Loosening crank bolt - poor mans option

conan wrote in news:c73f04fa-4ff9-40e3-9774- snipped-for-privacy@f47g2000hsd.googlegroups.com:

Can't do that with Honda fours, of course. Doing this would /tighten/ the bolt and probably snap it off. Not good.

Hey, that way its still *off*.

I've used the starter bump method myself, I don't think it causes any undo stress on anything except maybe the breaker bar.

Dave

I've heard of that working. Not a bad idea. That would work to get the bolt off, but I'd still have to lockup the engine to re-torque it. I've also heard of the "stuff a cylinder with nylon rope" approach to deal with the crank pulley.

I've got a flywheel lock I've used on a few cars so I guess I'll try that to keep the engine from turning while I apply my luckiest socket/breaker bar ... just that I hate scrambling underneath cars on my back in a garage.

I only have a driveway and it's freaking cold out there so when my small impact gun wouldn't touch the bolt in my crank I gave up and took it to a garage. (have a free tow with CAA) He charged me $60.00 to replace my harmonic balancer.

I had visions of shrapnel flying if I used the breaker bar and starter, so I didn't.

Mike

lol, but the Honda engine in question rotates THE OTHER WAY. So, if it doesn't snap it off, then all you've done is really really really tightened it up good.

Certainly something I've been known to do in *my* garage. Where no Hondas are allowed (unless they've been recycled into soda cans) by the way.

Having done it many times, I can say that its a lot less exciting than people seem to think it is. All you hear is the normal sound of the starter engaging, and when you go check the bolt... its loose.

I was thinking of exploding sockets or snapped breaker bar ends....

Mike

What I did when faced with this problem was take some rope and non-skid material (shelf stuf in the RV section at Wally) and about 3 feet of 2x4. I wrapped some non-skid stuf around the pulley, then mixed non-skid and rope together for a number of tight wraps, then tied the rope to the end of a 2x4 lever braced on the other end against the block and tied the rope to a hook on the fender well.

If I needed more grip, I would have put a come-along on the rope instead of hooking to fender.

Be good to degrease the pulley first.

Pete

That's an old shade tree mechanic trick from way back. Works on many rwd cars with the engine in the front.

I had great luck with the starter motor method on my Geo Metro

Two bumps with the starter motor, and it was all over. The bolt was finger loose after that.

Tips: (1) You probably want to just bump the starter motor once or twice, not hold it. Even "a second or two" seems too long to me. (2) Use an impact grade socket, not one of your normal chrome sockets. Mine cost only $6 from the local hardware store.

--Dave