crankshaft pulley bolt won't budge.

Depends on the engine. But in the event of being at the side of the road I have sometimes had to put a long extension bar on a socket, jam it against some bodywork or the ground, turn the engine over using the starter with ignition system disconnected. This will loosen even the most stubborn ones. Obviously you need the cambelt still in place or you may bend valves.

Again depending on the vehicle you can jam the crankshaft at the flywheel end and just use plenty of grunt on the socket handle.

mrcheerful

I've had success with a long extension bar on the socket such that I can take it complete out of the enging bay to a T-bar. Invariably you have to remove the wheel and the wheelarch liner, and therefore it's not conducive to may engine.

Rest the end of the extension bar where the T-piece connects on a jack so it's at the correct height and load the end of the T-bar with a small weight to take up slack in the conenctions and the sockets etc.

Then hit it with a hammer. Just ensure that the crank pulley bolt isn't a right hand thread or something daft like there - there are a few out there.

: As header, can't budge the crankshaft pulley bolt. : I have doused it in WD40 but still won't budge. I'm using a half inch : hex socket and torque wrench. : Any tips how to crack it and any things I shouldn't do? : Thanks for any ideas.

Is the car, or the engine mobile? I've never known an air impact wrench to fail, if you either have one or can get the relevant bit to our friendly local garage or tyre fitters.

Ian

The message from Paddy contains these words:

WD40 is a very poor penetrating oil. Plus-Gas or one of the graphited oils work much better.

Having said that, it won't help anyway 'cos it's caused by being very tight!

You have opened up the tag washer? You need to make some space around it. Put the torque wrench back in it's box. Use a long rigid bar on the socket and extend it with something like a section of scaffold pole. Remove the spark plugs to remove compression, put a baulk of timber where the pole will end up. Move the end of the pole to the position where it can gain the maximum swing. Power the starter and hear the clang. DaveK.

Better than what? Nothing? Personally I have little faith in the ability of any penetrating oil to ease the removal of very tight or rusted, bolts, nuts, etc. Can help once the tightness has been cracked, but until that happens I don't think it penetrates at all. I seem to recall a 'Which' survey of penetrating oils many years ago, that came to a similar conclusion. Mike.

The message from "Mike G" contains these words:

Quite likely. However, on the rare occasion it's been much use, it's always been proper penetrating wotsit that's done the job.

spray some vinegar onto it works a treat :) but you need to leave it for a day or so

In message , Ian Johnston writes

In fact it is out of the car, on the ground. I am replacing the engine with a second hand one. Problem is the pulley on the one is different to the alternator pulley on the existing engine, so I need to swap pulleys over. The bolt on the pulley on the engine came off without much trouble, but the bolt on the old one just won't budge even with a two foot pipe on the wrench handle.

In message , davek writes

What is the tag washer? The long rigid bar is the next step.

The message from Paddy contains these words:

Lock-up tabs. Not all crankshaft pulleys have 'em.

You're using a torque wrench as a breaker bar??????????? Oh dear.

Easiest way, borrow an impact wrench. If you go to a commercial tyre fitting place, they will have mobile vans with heavy duty impact wrenches, compressors etc, and may be willing to come and loosen it for you for suitable reward.

Otherwise, get a decent socket, at least 3/4 drive, preferably 6 point impact type, and a long bar. The only problem then is locking the engine up to stop it turning while you get the bolt free.

Make sure you know if it is left hand thread or not, I believe some are.

: In message , Ian Johnston : writes

: >Is the car, or the engine mobile? I've never known an air impact : >wrench to fail, if you either have one or can get the relevant bit to : >our friendly local garage or tyre fitters.

: In fact it is out of the car, on the ground. I am replacing the engine : with a second hand one. Problem is the pulley on the one is : different to the alternator pulley on the existing engine, so I need to : swap pulleys over. The bolt on the pulley on the engine came off : without much trouble, but the bolt on the old one just won't budge even : with a two foot pipe on the wrench handle.

Definitely impact wrench time, then. If you are scrapping the old engine, just stop off at a tyre place on the way to the tip ...

Ian

In message , Paddy writes

What you shouldn't do is put the car up on home made solid wood ramps and put the car into gear to lock up the engine. Then you shouldn't lie across the front of the car with your socket, bar and extension pole in position. Then you shouldn't push up on the bar with all of your strength.

If you don't do all of that then the front offside wheel won't turn suddenly which won't spit out the home made ramp violently and it won't hit you in the face with enough force to knock you out momentarily.

I bet you said, "Phoo, that smarts." Any stitches? Back to the problem. As there's no tag washer, I suppose the bolt is tapered. As the OP has removed the pulley from the other engine and that bolt was right hand thread, I assume this is identical and has the same fixing (but you never know for certain). As the engine is out of the car, how are you locking it? If it's on the floor and your mate is trying to hold the engine against the pressure you are putting on the bolt, you're wasting your time. It has to be held securely, as on a bench stand. I've just had a thought that as the engine rotation is clockwise and start up inertia will try to undo the pulley bolt is there a possibility that it is left hand threaded? Assuming that it is right hand threaded and just needs a bloody good welly, Soak it in Plus-Gas overnight (if they're still allowed to make it in the EU). Lock the flywheel absolutely tight with a bar through the starter motor bolt hole. Make sure the engine is locked down solid. Get the blow lamp stoked up, give it fifteen minutes of ignition and really mallet it. DaveK.

Your putting a 2 foot pipe on a torque wrench?????????????? Please tell me its an old, scrap, torque wrench, that you never need to use again? It is, isn't it???????

The message from "davek" contains these words:

More likely there's just threadlock.

It was somewhere around Barstow, on the edge of the desert, when the drugs began to take hold. I remember Paul Giverin saying something like:

True enough, you shouldn't.

Impact works. Because it's near impossible to stop the crank turning, you need to whack a spanner with a hammer. An ideal spanner for this would be a ring type with no offset so the force applied to it is close to the centre line of the bolt. If you can only use a socket, putting a jack etc under it to stop the whack trying to 'bend' it off the bolt head can work.