Removing the crank pulley bolt?

6590 Views 20 Replies 9 Participants Last post by Kwicko, May 16, 2005

stick

Discussion Starter · Mar 6, 2005

Hey guys, I have an engine that needs a new timing belt tensioner, so I have to remove the crank pulley bolt. As many of you know, this bolt is a source of massive headaches on almost every Honda.

My question is this: What is the safest way to remove this bolt without damaging anything? Please note that I do not have access to air tools powerful enough to pop the bolt out. (already tried).

1 - 20 of 21 Posts

Kain

· #2 · Mar 6, 2005

is the engine pulled?

i've read of people drilling a hole big enough for something (sturdy, like a chisel or something) to stick through it to hold the pulley in place for you to pull with all your might to loosen the bolt without turning the pulley. also, try PB Blaster as well to penetrate in.

stick

Discussion Starter · #3 · Mar 6, 2005

Kain said:
is the engine pulled?

i've read of people drilling a hole big enough for something (sturdy, like a chisel or something) to stick through it to hold the pulley in place for you to pull with all your might to loosen the bolt without turning the pulley. also, try PB Blaster as well to penetrate in.

The engine is still in the vehicle. I want to be able to use the crank pulley again, so drilling a hole in it probably wouldn't be a good idea. (it would unbalance the crank pulley and cause excess wear and tear on the crankshaft bearings).

Kain

· #4 · Mar 6, 2005

yeah, i thought about that as well, and i guess i should have mentioned that this was on an engine that was to be junked. sorry for the misleading info

stick

Discussion Starter · #5 · Mar 6, 2005

Kain said:
yeah, i thought about that as well, and i guess i should have mentioned that this was on an engine that was to be junked. sorry for the misleading info

As far as I know, the Honda mechanic's way of doing it is to use a special tool that grabs onto the flywheel teeth so it keeps the crankshaft locked and then they use an impact wrench on the bolt. I looked into this tool, and it's quite expensive. I also see a bit of a flaw with this approach... it is locking the crankshaft from the opposite end from the crank pulley. I would think that it would result in a lot of excess strain on the crankshaft to do it this way. I wonder if there are any tools out there that will lock the crank pulley in place without damaging it. (so chain wrenches are out of the question! lol).

Opticon

· #6 · Mar 6, 2005

stickershop said:
....I wonder if there are any tools out there that will lock the crank pulley in place without damaging it. (so chain wrenches are out of the question! lol).

I use THIS, and I have not had any problems yet. It is the same idea as the oem Honda tool, but without the OEM Honda pricetag!

I attach it to a breaker bar or heavy duty torque wrench and turn it untill the bar rests on the subframe. Then I get another socket wrench with an extention for the bolt and with a little upper-body strength and a few choice curse words, the bolt is free.

stick

Discussion Starter · #7 · Mar 6, 2005

Does that tool even work on a CRX though? It's not listed in the list of vehicles that the tool works for. Plus, I'm not sure how it would grab onto our crank pulleys because it's just the plain crank pulley and a bolt...no spots on the crank pulley to grab onto with an extra tool. hmmm...

DiscoStu

· #8 · Mar 6, 2005

That goodie doodad is mainly for the newer hondas.

Get a friend, put the car in 1st, hanve said friend STAND on the brakes, and hope it cranks off using a nice big breaker bar. Or, see if you can rent an electric impact gun from someone.

stick

Discussion Starter · #9 · Mar 6, 2005

DiscoStu said:
Get a friend, put the car in 1st, hanve said friend STAND on the brakes, and hope it cranks off using a nice big breaker bar. Or, see if you can rent an electric impact gun from someone.

Is 1st the best gear to put the tranny into? I know a friend that broke a shift fork in the tranny by putting it in gear when taking off the crank pulley...but i'm not sure which gear he had it in.

