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changing timing belt on 88 Jetta SOHC -- can't get crank pulley off

Hi,

I have a gasoline 88 Jetta with SOHC (8 valve). The timing belt broke.

I got the top half of the timing belt cover off, and the two V belts, and the power steering pump pulley. It appears that I need to get the crankshaft pulley off to get the bottom half of the timing belt cover, and the timing belt, off.

I can get the 4 little hex bolts off, but the big 19 mm bolt in the center of the crank pulley doesn't budge. I have tried:

-- long breaker bar, with extension going past the wheel which was turned to the right to get it out of the way, and cheaters; engine was held by putting it in 5th and setting the brake (and blocking the wheels) -- putting a long breaker bar on it and bumping the engine with the starter

-- finally gave up and spent $130 on an air powered impact wrench rated at 625 ft/lbs of torque. I can connect it up to my brother's compressor with the regulator set to the max the impact wrench is supposed to handle, and it will hammer all day without budging

Is there some trick to getting it off ? For example, is it reverse threaded or something ? (I saw no indication that was in my Haynes manual or on the car)

Supposing I give up on getting it off, is it possible to cut off the bottom half of the plastic timing belt cover, and then get the old belt off and new belt on around the crank pulley, and then mount the two halves of the bottom cover back on and maybe JB Weld them back together ?

Any thoughts or suggestions are appreciated. I can't believe that this one stuck bolt has basically killed my car.

--Rob

Reply to
Rob Ristroph
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You don't have to remove that big center bolt. Only the 4 little bolts are keeping the pulley in place. Just tap the pulley with a plastic hammer. Sometimes there is some corrosion build up between the crank pulley and v-pulley.

SFC

"Rob Ristroph" schreef in bericht news: snipped-for-privacy@rgristroph-austin.ath.cx...

Reply to
SFC

What SFC said. Also I have seen some pulleys that have threaded holes that require the use of 2 long bolts to "press/pull" them off of their sprockets. Look at the pulley to see if it has 8 holes in it, 4 will be threaded and the other 4 (un-threaded) you already removed those bolts. ;-)

Sometimes that large sprocket bolt might have been > You don't have to remove that big center bolt. Only the 4 little bolts are

Reply to
one out of many daves

Rob, I had the same problem with my 1990 8v. Two of my hex bolts were rust-welded on. But like the other folks have said, the 19mm bolt doesn't need to come off - take a real close look.

Should you be persuaded to abandon all hope of doing things the right way (as I was) and try to cut off the lower plastic timing belt cover, it WILL work. With a little creativity you can create some sort of Frankenstein replacement cover - or reconstruct the original.

~ matt

Reply to
matt b

No compressor needed...the four screw hold the pulley to the belt sprocket and the 19mm bolt is for holding the sprocket to the crankshaft.  The pulley should go out by working it sideways. al.

Reply to
al

Reply to
none2u

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