Somebody help please?

My baby is in pieces in my carport. Tried the timing belt install yesterday with some friends and a helms manual. We reached the crank pulley removal and thats it. That thing is a bitch! I don't have the $60 special pulley puller and my local shop won't rent me theirs.

We tried the strap wrench/breaker bar solution and were pulling 150+ ft-lbs with no results. Shop owner told me to wedge the 1/2in breaker bar against something and to then crank the engine. We tried that and sheared off my 3/8in reducer. I plan to get a 1/2in socket to get rid of that weak link.

The crank pulley turns counter-clockwise when the engine is cranked. If a breaker bar is suppose to break the bolt loose when cranked, doesn't that mean the bolt is REVERSE threaded? THIS IS IMPORTANT if true!

I am headed to the tool store in a few hours and my friends are coming over again around noon. I know there are a lot of people that have solved this problem on honda-tech. Please respond with GOOD advice/suggestions or alternative methods.

Question #1 - Is there a better way to break the bolt loose?
Question #2 - Is the damn bolt reverse threaded?

It's pretty sad that three helicopter pilots can't figure this out on their own. Thanks in advance.

 

No, it's not a reverse thread, it's normal. I did mine by myself in about 4 hours the first time, no rented tools or help from anybody...the crank pulley bolt on my car came off smooth as butter...I have the Moroso Crank Pulley wrench which I braced against the ground, took a 1/2 breaker bar from Home Depot with a IMPACT socket attached to the end (pick the size that corresponds to your bolt). I then attached the breaker bar and socket to the bolt, and STOOD on the bar until it came loose. I only stood on it for about 5 seconds then all of a sudden I felt myself go down with the bar and the bolt came off...don't use a "shock" treatment like kicking the bar or stomping on it, you might break something. Good Luck though...even though everybody said it's a bitch, it was actually easier removing the bolt than it was removing everything else, to me anyway.

 

What Milano97 said!.......If you don't have access to air tools, you could simulate an impact gun using the ratchet(w/ socket, of course) and a heavy-duty hammer(mine is aptly named "Thor"). Put the rachet on the nut and hammer away! Be sure to put some lube (maybe WD-40 or LubeJob) on the nut for a few minutes first to help break it loose. This was the way I did my first one before I had air. Good Luck!

 

First of all, the bolt is NOT reverse threaded.

When I did my timing belt, I also thought I would never get the bolt off. I tried many different ways(impact wrench, put car in gear and hold brakes while someone else tries to break it loose, and a strap wrench)

Finally, I drove to a bunch of shops until someone would let me borrow the $60 tool. I let them hold my bank card so they knew I would bring it back, and gave the guy $10 for being nice and letting me borrow it.

If you can find a really good impact wrench and have a big air compressor, that will get it to come off. Otherwise, the specialty tool is the quickest, easiest way to get the bolt loose. It will also make it a lot easier when you have to re-torque the crank bolt to spec.

HTH...
Jason

 

So doing that won't make it crank?

 

The crank pulley holder tool has always worked fine for me.

It required one of us to leg press the bolt loose with a 2' breaker bar and the other one holding the holder and the socket in place.

You can always raise the car really high, set up the tools so that when you lower it, it'll break itself loose. You just need one person to hold the tools in place and another to control the jack.

 

1/2" drive, 19mm
20" extension
4' LEAD breaker bar from Home depot ($4.97) hehe
Locked flywheel.

It'll work, guaranteed.

Tom


[Modified by Tomakit, 2:14 PM 11/8/2002]

 

Yup that's how I got mine off, but used a 3' breaker bar not 4" j/k I also heated up the washer, don't know if that helped at all but I'm not complaining.

 

 

Ingersoll-Rand is your friend (600 ft-lbs reverse torque)...

This is after I broke a 19mm impact socket, 1/2 in drive 3" extension, and the yoke of the 1/2 in drive breaker bar (all separately). I even got the engine to turn with the car in 5th gear and my friend holding the brakes as hard as he could -- I guess it was only a little tight...

