justanother4x4

i am trying to remove the crank pulley bolt and i am having alot of trouble doing so. Besides going and buying an electric impact, what are my options? Does the 3vze turn clock wise or counter clockwise? Is the crank pulley bolt a reverse thread bolt?

ChickenLover

What are you using to hold the pulley while you turn? Or are the belts still on? That bolt is VERY tight (181 ft/lbs). The 3vze turns clockwise. If I remember correctly, the bolt is regular threaded. One method I've used before: I used a breaker bar that was long enough to rest on the ground and turned the engine over (with ignition coil disconnected). It broke loose with ease. I do not recommend this method as it is fairly dangerous.

I would get some kind of pulley holder and a long breaker bar and put some serious muscle into it.

eric-the-red

I've also used the starter. You need a deep 6-point socket and a breaker bar, 24" should be long enough. Put the socket and bar on the bolt, with the end of the bar under the passenger side frame rail, but right against it. Disconnect the coil and blip the starter, a second or two is enough. The bolt should come undone.

EWAYota

I had a heck of a time getting mine off a month or so back, tried everything except.......BLOWTORCH. Heated it up for a minute, and it loosened right up.

justanother4x4

well the engine is torn down because i was going to do the head gaskets but they really didnt need to be replaced yet, but it has like 210k on the motor and was leaking oil bad outta the cam seals and the crank seal. But i have decided that i do not have the time do do the head gaskets so im just gonna put some seals in it and a new timing belt because i think I was still rocking the stock t belt! I have never seen a tbelt it that bad of condition. So using the starter is not an option at the moment, i guess maybe some heat but i think i might just buy a nice electric impact and see if that can get it off but i would hate to drop 150 a nice impact and it doesnt even work.
I am gonna end up just selling the truck unfortunatly because i dont have the time to keep working on it because i started a real job this year. But i do have my eye on a 2006 single cab 4x4 4cyl w/ 5spd.

eric-the-red

Some tool rental places rent electric impact guns, try that

DirtCheap

Harbor Freight has an electric impact for 30.00

joatmon

I was in the same boat you are. I went to home depot and bought an air 500 ft lb impact wrench. Used it and a 3 ft breaker bar on mine. Took 2 days and alot of PB Blaster. Ran the wrench for about 20 min at a time for about an hr each day after work and tried the breaker bar while I gave the gun/compressor a rest. It finally broke loose.

DH6twinotter

I used a little home-made tool :



Worked pretty good. I just got a piece of 4x36x1/8 steel and cut a whole big enough to go on the crank pulley and fit around the little tabs sticking out. Drill this whole towards one end of it. Use the powersteering bolts to bolt it where the powersteering pulley usually goes. Let the other end sit on the ground, use it as a handle, or let it rest against the frame rail (36" is too long though it you go that way). Insert your socket through the big whole you drilled and turn.

It was still pretty hard, and I almost gave up, mostly just for fear of braking something, but it worked good. The steel cost me about $8.00 and I had to buy the hole cutter for my drill, but all in all, I think it came out to under $30.

Just remember that thing is put on with 181 ft lb torgue, so you got to put at least that much of torque to get it off. Probably more since it has been on there for a long time. It's a pain.

The tool rental place sounds like a good idea too.

Daniel

Gonzo4Runner

Do you have a manual or auto?

If you have a manual, put the trans in 4th or 5th gear, and set the park brake really hard. You want the high gears. If you use low gears you will slip the clutch and brakes.

This has always worked for me. But if your clutch is marginal, this will not be effective.

If you have an auto, this won't work either.

Good luck.

mullet man

i went too harbor freight and bought an electric impact, awhile back (great tool BTW)
but the gun is too big to fit in the engine compartment...
how did you guys use an electric impact on it?

i'm at the point where i'll probably just use a breaker bar and a cheater pipe. with it engaged in gear and a buddy standing on the break pedal

also, what is the easiest way to find TDC for #1 on the compression stroke?

thanks
MM

95RunnerSR5

jam a crowbar in that badboy and go to work

NCSU-4runner

take a spark plug out and fill the cylinder with rope. once the piston starts to compress the rope you have a perfect resistance to apply torque against to break the nut loose. I've used this trick at least 10 times and its always the best way. Theres soo much slop you have to take up in the driveline to try and use it to resist the torque.

edit: wow, just noticed this thread was a ressurection from the grave. hope the guy got the bolt off. Its a bitch and a half sometimes

snap-on

breaker bar and starter works well to get it off.... but not so good for tighting it back up.

I fabed up a bar that bolted to the crankpully out of some angle iron. Worked great

mullet man

i just used the slack in the drivetrain. worked out fine for me. i do like the rope trick idea tho.

i got everything buttoned back up after a new WP, tensioner and idler pulley. i think i am off a tooth on the belt because the truck sounds like it has an aggressive cam (read more aggressive) and has no "get up" now like it used too. it wont even do a burn out in my rocky driveway

mobilmech

[QUOTE=eric-the-red;855782]I've also used the starter. You need a deep 6-point socket and a breaker bar, 24" should be long enough. Put the socket and bar on the bolt, with the end of the bar under the passenger side frame rail, but right against it. Disconnect the coil and blip the starter, a second or two is enough. The bolt should come undone.[/i used your method and it workrd perfectly ,thank youQUOTE]

grumpin

I didn't read all of these, so I apologize if it was mentioned. Get about two feet of rope that will fit in the spark plug hole. With number one at TDC, run the piston down a little and stuff as much rope as you can through the #1 spark plug hole, as you start to loosen the crank bolt the rope will stop everything and you can bust loose the bolt. Just did this on my son's Xterra when I did the head gaskets. Also a good way to hold valves in place.