I have 87 4runner 22re and I'm trying to change the timing chain and head gasket. I have been trying to get the main crankshaft bolt off for a few hours, I've tried to put the car in 5th gear, 4hi, with the e-brake as hard as I can pull it and someone holding the regular brakes, and the car still rolled. Then I tried doing the starter trick and that just stalled out the starter. are there any other ways to get the bolt off?

 

Yeah you could use a SST to hold it.

 

If the starter trick doesn't work, you can put a piece of 2x4 in the cylinder bore and temporarily bolt the head back on. That's what I ended up doing. Broke 3 sockets in the process.

edit: BTW, cut the 2x4 so that it jams the piston halfway up. This offers the best leverage.

 

what is a SST? I guess I'll try the 2x4 if nothing else works... hopefully I can get it off another way though.

 

SST: special service tool

 

Pull the plug wires, and give the start more of a revolution to gain flywheel momentum.

 

you can try the starter trick, most have used it with much success. I figured, after breaking 2 sockets and a wrench, take a torch to it! I heated the head of the bolt till it started to glow at tad, then took a wrench with a 1-2 foot pole over the end of the wrench handle and broke it free. 4 hours of fighting with sockets, 4 minutes with a torch.

 

Here's my SST:

 

i'll be. i am going to build me one of those...fo real

 

Here's another view:

 

thanks, that took the guess work out of it, need to build one for my honda fleet as well.

 

I made it for my 5VZFE, but last year I had to remove the crank pulley on a 95 Taurus and to my surprise it worked on it too.

 

dammit, if you werent so far away id rob you
that is one awesome tool there

 

x2 nice tool!

 

If I could weld stainless that well, I'd build one like Mt_Goat's (love that adjustable handle).

But my skills limit me to an angle grinder.
https://www.yotatech.com/forums/f116.../#post50756358

(The link has a few pix of Elvota's wrench, as well.)

 

the special service tool will work best; coiling a bunch of hemp twine into the cylinder will also work (just leave some of the rope hanging out so you can remove it or you'll have to take off the head); or a block of wood (head removal again though)....I've done it several times by tying a rope around the crank pulley in a "chinese finger trap" type of knot & then tie off the rope around a bracket. There's a bunch of ways to do it.

 

OK! So here it goes...

The last pulley on my crankshaft pulleys came off and I needed to replace it. I started out by getting all the belts off and eventually removing the radiator and the fan blades.

Next came the crankshaft bolt.

I tried to remove it via the Starter Bumping Method but it killed my starter after a few bumps (it was going bad anyways, might I add that this was one of the hardest starters I have ever removed) so that method is out the window. The bolt was still as tight as ever.

I next tried putting it in Fifth and put the brake on, but the clutch kept slipping.

Next I tried the homemade SST method. I first used a small piece of 3/4 OSB I had layin around and some drill bits to hold it to the pulley. The drill bits bent and the OSB broke. Now the tip of the bolt is all banged up from the socket coming off when the OSB broke. Now on to something new.

I decided to spend a little money and get some "Grade 8" bolts (one of which eventually broke inside the center pulley) to bolt into the pulleys. I used a piece of 2x6 cut to 18" and drilled holes for the bolts and the socket. I attached my device and put it in fifth. I used a cheater bar over my breaker bar but no matter how hard I pulled that bolt wasn't moving.

So now I needed to pull out the big guns. I took off my homemade SST and got out my propane torch and heated up the bolt head for about three miniutes ( is it normal for liquid to drip from the pulleys when you heat it up?). I reattached my homemade SST, put it in Fifth (for a little added support) and attached my breaker bar and pulled as hard as I could. CRREEEAAAAKK!!! I GOT IT LOOSE!!!

It was amazing I felt as though I had solved world hunger. It goes to show that you might have to do everything you can to get this thing loose, but eventually it will loosen. If you have a bolt that won't come loose try and do what I did.


Also, I turned the crankshaft counter clockwise a few times (to adjust the bolt holes and while trying to loosen the bolt but never a full 360) is this bad for the engine?