DiscoStu

· #10 · Mar 6, 2005

Not sure if first would be the best... just figured since its the lowest gear it would be easiest, and whenever my friend and I took axles out we just used first. Grantes, axles aren't crank bolts, but that's the gear we've used.

stick

Discussion Starter · #11 · Mar 6, 2005

I wish I had a mig welder. There's some holes in the crank pulley. I would love to fabricate up a tool that could lock into those holes and attach to a breaker bar like the tool that you showed in the previous link. That would make the job so much easier for all the DIYers on here.

toxiclows

· #12 · Mar 7, 2005

I have never had a problem getting these bolts off. I use a 17mm socket on the crank bolt and use something strong but thin to put through one of the holes in the crank pulley... Last time i used a craftsman punch or drift can not remember. . stuck the punch through the pulley and spun it till it came up onto the bottom of the oil pan ( on the lip there the pan bolts are) and pushed with my ratchet... . . would not budge... . got a bigger wrench to slip over the end of the ratchet handle to add leverage and pushed.... still no go.... . . turned myself around and used my foot on it . . . came loose right away... . and FYI>>> >I was using a 3.8 ratchet and not a 1/2 inch drive and they were just regular Craftsman sockets not impact grade...

not a problem to get it off.. .

The "KEY" here is to be able to hold the crank pulley from moving at all..

By whatever means necessary... . if you can hold the crank still.... the bolt WILL come off...
even the guys who say that they used an impact gun with 150 PSI on it and could not get it off.... . your pulley was moving with each of the hammer blows and asorbing most of the impact that the gun was trying to put on the bolt...

keep at is and it will come.... and Keep that crank tight. .

Chris

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zulued

· #13 · Mar 7, 2005

well my impact gun has never failed me on a crank bolt. but since you dont have that option.

1. you could do what toxiclows said stick someting through the holes in the pulley catch the oil pan and the oil pump. i normally used 2 old headbolts one catched on the oil pan flange and the other sat on the oposite side of the oil pan on the oil pump.

2. and if you still cant get it off heat the bolt up with a set of torches. the lock tite on the bolt is what holds it up the most from coming out.

those would be my two best options.

scarponze

toxiclows

· #14 · Mar 18, 2005

Just did it agian yesterday... . .1/2 inch drive ratchet with a 17mm semi deep..... and stuck a 4 inch long 3/8 bolt through the pulley hole and under the oil pan lip got it all positioned and reefed on it hard with the help of a large 1 foot pipe on the end of the ratchet.... no problem...

alot of my problem in the beginning was the fact that i thought i was going to snap the bolt..... have you seen the bolt ??? its huge... your not going to break it.... reef on it and it comes off..

GSRCRXsi

· #15 · Mar 21, 2005

this is my method.

1. put screwdrivers in the vents of the front rotors and brace against the caliper
2. put car in 5th gear
3. put your wrench on and have at it.

i did this and got my pulley bolt off with a mere 18" breaker bar. of course i was holding onto my jimfab bar for support and pushing with my feet with all my might, lol.

Kwicko

· #16 · May 15, 2005

THIS is the "official" tool that the dealership uses. Well, it's a knockoff of it. The full kit isn't cheap at around $104.00, but it includes the heads for D, B, F, H, & K-series engines. You can also get it with just the head for the D-series if you want. I bought it, and I love it. Makes crank pulley bolts a breeze. Well... maybe not a *breeze*, but a lot less life-draining.

Mike

stick

Discussion Starter · #17 · May 15, 2005

Kwicko said:
THIS is the "official" tool that the dealership uses. Well, it's a knockoff of it. The full kit isn't cheap at around $104.00, but it includes the heads for D, B, F, H, & K-series engines. You can also get it with just the head for the D-series if you want. I bought it, and I love it. Makes crank pulley bolts a breeze. Well... maybe not a *breeze*, but a lot less life-draining.

Mike

And it works on the D16A6? I know that some of the newer D-series have a hexagon shape in the crank pulley. How does it work on the D16A6 crank?

Kwicko

· #18 · May 15, 2005

It's got two different heads - one with the hex shape, and another with two pins on it - one stationary and the other adjustable.

Mike

stick

Discussion Starter · #19 · May 15, 2005

Cool! I think they also sell the one that works on our engines separately from the newer style hex head design. Click HERE.

Lumpy53

· #20 · May 15, 2005

Hey guys. I'm going to be changing my timming belt soon. Which one of those tools will I need? (Or which is the cheapest one to go with?) BTW its for a 91 Si.

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