Crankshaft Pulley Removal - Help!

[it's paid for]

. . . my ignorance & stupidity continue . . . I skipped trying to remove the intake manifold and started working on other stuff . . . like removing the crankshaft pulley . . . I'm reading the Haynes manual and it says on page 24 (after aligning the flywheel timing mark):

Now pass a bar or thick screwdriver through one of the cut-outs on the pulley and hold the pulley still by leavering against the crankcase while the pulley bolt is unscrewed and removed in an anticlockwise direction.

Are they kidding?

I mean I've tried this every way I possibly can and it's no use . . .


. . . by the way, I already cut the timing belt after having it aligned TDC and marking the cam pulley . . . but . . . while attempting to remove the crankshaft pulley, if I turn the crankshaft pulley counterclockwise past the timing mark just a little, is it okay to turn it the opposite direction to line it back up?

. . . I'm such an idiot . . . Honda's might be great when they're put together and running well, but working on them is not my idea of fun . . .

. . . thanks in advance . . .

IPF

[88LXi68]

is it a 5spd or auto?

If 5spd put it in 5th and press the brake. If it is an auto you may need the special tool that wraps a chain around the crank pulley to keep it from spinning.

[shepherd79]

do you have engine out of the car or is it still in the car?
if you remove the engine it is 100% easier to work on them.
the other thing, i would recoment inveting some money into air tools, especially air impact wrench.

[it's paid for]

If 5spd put it in 5th and press the brake.

Yeah, it's a 5 speed - I can get my son in the car with his foot on the brake after I put it in 5th . . . are you sure this won't hurt anything to do this - sorry for my ignorance . . .

If it is an auto you may need the special tool that wraps a chain around the crank pulley to keep it from spinning.

I think I could make a tool to hold the pulley in place . . .



Or maybe if I used a really large oil filter wrench . . . with a rubber strip to stop slipping . . .

. . . ? . . .

[k-roy]

An oil filter wrench wil not work, sot strong enough. The real tool is like $40 from a dealership.

[wmbeyer]

I have the same Haynes manual...screwdriver advice was lame.
Ended up breaking the timing belt using a screwdrive jammed
into the cam sprocket to ultimately keep the crank pulley from
turning while applying megaforce with a breaker bar. When this happened, crank turned, cam didn't. Cringe - expecting pistons
to hit valves... Fortunately nothing damaged. Still, didn't get crank bolt loose.

Then I remembered my trusty Chicago Pneumatic impact wrench.
375ft-lbs torque. With 90PSI air supplied, it didn't even budge the bolt. Hmmm. Maybe I need an even more powerful wrench.
While looking at prices for a more powerful air impact wrench (yikes!), an idea came to mind. All the torque specs I was seeing
had different values depending on whether supply air was delivered at 90PSI (typical shop pressure) or the max recommend pressure for the tool. At the max pressure, torque values were
about 20% higher. Hmmm. ...Went out, set my compressor requlator to 125PSI, and hit the crank pulley bolt again. Viola!
The bolt came off!

Neat thing about impact wrenches, even though the engine was
in neutral, and could be turned over, the impact wrench has such
short, quick turning motions, it barely turned the crank in spinning
that nasty bolt free. After the fact, I saw some Google posts where, of you don't have an impact wrench, it was recommended to take the car to a dealer while it is still running, have them break the bolt free with their impact wrench, retighten it enough
to get you back home. Then when you go to take the crank pulley off, it should be easy to break the bolt free.

One last tip - use antiseize compound on all threads when reassembly. I started doing this about 10yrs ago. Torque
values are much more accurate, bolts come free readily many
years later, steel bolts don't sieze on aluminum threads, impervious to heat, cold, water - doesn't wash away like other greases. Used to use wheel bearing grease to grease all threads before reassembly, but now I much prefer using antiseize! Only downside - a bit messy. But worth it!

One last tip. Clean all parts, including fastener threads before
relube (with antiseize!) and reassembly. Use STP foaming engine
cleaner and an old toothbrush. Stuff work like magic to clean off
years of grime. Rinse off down utility sink or into grass. Makes reassembly go much smoother. This foaming stuff clings to parts so nicely, you don't waste a lot of it.

-Bill

[buzzbomber88lx]

you can get pulley pullers that will come in handy later on in life also so you might as well get them. If you go to autozone you can rent a tool and return it after use with receipt. You have to buy it and then they refund after use. I have done this with huge ass sockets and stuff.

[Justin86]

Yea you might be screwed with the timming belt. I could even get the pulley off with my air wrenches. It sucks you cut the belt, but did't the belt need to be replaced cause I hope you didn't cut it just to get the head off.

[it's paid for]

. . . I hope you didn't cut it just to get the head off.

. . . no, it was going to be replaced . . . I think the cam pulley is marked well enough to get the timing right when I put on the new belt . . . if not . . . oh well . . . is it really that big a deal if the belt is off a tooth or two . . . big deal . . .

. . . thanks for the comments, suggestions & advice . . . work is going slow . . .

[pedrosa]

air impact wrench.this is the solution, i had same problem


__________________

[BootMachine]

I simply put a TDC finder in number 1 spark plug hole...rotated the engine slowly until the piston stopped at the finder and then cracked the bolt loose!

Later I took the engine apart and there was a small "tick" on the piston head but nothing major....the piston was used in a rebuild and it works fine!

[it's paid for]

air impact wrench.this is the solution, i had same problem

This is a great suggestion . . . but it's out of the question . . . the engine is in pieces and I can't get it to a shop, nor am I at a point where I can invest in the tools & air compressor . . .

I simply put a TDC finder in number 1 spark plug hole...rotated the engine slowly until the piston stopped at the finder and then cracked the bolt loose!

That sounds . . . like it would work . . . what's a TDC finder (top dead center, okay . . . but I have no idea what this tool is)? . . . seems like this would cause an unnatural stress on the piston & so forth . . . hey . . . if it worked . . . maybe I'll try it . . . is the TDC finder tool expensive?

. . . the head is still on & my timing belt is cut so, I don't think it's a good idea to turn the crank much . . . at the rate I'm progressing, I should have the head off by next May or June . . .

. . . I'm half a millimeter away from donating this car to charity . . . they'll haul it off for free, right?

[4sillypwr]

If you read your manual you will notice that you can line up TDC with on the head and on the block. There is a little rubber cover inbetweent he tranny and the block below the engine code stamping. Pop it out and you there is a tdc mark. on the camshaft sprocket there are marks that should line up with the surface of the head. If you are popping the head off anyway here is a little trick that works everytime. NOTE. DON'T DO THIS IF YOU DON'T PLAN ON REMOVING THE HEAD!!! You can set the block a bit before TDC. Turn the cam sprocket until all the valves are fully closed in the #1 cyl. Thread a piece of small stiff rope into the combustion chamber untill you can't fit anymore. Now the engine will compress the string and not move. Get the longest piece of gas pipe that you can find and throw that on the end of a breaker bar. No break that bitch bolt loose. Or just have someone put it into 5th and stomp on the brake pedel.

-David