guys im tearing down the front of my 89 22r to replace all the timing chain components.

whats an easy way to bust the crankshaft bolt loose without using a special tool?

and are the threads on the crankshaft like normal threads as in left turn too loosen? or right? just making sure because i know on some rotating parts the threads are reveresed, and i dont want to spin the motor backwards.

 

left to loosen.

see thread B in my sig for how i did it. most people do the "tap the starter" trick, that i did not do.

 

Try this.
http://www.4crawler.com/4x4/CheapTri...ingChain.shtml

 

the starter trick has a 100% record with me ..never fails to work .

and man i think 4crawler and his website should get some kind or trophy ,award ,medal or something his site is referenced everyday pretty much ... so much great info .

 

I just took mine apart today, do you still have the head on to use the compression of the engine? If not, you're ganna have to find a way to either hold the flywheel with a special tool, or i have seen people use and old a/c belt wrapped the crank pulley with an impact. I had my engine sitting on a wooden stand i made with casters underneath for mobility around the shop. I just used a cheater pipe and leg leverage to hold the block upright the flywheel bit into the stand, and after some muscle finally broke loose. PB Blaster can be your best friend too!

 

yea man the head is still on, ive yanked the intake and exhaust manifolds, removed the radiator and fan.

someone told me to put it in revers and set the e-brake. reverse or 4th gear which one? and if i use the starter trick how can i get the #1 piston back to tdc?

som

 

Question? Why wouldn't fifth gear, E brake, and blocking all four wheels work with a cheater bar? I do understand that the bump start works.

 

Can't get the proper leverage to get enough force to break it loose. So thats where the starter bump comes in.

 

you can get the motor back to TDC by using the bolt on the cam gear as long as you still have the timing chain on. Just take out the spark plugs to make it easier. Your most likely even without using the starter trick going to move the crank from TDC trying to break it loose anyway.

 

i wouldnt ever advise bumping the starter to break loose a bolt. You'll loose tdc(although simply taking the pulleys off and running that bolt back in enough to turn the engine bac to tdc isnt impossible..) and you run the risk of hurting yourself or whoever is hold your breaker bar. Not too mention you run the risk of damaging whatever your breaker bar coul hit if you lost your grip while trying to fight the force of the starter. Using a steeper gear like first and chalking the rear wheels should give you all the resistance you need to use a breaker bar/cheater pipe combo. Since you have the head on, if you have an impact you can fit on it i recomend that though. It needs to be a tought impact, i used one that put out 250ft/lbs of breaking torque and it only slowly turned the motor over.

 

obviously you have never done this. when using the breaker bar, the end of the bar will rest on the fenderwell. Your hand or anybody elses will not have to hold anything and you won't damage anything except maybe your socket. As I had just mentioned your gonna loose TDC when you try cranking that bolt loose by hand anyway, the motor will turn even if your in gear and the wheels blocked. FYI, it's a heck of a lot easier to do this on a manual trans truck, on the autos you don't have the option of locking it in gear because the torque converter will still allow the motor to turn.

I would much rather let the starter do the work then to smash my hands several times while slipping off the bar/cheater or on engine parts when that bolt finally breaks free. And rememebr that bolt is not only torqued from the factory, but it also loctited in.

 

yea i just went ahead and did the starter method. works good man. now when i get it all back together and put the crankshaft bolt back on, how do i go about tightening it? lol

 

I've used the started method 3 times this year....don't ask why I've torn it down that many times.

It works, with one man or two. I used zip ties and / or bailing wire to tie the breaker bar to teh frame, remove the coil plug to avoid spark, and turn the key in neutral - BAM! works every time.

To get the engine to TDC, hand thread the bolt back on, and use your socket to turn it clockwise till you get to TDC. when you're there, lock it in gear, then yang the bolt CCW to break it again and take it off with the pulleys (will be a LOT easier this time around...).

GL!

 

see "thread B" again.

 

not exactly the right thing to do, but what I did was mash a socket extension in the cam gear holes which rested against the head, that allowed the engine not to turn. I would not recommend someone do this to break that bolt free though.

or you can use something like 92 Toy's spiderweb contraption.

 

I used a 3/4" impact, worked great for me. Let it pound a couple of times and loosened right up. Also did the same thing when putting it back together but with a 1/2" impact got me close to the recommended torque.

After assembled in truck locked in 4-lo and put in gear to get torque spec with torque wrench. (had big blocks around wheels, even though it started crawling up the blocks got it to torque)

 

xxxtreme22r, you're right ive never the starter bump method, sounds too delicate in theory for my taste so i was just elaborating on alternative options that would work just as well.

Either way glad to hear it worked well for you dropt. Hope the inside of your timing cover looks better than mine.

 

If you take that bolt out, you're going to want to put it back in someday. And the torque is 181ft-lbs for the 6cyl, slightly less for the 4cyl. How are you going to do that?

You are going to need a tool whether you like it or not. A short search on this forum will reveal dozens of very clever shop-built tools. Some require a touch of welding, others (e.g., mine) require nothing more complicated than an angle grinder. And using one of these tools doesn't involve the risk of breaking something that the various "ballistic" methods do.

Of course, if you don't care what torque you get when you replace the crankshaft bolt, ...

 

I just took a propane tourch heated the bolt and put an impact on it, Comes right off everytime, never had a problem.

 

DUDES! IVE HAD THE BOLT OFF FOR AWHILE NOW!!! now im curious as to how im gonna get it torqued back on