 

Heat up the bolt or the pulley or both? I have a small propane torch I plan to use.

With the car in 5th and brakes applied, does the pulley still have to be held in place with anything?

Lastly, I've read some suggestions about ramming a screwdriver into the flywheel somewhere. Obviously my understanding of this solution could use some refinement. Any experienced help would be appreciated.

Going out to try again. Im sure Ill be back.

 

the moroso crank pulley wrench does make the job easier.

 

hit the bolt with a hammer on the head then have a friend hold the pully with his hands then turn the wrench or what ever your using counter clock wise

you dont need the tool to get it off

try heating up the bolt if it dosnt work then tap it again and try to loosen it once again

 

I recently went through this myself (last week). A sad story...
I talked to a buddy of mine who works on cars for a living (not hondas). I was having this problem, and he had an idea that sounded good to me at the time... (a pre for this)... he said "prop the breaker bar against something solid, and hit the starter a few times... that will break it loose." (just starter, not starting engine..)
I thought, "Great Idea!"... well, honda's run backwards... so the rest as they say is history... twisted the bolt off, and I was not a happy camper! It would have worked on pretty much any other vehicle on the planet, but not these!
Well, long story short, I got the remnants of the bolt out, a new one overnighted ($30!! That will teach me!) and am back on the road...

Just wanted to share that in case anyone that "works on cars for a living" suggests that to you... I should have checked the crank rotation, but did not know that Hondas run backwards...
(BTW, according to a Honda guy at the parts department that I talked to about this, the reason for this is:
1. The original engine that Honda built on his bicycle ran backwards... stayed that way ever since.
2. The reason why 01/02's are seeing a change to normal rotation is that Honda is starting to sell their motors to General Motors and a few other companys.)
#2 would make since, as micro-journaling the surfaces for one direction of rotation or another is quite costly I would imagine to setup... so it would be sensible for Honda to switch to the same direction as the wrest of the planet, at least from a parts interchangeability stand point..

Best of luck to you in your efforts!

 

I used a strap wrench and a breaker bar. I used the strap wrench to pull the crank and wedged the breaker bar under the frame. The bolt came off without a problem Good luck ^_^

 

The easiest way is to drive to a nearest shop and have them losen up for u and put it back but dont make it tight...just tight to get u home...the other way is to put a screwdriver on the flywheel to prevent this from turning and use a 19mm and 1/2 drive wrench and a long pipe extesion then turn it...dont turn it so quick that the bolt might snap...so take it slowly...hope this helps...

 

Sounds like the easiest way to me Though I used a gigantic 3/4" impact to get mine off (at school); like everyone has one of these lying around . Anyways, good luck on which ever route you choose

 

No luck. I finally broke down and ordered the Moroso tool.

I hate this defeated feeling. I guess nothing beats actually using the proper tool for a job. I am just a strong advocate of using ghetto methods whenever possible.

It should be here by Tuesday. Maybe Ill sell it to someone else on honda-tech after Im done with it. I doubt Ill need it again. Thanks again and hopefully the battle is almost over.

 

Guys be careful if you go with heating it I do not reccomend it. Remember that our cars do have a damper ring of rubber it seperates the inner ring of the pulley from the outer side that has the belt grooves. If you get it to hot it may damge it and it might not show until some later time maybe at hi revs. I've seen them fail and heating it could be a bad thing

Oh and the hint about rapping the head of the bolt sharply with a hammer as well as some liquid wrench can really help. But sorry to say if you already tried the starter canking method you really tightened it down tight now


[Modified by integratom, 10:37 PM 11/9/2002]


[Modified by integratom, 10:38 PM 11/9/2002]

 

I Love my IR 2131!!!

 

The Moroso tool worked great. We pulled one time and the bolt gave. It made me wonder how close it was to coming loose without the tool.

Next Question - My strap wrench won't fit between the camshaft gears. How do you guys get those things to hold so the bolts can be removed? I am starting to tear everything up trying to hold it with screwdrivers and pliers.

 

stick a flathead through the cam gear and wedge it against the head and loosen the bolt.