zx12ryder

F'ing dealership smoked the crank bolt down after the last timing belt replacement. catching hell trying to break it loose so i can change the belt myself. Holding tool with large breaker bars 18" and 24" just isnt cuttin it....any ideas before i go to a truck mechanic place and pay them just to bust it loose?

Jaybo1197

when you say holding tool, are you talking about the one made just for honda's? or are you using the belt-type pulley holder?

also, a length of pipe slipped over the end of your breaker bar can help improve your mechanical advantage.

zx12ryder

i got the one made for Hondas.......that 17mm bolt is tiiiigghht!. 600ft/lb IR gun i have couldnt break it free. I began to wonder about the gun...then my buddy put his on it and the same thing happened....nothing at all. May stop by a shop today to see if they can just bust it loose for me.....My 87 civics bolt wasnt anything near that tight.

zx12ryder

oh yeah.....and we had a 24" breaker bar with a decent length of pipe over the end of it and........nothing. i was pissed. I am sure the specs for tightening that bolt cant be that tight......guess it just seizes in the threads or something.

honda.lioness

The pitch on the pulley bolt threads is finer than even the normally fine spec for its diameter, so it is more prone to galling and seizing. This almost always results in a torque to free it much higher than the tightening torque, like you suspect.

A five-foot or so pipe is commonly used. You are loosening it, right? It is a conventional right-hand thread, so counter clockwise to loosen.

Lots of folks do just run their car to a shop and have them use industrial impact wrench to free it for a tip of $15 or so.

zx12ryder

intereing info on the threads you just posted....and i will be going to a shop tomorrow to have it torqued free...thanks dude....i mean lioness....

zx12ryder

well the f'er is finally off a local shop used what looked like a steroidal type impact gun....guess i will buy myself one to have if i need it.

96 EX

When I changed my timing belt/set the timing on my d16y8 we had a hell of a time getting the bolt off. My buddy held a large screwdriver in the flywheel to prevent it from moving and I took a ratchet w/ extension and pushed it with my legs. Took a couple tries but we got it off of there and yes the bolt is a Biatch! I know you already got it off but figured Id put in my two sense.

EJ8_Enthusiast

I think this is the only thing stopping me from trying to replace the belt/pump myself... a search brings up TONS of threads with this same problem!

turbojdmhatch

its gonna be just as hard next time to get it off also...next time just use a nice impact gun and if that doesnt work you can always hit it with a torch to warm it up and take it off....or do what u just did again and take it to a shop and then let them tighten it down tight enough to get it home so you can get it off again

zx12ryder

purchase of a mega impact is what i will do...LOL...and thanks 96EX i do appreciate all info.

96 EX

Np, took me and a buddy a few tries but we eventually got it off and back on no problem. But an impact will make things alot easier! Goodluck!

Vindicator9000

Last time I removed one, it took a 600 ft/lb Ingersoll gun. That bolt laughed at my puny 1/2" 300 ft/lb impact.

Yeah, they suck.

SeanZ0r

http://www.harborfreight.com/c...92353


ftmfw

zx12ryder

well i just put the belt on today and glad to be done with it....i have putting it off since last summer...LOL. My civic is at the 201K mark and still running good. Had the belt replaced at Honda at the 90K mark. Would have done it then but didnt have the time but had a lil cash. This time i wasnt paying anyone jack s%#t to do something that i know how to do.....oh yeah..lol..that central pneumatic gun looks like a beast and from the website.....1100Ft lbs...dayyyuummmm!!

Civic_1337

96EX you are lucky you didnt break your ratchet, they arent supposed to withstand that much torque. a kid in shop last week did that trying to torque something off with a snap-on ratchet and it broke, but snap on came out in like 45 minutes and fixed it. always use a breaker bar.

lluks_844

I gave up on my friends car I had the same problem my IR impact gun was not cuttin it. I told him ill have another go at it when i get a torch.

zx12ryder

i stand corrected...the specs in the book (Haynes) calls for 130ftlbs for that bolt....now that is f'ing tight! So now i am not surprised it takes so much to get that thing off after being on for 80-90K + miles.

honda.lioness

The free online guide at autozone.com for the 2000 Civic says the spec for the pulley bolt is 181 ft-lbs.

zx12ryder

anyone else have any different numbers?

zx12ryder

I think 180 is the "Newton Meters" or whatever that unit of measurement is.... which is equal to about 133 ft. lbs.

honda.lioness

Here is what the Autozone manual says: Install the key on the crankshaft and install the crankshaft pulley. Apply oil to the bolt threads and tighten it to 181 ft. lbs. (250 Nm).

The manual available via http://search.ebscohost.com/ (Login (for free) using the username "lib" and the password "access." Click on "Auto Repair Reference Center.") says exactly the same thing.

And yet, the UK manuals for late 90s Civics at http://ww1.honda.co.uk/car/owner/workshop.html put the torque around 130 ft-lbs.

Plus I think the diameter of late 90s bolts is the same as the 95 Civic bolt, which has a torque around 118-130 ft-lbs. required, if memory serves.

I think I would go to "Mitchell On Demand" at my local library and see if it will resolve this.

yoffer

I used a pipe wrench to hold the crank pulley and wedged it between the lca so it wouldnt move. Then i used a break bar with my jack handle over the end of the bar for more leverage and it came off very easy.