Good grief that was tight!!

You'd think an expensive car like that could afford a chain...

I've had much success with difficult bolts using a piece of scaffold bar to extend the wrench handle :)

I was using a 4 foot piece of tubing on the 3 quarter socket bar, holding the pulley still with a home made holder with a tow bar as the handle. This was seriously tight, I cannot ever remember anything tighter, and of course as it was one of mine I didn't even get paid !!

Was the air gun you used an impact one?

they mostly have belts, quietness I suppose. I changed a LS400 v8 one a little while ago, it took 2 and a half hours before the belt was revealed. that engine is virtually silent and has 205k on the clock, so they must be doing something right.

It was, an Ingersoll Rand high output one, rated at 600 lb ft in reverse at standard air pressure, and I turned up the pressure !! I have got a monster inch drive air impact ratchet, but without removing the air con rad that could not fit in there. The bolt has a huge (about 20mm) fine thread and an inch of thread with threadlock on it.

In message , Mrcheerful writes

Bloody good cars the Lexus with some *very* clever electronics, used to do a lot around the Toyota/Lexus dealerships. Shame about the 'technicians' though, bunch of fscking apes.

that makes it even worse !! I've come across some Hondas where the crank pulley was 'kin tight.

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Did you re-do it to the same torque or just decide never to drive the car in the Monte Carlo Rally?

Cic.

Actually a wonder it didnt shear off!

Tim.

In article , Mrcheerful writes

Lexus use Toyota-built engines don't they?

Lexus is just a posh name for some Toyotas in some countries.

I put on fresh threadlock and did it up nice and tight, but did not go mad. Having looked around the internet there are lots of people with the same problem on the same engine when it is in the supra.

In article , Mrcheerful writes

Had the same problem a few years ago with a VW. A mate in the trade said that they used to put a ring spanner on the nut and use the starter; spanner flies round and hits something; shock loosens the nut. I think he was serious..... -I wasn't game to try it!

yes, ive had to use this method a few times using a breaker bar & socket !

Official book time for Toyota/Lexus for that engine is something like 12 hours, and for an amateur doing it, first time, the recommendation is doing it over a weekend, day one, take it apart, day 2 put it back together. Pretty much everything at the front of the engine needs to come off.

well that was the first (ls400) of those for me and took me about 5 hours total including changing the plugs. Luckily on that one the front pulley was easy! I really dislike leaving something like that overnight because I might forget something and have to strip it half back down again to insert whatever bit I left out.

I used to do that years ago, but ended up damaging something (radiator I think) so I would avoid that where possible these days, handy if stuck at the side of the road. I did think of it for this engine, but I am not convinced it would have done it as it was so tight, or twisted the crank or something horrible.

BMC used to list a special tool for crank pulley bolt removal. A ring spanner with flats on the other end. Designed to be whacked with a hammer.