now the cr.shaft pully bolt won't come off

[ca95965]

now the cr.shaft pully bolt won't come off

 

While taking things apart in order to get at the broken bolt holing the tensioner on we got stuck because the cranshaft pully bolt won't come off.

 

There must be some creative solution - we don't have a 21mm socket and don't have an impact wrench. We have tried open-ended wrenches, pipe wrenches, and even found a lug wrench that fit, but even with the radiator off there's just no room for turn or torque. None of the wrenches we have will fit down in there so that the tool is able to slide over the nut.

 

Is THIS something I should consider drilling out too? My friend thinks not, but we're many many miles from stores and if there's some oddball way to make it work I would love to hear of one.

Thanks in advance,

Mary

[Bucky92]

If you have a socket,wrench and big breaker bar you can CAREFULLY do it the way I did my XT6.

 

remember to unplug the coil wire first!.. put the socket and wrench on the bolt and then align the breaker bar on the handle facing down and wedge it into the floor..then bump the motor..carefully and remember to have the coil wire unplugged..you do not want the car to start.. works like a charm but just be careful

 

hope it makes sence..sometimes I have trouble getting my point across

[zyewdall]

I wouldn't drill it out -- then you'll be in even bigger trouble when it comes time to put it back on.

 

Do you have any english sockets large enough? I use a 7/8" or whatever is closest, because my kit didn't have a metric large enough. The trick of wedging a wrench of some sort against something (a rock under the car if the wrench won't reach the floor), and very carefully bumping it with the starter might work. I'd say your best bet might be the lug wrench, and wedge it against something and use the starter motor. Open ended wrenches or big adjustable wrenches don't grip really well compared to a socket (though I've used them).

 

Z

[hooziewhatsit]

So if you drill it out, how will you retorque the new one?

 

Best thing to do would be get a 22mm socket, and a long breaker bar. Shove some non-fibrous rope down a cylinder, and crank it over until it stops. Then you can really wrench on it to get it loose/tight again.

 

-Dave

[Gloyale]

22mm socket

[DerFahrer]

Use the starter trick.

 

Like Gloyale said, you need a 22mm socket, preferably a nice beefy impact one. Put a breaker bar on it, and put a pipe on the breaker bar.

 

Put the assembly on the crank pulley bolt, and turn the crank until the pipe is laying on the ground somewhere solid, as in concrete, towards the driver's side of the engine.

 

Hop in the car, and just pop the starter. No more than a half-second. If your tools are tough enough, this will break the bolt loose.

 

I've done this at least a half-dozen times, and have yet to break off a bolt or damage the engine or starter in any way. The only thing I've broken is tools because they weren't strong enough.

[ca95965]

Thanks, everybody, all great advice. My car repair friend did manage to fine a 22mm socket, so that's great. He's resuming work on it in a few days.

[idosubaru]

drilling out a crank bolt is absolutely not an option. that would be a terrible solution. socket. make sure he has a long pipe that fits over the end of the ratchet if you're going to use the starter trick. or creatively pull up to a curb that's going to allow you to lock it down that way...

[daeron]

it is SIMPLE once you have a socket; without using a socket, it is nearly impossible. Period.

 

My favorite method is to remove one spark plug, stuff that cylinder full of rope, and slowly rotate the engine until that piston bumps up against the rope. Then, get a nice, long thick pipe, fit it over the end of my breaker bar* and push.

 

*A breaker bar is preferable; I have broken ratchets in the past when trying to relieve highly torqued bolts.

 

If you do this, and get a long enough piece of pipe, its a simple thing. The "rope trick" is also perfectly harmless to your engine. Some people have luck putting the car in top gear, setting the parking brake, and doing the same thing with the wheels on the ground. Alot of people have luck doing that; I do not.

 

However, once you get a socket on the bolt, it becomes MUCH easier than trying to use an open end wrench, crescent wrench, pipe wrench, or anything else of the sort. Proper tool for the job

[Gloyale]

My favorite method is to remove one spark plug, stuff that cylinder full of rope, and slowly rotate the engine until that piston bumps up against the rope. Then, get a nice, long thick pipe, fit it over the end of my breaker bar* and push.

 

This trick works awesome. I had to remove the crank bolt from an engine stting on my stand. No flywheel, so nothing to lock with a screwdriver(or the top of the spare tire jack, that's another "on car" trick). I though "hey, i'll try that rope trick!" worked great. Took about 8 feet of rope to fill the cylinder. Be careful though. I could not believe the amount of grit and crap that fell down the hole while I was feeding in the rope. When I got around later to pulling the head, there was a small pile of grit that looked really scary.(if you think about it in a running engine)

 

I will never ever pull a spark plug on a EA again without first using a Street sweeper bristle and some carb cleaner to blast and rinse away all the crap that fills in around those spark plug holes. And then a shop vac once the plug is pulled to get the remainder.

[misledxcracker]

I jam a crowbar into the flywheel so it dont move, then crack off the crank pulley... The pipe/concrete trick sounds better...