Hi, I'm in the middle of changing the timing chain on my 85 toyota pick-up (22-R) and I'm stuck on the crankshaft pulley bolt. Or I should say, the crankshaft pulley bolt is stuck. I've got the head off and all of the accessories, but I can't get this bolt to turn. I've got a manual transmission in 5th gear with the parking brake on, but the pulley is still turning and turning the engine over. Does anyone have any tricks to getting that bolt out?

Here's some background on the project: My engine started to overheat because it was low on coolant. There were no obvious leaks, so I checked the oil and sure enough, the coolant had been draining into my oil. I thought it may be the head gasket, but I didn't see any obvious leaks. I did find out that one of the timing chain guides is broken and the timing chain has been wearing tracks in the TC cover. I'm thinking this may be how the coolant was getting into the oil, but I won't know until I can get that bolt out.

Thanks in advance for any help!

Mike

 

Get a chain wrench to put around the crank pulley, then use a long breaker bar with a 19mm socket

 

You could have tested it without pulling the head off. Just remove the valve cover and press test the cooling sys. Sounds like you ground into the water jacket in the timing cover

 

A trick I've heard works, is a 1/2" breaker bar on the bolt and then up against the frame rail, lock it like that then bump the starter a couple times.

 

yes but if you were gonna do that you shoulda done it with the head and everything else hooked up so nothing gets messed up. I'd stick with a chain wrench

 

along with the chain wrench like toytech76 said, if you have a torch get that head of the bolt hot and it will come out with ease, done it and it works good. Dont melt the bolt though.

 

Talk to Kaydon on here (yotatech) He just went through this very issue, and was able to resolve it.

 

I hope you have this bolt off but wanted to mention (maybe for future reference) that you should have the transmission in Low first (or reverse) if you want the drivetrain to keep the engine from turning over. High fifth will hold the least.

 

Slip the chain portion of the wrench through a bicycle inner tube cut to length before you wrap it around the crank pulley, to help prevent scoring of the pulley surface. You may nick the pulley and leave something sharp for your belt to bite into and fail prematurely.

 

starter works great

the 3 times I have done it after trying with a impact wrench first, it worked on the first try with the starter and breaker bar every time.

 

Not when he's already having trouble pushing through the brakes, first would just give him more torque against them.

 

So what does that mean? Are you agreeing or disagreeing that's it's better to try this in Low first or reverse instead of High fifth? I never said it would solve his problem; I just said it would hold better.

 

Yup, I agree. I've taken numerous crank bolts off different vehicles with this technique and it has been successful each and every time. Just make sure the engine doesn't fire up though......

 

Wow, thanks for all of the responses! I'll try it first in low gear and reverse. I'm not having trouble with the brakes holding, I guess it's the clutch that's slipping. A friend had a good substitute for a chain wrench. We took an old v-belt, pinched it tight around the pulley and put a pair of vice grips on there. It held pretty good, but we still couldn't break that bolt loose.

As far as using the starter to break it loose, can I do that now that the head is off? I'll be replacing the timing chain and pulleys, and the #1 piston is already about 60 degrees off TDC, so I don't know if I have to worry about keeping my timing lined up.

Thanks again!
Mike

 

I wouldn't, but then again, I haven't tried. If someone has done the starter method without the head, I would be interested in knowing what happened.

 

Well, I just gave the starter bumping a try and it didn't budge after 5 or 6 bumps. Just to double check, the engine rotates clockwise when looking at the engine from the front, so the breaker bar should be braced on the driver side frame rail. Does this sound right?

I tried in the lower gear, but I actually got less resistance at the lower gear. It seemed like it was easier to turn the engine over in first than in fifth. I guess I'm able to put more torque on the clutch plate in the lower gear and get it to slip more easily.

Mike

 

I just took mine off yesterday. I bought a chain wrench like it sayes in the manual and had my son hold it, He is 6' 1" 179 pounds. He said he had to put all his weight on it when I put the pressure to the breaker bar, But it did break loose.

 

Just read Kaydon's post on the same subject. I think I'll try torching it then bumping it with the starter. I'll let you know how it goes. . .

 

Success! After 5 min of torching, it let go after 2 bumps of the starter. I'll post some pics of the timing chain cover when I get it off.

 

It would hold less, it's the same as putting it in a lower gear when driving it.