Cracking the Crank Pulley

[petergoudie]

Go back and read my statements above. When you lock up the flywheel or even a piston there is too much torque damping in the crankshaft and it smooths everything out such as rattle gun impulses. If you look at workshop manuals of most makes they use a tool with a long arm that bolts onto the pulley. I think your photos show two threaded holes in the pulley face. With that tool the impulse forces from a hammer or rattle gun can't travel anywhere. Similarly, you don't have so much heaving with a breaker bar.

[SillyCarS]

Go back and read my statements above. When you lock up the flywheel or even a piston there is too much torque damping in the crankshaft and it smooths everything out such as rattle gun impulses. If you look at workshop manuals of most makes they use a tool with a long arm that bolts onto the pulley. I think your photos show two threaded holes in the pulley face. With that tool the impulse forces from a hammer or rattle gun can't travel anywhere. Similarly, you don't have so much heaving with a breaker bar.

im not sure I have heard of this "torque dampning crankshaft" technology, does it give more VTEC?

[RA35GT]

I made this to hold the pulley on the 1uz. Made it easy to loosen and torque to bolt up afterwards. I had to use a socket and a L bar with all my extensions to undo the bolt but did so with minimal fuss.

[petergoudie]

If you pick up the crank and hit your head with it, it will probably feel quite hard. However, if you put a dial gauge on one end and lock up the other then load it up with a breaker bar it as described in this thread, you will be surprised that you can twist it a little. This is one of the reasons straight 8 engines lost favor. It's this slight amount of twist or torque dampening as I call it, that makes it hard to remove things.

Also, you would be surprised how flexible the block is when you put a dial gauge on it. I had a block on an engine stand bolted to the flywheel end. I was trying to measure the end thrust clearance to fit a new thrust bearing and I noticed my measurements were different after I checked it a few times. I realised that some times I was leaning on the block while measuring and just that slight load was enough to flex the block and give about0.002" change. Believe it or not, even the sheet metal sump adds strength to the block.

If you read the message above 7MGTE made that special tool and removed the bolt OK. It's all the flex and energy absorption in the rest of the engine that made it so hard.

[ra28_miles]

loctite make a product called "freeze your nuts" and i'm not shitting you. Pretty much liquid nitrogin in an arosol can. Spray the shit out of the bolt and use a single hex socket on a shock loading wrench like cuzzo said. if it still doesn't work run the engine up to running temp and try the "freeze your nuts" again.
AND when you put the bolt back in use a bit of engine oil on the tread

[ra28_miles]

oh yeah don't use a rattle gun on anything like a balancer pulley, think what its doing to your mains and big end

[chris davey]

got the bastard!

Repco power bar ($180 trade) plus loctite freeze plus big sledge hammer. Had a breaker bar on the cam shaft pulley bolt to try and stop the engine from turning over. I thought it would actually undo this but it didn't so I am happy! Yeah Thanks all.

[wagonist]

I just managed to undo my crank pulley.
The eninge is on the ground with the flywheel removed. removed 2 of the flywheel bolts (opposite each other) & jammed a prybar through the bolt gap & against the ground.
Then breaker bar with 500mm pipe & a small effort
I'm glad I didn't have some of the probs you guys have had.

Now to remove the pulley from the crank. Suggestions. Can it come off without a specialist puller?

[ra28_miles]

don't know about your car wagonist, but the 3s had bolt holes with threadin them. I used a steering wheel puller i made in my first year with 2 bolts attached to the pulley. Looks like this

[Shifty]

I've had success jacking the car up, putting a breaker bar + massive extension on it, and then lowering the car back down so it uses the car's weight to undo the bolt.

[wagonist]

don't know about your car wagonist, but the 3s had bolt holes with threadin them. I used a steering wheel puller i made in my first year with 2 bolts attached to the pulley. Looks like this

Yeah, I have a steering wheel puller & ended up using it. Problem is that the long bolts I have for that thread were stripped. Ended up getting it off though.

[Kyosho]

Have none of you guys used the old tradies trick of giving the actual bolt a good belt first?
IE, hit the bolt IN towards the engine...

When I was working with all the fitters at BSL, we'd sit around watching the 1st year apprentices try and undo bolts in all sorts of ways, then we'd go up after a bit, give it a few good belts the way the the bolt would pull it self ifbeing done up, then put breaker on and easily undo it.

[kaido]

depends which way the engine turns but on both my nissans I removed the ignitor and put the breaker bar against the chassis rail and kicked it over. cracks the bolt fine, did it back up with a power bar.

used a puller with hightensile bolts to remove it.

[chris davey]

kyosho: yep tried that. didn't work

[celicapain]

depends which way the engine turns but on both my nissans I removed the ignitor and put the breaker bar against the chassis rail and kicked it over. cracks the bolt fine, did it back up with a power bar.

used a puller with hightensile bolts to remove it.

Had to do a cambelt in my 1g'd ra23, tried all sorts of shit but succeded by welding a suitably sized impact socket to a piece of 1 1/2" bar, placing the other end of the bar against the ground and cranking the motor over-easiest thing ever!
you need some kind of crank pullerto get it off , i used a repco three leg thingo with spacer
I also had to make up a crank pulley holder for tourqing the crank bolt back up.
best of luck
p.s i tried to freeze spray and i still couldn't break the bolt with an extension, but it may have loosened it up for the other mothod to work)

p.s.s also used this method on my gz20, worked a treat.