95 Camry

I have a 95 Camry and following advice from several excellent posts here am changing timing belt, seals and water pump and so forth. (Have a second car so having it disassembled is not an issue)

However, I am having some difficulty with the crankshaft bolt.

It is the 4 cylinder 5S-FE engine, torque is not the issue, holding it still is. I am a little hesitant to stick something in the flywheel like Haynes suggests, and while I could call SPX and order the SST, just wondered if the SP Tool 64300 that works for the 6 cylinder will work for this one as well?

Or is there a recommended aftermarket tool for holding everything still while I take the bolt off?

Thanks

Robert

Reply to
Rob
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=================================== Some people have fabricated their own holding tool from flat steel stock, but I found a $50 electric impact wrench did the job nicely - removing the bolt without rotating the crankshaft. Since then, I acquired an air impact gun for around $80 (full polish apx. 650 ft. lbs.) from Harbor Freight to remove the axle nut. The 5 gal. air compressor was $99 from Kragen Auto - acquired to clean the throttle body passages when replacing the IAC valve. Point is, the air gun is tremendously useful and very convenient. Well worth owning if you're doing your own work. Makes work much simpler that would otherwise be far more difficult. (axle replacement, brake torque plate, ball joint or strut replacement, etc.) A good air gun will also spin off the crankshaft bolt on the 4 cylinder easily, and is even more helpful for the six cylinder where the bolt is fastened at a higher torque.

Reply to
Daniel

Thanks Daniel.

I guess I have only used hand tools so I did not have experience with an impact wrnech.

Is that the impact wrench spins so fast it loosens the bolt without turning the crank backwards?

Just wondering.

I saw your earlier postings about the HF gun, I may just go ahead and get it as I soon will have 2 of these Camry's in my house.

Reply to
Rob

Yeah, there's a lot of inertia in the crankshaft; it's a pretty beefy piece of metal and you're working against the compression of the cylinders too. The bolt lets go before the crankshaft starts to move.

An alternative to the air impact wrench + compressor combo is an electric impact wrench. I bought a DeWalt model and the crankshaft pulley bolt came off like butter for me.

Reply to
Nobody Important

Ditto what Daniel said. If you are into doing your own stuff on a regular basis, an impact tool makes things VERY easy. In the gun there is a small hammer and anvil, so when you pull the trigger you get a bang-bang-bang rotational movement rather than a linear torque application. This impact does a great job of getting things like your crank bolt loose without spinning he crank too much. Harbor Freight and Northern Tools are great places for this kind of stuff. If you're just using them for your own car you don't need the heavy duty Snap-On grade stuff the pros use. Good luck to you and post if you run into any walls!

Reply to
qslim

The 4 and 6 cyl have different pulley holder bolt sizes, but I think the distance between the holder bolts are the same for the later years, so it may work. You can make your own holder from lumber, but that takes time and the right tools. I don't use the bolt holes on the pulley, but 3/8" bolts through the pulley spokes like a standard cam pulley holder. For a couple of dollar in lumber and bolts not bad at all.

Just don't use a chain strap wrench to hold it because some pulleys have a rubber layer and not a solid piece of metal. And look before you use a jaw type pulley puller (besides, the pulley is snug but should come off with rocking motion).

Impact wrench can be useful in removing the bolt and many other work, but it is not recommended to tighten the crank bolt with it. Because of this, I always use a holder and never the impact wrench to even remove the crank bolt. On V6 engines often a 4ft cheater pipe with special holder is needed (wear necessary eye protection) but on 4 cyl without a seized bolt from road salt, it's as easy as the wheel lug nut.

I'd say 18" breaker bar for the 4 cyl will do, but 24" is handy all around and makes things easier for many other jobs. HF often has one for about $9 on sale, as well as a $12 (80 or 150 lb/ft) torque wrench. Craftsman tools are pretty good value too if you work on cars more often.

Rob wrote:

Reply to
johngdole

Thanks for all the suggestions.

I picked up a little electric impact wrench at Lowes and used it this weekend. The bolt did not want to budge, so I got a can of PB Blaster and sprayed the bolt. An hour later it came off smooth as silk.

Finished taking the rest of the parts off (Still need to remove the water pump).

I am noticing a lot of oil residue. The car definitely had a leak, I am changing the valve cover, but it seems excessive for that alone. Will be replacing all the seals in here too - though none of them seem to "look" like they are leaking.

With so much residue on this area, I will be cleaning it all off. Some of the bolts on the timing belt cover actually were slick to the touch with fresh oil on them, it made them hard to remove as the wrench did not want to stay on them.

Not stuck on anything yet. Will report once finished.

Reply to
Rob

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