back notch the "crank key" referred to in the thread I linked above?

 

Any advice on how to get this dang thing off? Is there a trick to it?

 

Thank you!

 

[Fairtax4me]

They usually just pull straight off, but can be stuck on pretty good sometimes.

 

Wiggle and pull. If it doesn't budge at all you may need a puller.

There are holes in the front of the pulley that can be threaded for use with a harmonic balancer puller. Problem is you have to tap the threads first.

 

Do not use a jaw type puller since that can damage the pulley.

[kevinrse]

Thanks for the info Fairtaxforme.

 

Literally 10 minutes after I posted, I saw a can of PB blaster on my way out the door and doused the back & front of the pulley. Came off like butter. Guess I should've tried that earlier. I had tried some WD-40, but PB is a better penetrant and I also used a whole lot because I was getting cranky. Ha!

 

In case you're interested---I'll put a note on my other thread as well for completeness---It was definitely the timing belt. I had a few loose ball bearings waiting for me when I pulled the timing belt cover off. I can wiggle one of the idlers with my hands; guessing they popped out of that one. I turned the timing belt along at least one full path using the crankshaft pulley. Never saw a hash mark line up on the top driver's side cog---closest mark was off by one as it came by. I pulled the pulley off again to get a look at the crankshaft cog, and it was off by two. Time to order that timing belt kit...

[mikec03]

You are very lucky to catch it before you had real damage.  It's always a good idea to change the timing belt and pulleys when purchasing a used car unless you have documented proof that it had already been done.

[Gloyale]

Make sure to look in all the nooks and crannies on the fornt of engine.

 

I had an idler explode in my wheeler......Fixed the belt on the trail........then a few months later hit a big bump, and a few of the loose balls that had been sitting in a little shelf jumped out and got caught up in the belt........breaking it again......EJ18 so no big deal.....but you've got a DOHC 2.5

 

Make sure to get all the FOD "foreign object debris" out of there before the new belt.

[kevinrse]

Thanks again for good advice. Yeah I am gonna clean the hell out of it.

 

Forgot to mention is a crack in driver's side plastic timing belt cover, probably from someone prying at the pulley in the past. Any suggested treatment? Some high-heat tape or epoxy product? Just replace?

[Rooster2]

Thanks again for good advice. Yeah I am gonna clean the hell out of it.

 

Forgot to mention is a crack in driver's side plastic timing belt cover, probably from someone prying at the pulley in the past. Any suggested treatment? Some high-heat tape or epoxy product? Just replace?

Yea, epoxy will work, also JB Weld. No need to replace, if repair holds up.

[heartless]

Thanks again for good advice. Yeah I am gonna clean the hell out of it.

 

Forgot to mention is a crack in driver's side plastic timing belt cover, probably from someone prying at the pulley in the past. Any suggested treatment? Some high-heat tape or epoxy product? Just replace?

 

if it is just a crack, i wouldnt worry too much about it. if there is a chunck missing you could post a wanted ad for the piece you need and get it fairly cheap - or check local junkyards...

 

there are those that run the EJ22's without any covers at all - not sure on the EJ25's tho...