Crank Pulley Removal

[lanciamad]

I'm going to be tackling this very soon, so any hints or tips how to go about it?
Have seen some video's involving a breaker bar and using the starter motor, but i'm not sure I fancy that!

[HFStuart]

It's not usually a major problem. Unstake it and lock the engine  - either in high gear and on the brakes or take the shield off the back of the flywheel (by the sump) and lock with a big screwdriver. The nut should then come off with a breaker bar - a 3/4" one makes life easier. If you have an impact wrench you might not even need to lock the engine.

[rossocorsa]

Air or electric ratchet by far the easiest way, both cheap ish tools these days

[lukasdeopalenica]

Do not forget that the bolt has a left-handed thread 

[rossocorsa]

Do not forget that the bolt has a left-handed thread 

Some cranks have a nut not a bolt and as far as I recall are normal threads

[lanciamad]

I've got a battery type impact gun so i'll give that a try first. Mine appears to be of a nut type rather than bolt. Any confirmation whether it is a left-handed threaded or not? I certainly don't want to be tightening it up anymore than it already is.

[rossocorsa]

Pretty sure that it's normal, it will be proper FT though but some of those electric impact wotsits are surprisingly good these days.

[HFStuart]

If it's a nut it's a normal thread.

[lanciamad]

It was indeed normal thread, had to lock the ring gear in the end and bust a gut with a breaker bar, but it's off! Thanks guys

[mangocrazy]

Another worthwhile tip for removal of this bloody big nut is to give it some serious heat before doing anything. These nuts are often Loctited on, and you will need to get it proper hot to break the Loctite gorilla grip. I used two Rothenberger type propane plumbing torches (because I happened to have two), and gave the nut some serious grief for about five minutes. I only stopped because the cam belt (due to be replaced anyway) started smoking quite badly. I left it at that, went away and did some other jobs for half an hour or so until it had completely cooled down and it undid with only moderate persuasion from a breaker bar and 38mm socket.

[frankxhv773t]

"I certainly don't want to be tightening it up anymore than it already is"

Of course tightening a stuck nut or bolt is a recognised way of breaking its' grip. If it moves at all then it has started to free off and will be easier to undo. If it doesn't move then nothing is lost.

[mangocrazy]

It's not usually a major problem. Unstake it and lock the engine  - either in high gear and on the brakes or take the shield off the back of the flywheel (by the sump) and lock with a big screwdriver. The nut should then come off with a breaker bar - a 3/4" one makes life easier. If you have an impact wrench you might not even need to lock the engine.

Pardon my ignorance, but I presume you don't need to split the engine and gearbox to do this? And is the shield you mention on the top, bottom or side of the engine? I've got a 2 litre engine on the garage floor that I need to change the cam belt on (among other things) and removing that BF nut is currently at the top of my 'to do' list. The one on the seized engine came off without to much ado (mainly because the engine was seized), but this one turns over quite freely...

[HFStuart]

The shield is the one that covers the lower half of the flywheel  - where the bellhousing is next to the sump. Removing it just means you can get to the flywheel teeth to lock the engine. You don't have to split engine and gearbox!

It's only held on by 4 or 5 m6 bolts.

[mangocrazy]

Thanks Stuart 

[mangocrazy]

Another request for advice, I'm afraid... Having had some well-documented fun with the clutch, I'm now finding it impossible to get the crank pulley nut off the engine I'm intending to take to France. I followed the advice in the Haynes manual and used an M8 bolt screwed into one of the clutch mounting threads in the flywheel, bearing against the block to lock the flywheel, but as soon as substantial force was applied to undo the crank pulley nut, the bolt just bent like cheese. In fairness, it's not what an M8 bolt was designed to do...

So how does one lock the flywheel with the clutch and bell housing off? Or is it best to reassemble the engine and gearbox first? I've seen suggestions to use a big screwdriver or lock the ring gear but I'm not entirely sure how to do that. I also notice Stuart's suggestion to use the flywheel teeth to lock the engine - how is this done?

[Ammy]

I made a plate with  two holes  which line up with the tappings in the front facing side of the flywheel,  I think they are 10mm,  Two more large holes allow you to fix the plate to the bell housing.  All a  bit "heathrobbinson"  but has worked every time I needed to lock the engine. Positioning the holes can be difficult but if you don't drill the holes too big, you can slot them and put washers on the holding studs.  Can e-mail a photograph if it's any help.

[mangocrazy]

Hi Ammy, that would be really helpful; I'm having a bit of a problem visualising your idea. My email address is grahamstewart888@yahoo.co.uk. Thanks!

[rossocorsa]

Use a good quality air impact gun and it'll come off in seconds trying to lock the flywheel is a pain. An electric impact gun probably won't be good enough incidentally.

[WestonE]

My Milwaukee cordless Impact gun does this easily and has been a great investment

A pound shop item will not do the job of course.

Cheers

Eric

[Neil-yaj396]

As above some of the later engines have a reverse thread and a different nut. I take it it's not one of these?