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1997 2.5 Power Steering fails, belt loose not broken


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41 minutes ago, ThosL said:

Ok, thanks.  I don't have the tools to torque this down right, just very basic ones, I don't have a large 3/8" driver for the nut, though the 7/8 driver seems to fit, what is the metric on that?

What nut?  The crank pulley is held in place by a bolt that is still the same size posted earlier in this thread:

On 9/2/2020 at 11:55 PM, idosubaru said:

22mm crank bolt,

A 3/8" socket wrench is waaaaay too small - put a 2-3 foot pipe over the handle.  It's a huge steel bolt, the crank isn't aluminum, it's never corroded - you can't strip it unless you tried.  It's the only subaru bolt i've never seen stripped. So give it a lot of torque. 

Another tricky part is *locking the engine in place* - if the tool you're using to hold the engine in place is bending or moving then some of your load is being wasted there rather than transfered to the bolt.  

Use a stout screw driver in the flex plate and make sure it locks in tight.  I usually watch it rest against the bellhousing to make sure it's all seated how I want it before giving it the full torque.

Remember it's 150 ft-pounds.   That's 150 pounds of force at a 1 foot distance from the center.  

If you have a pipe/wrench/handle that's 2 feet away from the crank bolt, including losses you're going to need to pull on it 80-100 pounds to reach 150 ft/lbs torque. 

If you use an 3/8" socket wrench with an 8" handle you need to pull 300 pounds (with losses)

 

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22mm socket is easy to obtain.. can pick one of those up pretty much anywhere...

I had a problem with that bolt on my old 89 GL many years ago.. it came loose while we were far from home on vacation... I bought a "cheap" Stanley socket set at walmart that had both SAE and Metric in one kit - best $25-30 i ever spent - and it had a large enough socket in the kit.

the hardest part about this is locking the engine from rotation.. and even that is not that difficult with a large, heavy duty screwdriver in the flywheel inspection port - passenger side, at the junction of the motor & trans bellhousing. Remove the plug (if it is still there) and rotate the engine until you find a spot to shove the screwdriver in.. Make sure it is solidly placed - or have a helper hold it in place while you torque the bolt..

As already mentioned, you are not going to hurt that bolt, or the end of the crank it goes into.. Reef on that sucker.. use a length of pipe over the ratchet handle for more leverage - you run a greater risk of breaking a cheap ratchet over hurting the bolt/crank, LOL

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If you have 1/2" square drive breaker bar (or ratchet)  get 1/2" drive 22mm socket (I would get a 6-point socket) and use that for this job.

I think the main mstake people make with the belts is forgetting to slightly loosen the bolt on the pulley befor turning the adjuster. Make sure to tighten the pulley when done.

I admit I have only read about the older cars so, Ido or others may have better insight on the belts.

Edited by 1 Lucky Texan
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3 hours ago, ThosL said:

Ok, I'll be walking down to the local hardware store to buy this.

Are the belts complicated at all?

Oh you don't have a 22mm?  A 7/8" is a small amount larger than 22mm, would probably work as long as it doesn't round off the bolt because it's a little big.  if the bolt is fresh metal and not damaged/rounded/rusty the 7/8" should work if it's not a loose fitting chinese piece. 

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I tightened it by hand as much as I could as I don't have a 1/2" ratchet or a conversion connector.  Another thing I messed up; I thought on the alternator there was a tensioner to make the second belt that rides on the Harmonic Balancer work.  So I tried it both ways with a 12 mm ratchet socket.  The bolt head broke away.

So I had the important belt on, not the one that drives the power steering and alternator.  I drove down to the mechanic.  This makes three times it came off with the same shop!!!

The mechanic said I had not tightened the Harmonic Balancer shaft right.  He said he had a used one also said it needed a new bolt and tensioner.  So he said it would be $250 to do the job right away.  I saw that I had no choice if the old unit was damaged, though as I said this is 3X it failed from the same shop!  If this fails again I will have to play hardball with them, call the police or something.

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3x from the same shop?? I would seriously be finding another shop!

and I would be playing hard ball NOW.. it is THEIR fault that the other thing got damaged in the first place, because they didn't do the job right the 1st two times.

 

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1 hour ago, heartless said:

3x from the same shop?? I would seriously be finding another shop!

and I would be playing hard ball NOW.. it is THEIR fault that the other thing got damaged in the first place, because they didn't do the job right the 1st two times.

 

Ordinarily I would be doing that; I have another garage, but their wait times are a week or so and they have very limited parking.

Frank Longo who runs this shop is an old timer lucky to be alive; a couple years ago he had a smoking related disaster with months in the hospital and nursing home.  If I went to the state about him it wouldn't do much good.  The way it works, the mechanic is in charge; he said he could fix it right away but it would "cost" me.  He had some friends around the shop; had I said he needed to do it without cost it would have just antagonized them.

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  • 6 months later...

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