Crank pulley removal help

[MudMud]

I am working on a 98 with a V6 and I'm needing to do the timing belt, water pump, etc...

I made the tool from https://www.yotatech.com/f116/crankshaft-camshaft-bolt-removal-tool-186081/ but I can't get it to work. My pulley has 3 holes in it. In two of the holes, the M8x40mm bolt just goes into the hole and bottoms out. No threads catch at all. In the other hole, my M8x40mm bolt won't even thread into it. I'm at a loss and not sure what to do because I can't really see the pulley to see what's going on.

Are my bolts too short or not wide enough or are they not supposed to thread into anything and just supposed to sit in these holes? (Seems unlikely).

Any advice you can give me would be helpful because I don't want to screw up the crank by not getting this holder secure...

 

[meRockboost]

I used a chain strap wrench over a rag to hold mine to get the bolt out. There are a few alternative ways to get yours off

 

[MudMud]

Yeah, I dont' have a chain wrench, but I did have all of the parts to make that tool linked to above, save for the bolts, which cost a damn fortune. I just don't understand, and can't really see, why the bolts aren't threading into the pulley. They just slip right in and bottom out.

 

[Cadaverous]

I used the starter method, with a long breaker bar on the frame and an impact socket. I was scared to do it at first but it wasn't' a big deal.

 

[MudMud]

That's my last resort method, but I still need to be able to torque it and unless I can get my tool to hold, that's going to be difficult...

 

[Chuckles89]

They are not supposed to thread in. Just stick some bolts in there and brace the tool against the frame

 

[baja1]

I just used a 4x4 with 2 long bolts and a hole bored between them for the socket....worked fine

 

[alumarine]

As chuckles said they don't thread in.
I used 3/8"x1.5" bolts.

 

[MudMud]

Alright cool deal then. I'll try to get this sum***** off tonight

Thanks guys

 

[TheDurk]

They do thread in. The hole is only threaded at the very end, where the inner metal hub has a larger diameter. The harmonic balancer--it's not a pulley--is a sandwich. Going from the front, first you have the outer metal sheave where the belts run, then a rubber cushion inside filling, and at the back the hole hits the metal hub that contacts the shaft. You want your holding pressure to be on the metal hub, not the other two parts. If you don't get your bolts in far enough to reach the metal hub, you are attempting break the H/B in two as much as your are trying to turn the bolt. They ain't cheap, and you don't want to take this chance.

I'd say 40mm is too short to reach all the way to the threads. Try some longer bolts. They don't HAVE to thread in, but they do have to be long enough to engage the hub and not the just the other two parts. The hub section of the hole is not threaded and then threaded, so you can engage it without hitting the threads, IF the bolt is long enough. 40mm may be enough for that, I don't know.

I used 3/8" bolts on my 2x4 that were a little too long. They bottomed out when they hit the threaded part, but it was enough to engage the hub and do the job.

Just because it worked with shorter bolts doesn't mean you didn't take a chance of breaking it right there or possibly compromised the H/B by all that stress on the sandwich.

 

[MudMud]

That's...what I was thinking. So the question is - Is the threaded portion at the rear still 8MM? And do you have any idea how long I might need to get in order to reach that threaded portion? 10.9 grade bolts aren't cheap and I don't want to buy more than I have to.

 

[alumarine]

That's...what I was thinking. So the question is - Is the threaded portion at the rear still 8MM? And do you have any idea how long I might need to get in order to reach that threaded portion? 10.9 grade bolts aren't cheap and I don't want to buy more than I have to.

If you buy two 3/8" x 1.5" grade 5 bolts they will work just fine.

 

[MudMud]

I bent a grade 8 in half last night trying to do this so I don't think Grade 5 is going to hold up, and again, 1.5" isn't enough to reach what threads may be at the rear.

 

[plumcrazy]

Recently removed mine and it was torqued on tight enough to start bending the bolts that came with the specific pulley holding tool. Finally convinced myself to do the starter bump trick - should have done that to begin with. The tool was strong enough to hold pulley for reassembly.

Do the starter bump so you can proceed and at least try your tool when installing balancer before you have to running all over town.

 

[TheDurk]

That's...what I was thinking. So the question is - Is the threaded portion at the rear still 8MM? And do you have any idea how long I might need to get in order to reach that threaded portion? 10.9 grade bolts aren't cheap and I don't want to buy more than I have to.

Do you have a long 3/8" cheapo bolt around? Stick that in the hole and it will tell you how deep the threads are. You should also be able to feel it with a 3/8"drill bit. That's how I marked my 2x4. I stuck two drill bits in the holes so they bottomed out the blunt end on the threads, and then positioned the points on my 2x4 on a diagonal. Whack the 2x with a hammer and that's where I drilled my holes.

I'm not sure on the thread size but I assume it's M8.

 

[alumarine]

I bent a grade 8 in half last night trying to do this so I don't think Grade 5 is going to hold up, and again, 1.5" isn't enough to reach what threads may be at the rear.

I'm sure the bolts bent because they were too long.
If the tool is not touching the pulley then the bolts are too long and subject to bending.

 

[MudMud]

The bolts I was using last night were 1.5" long and my strap was touching the HB. Still bent the shit out of them.
[MENTION=152430]plumcrazy[/MENTION] - I took your advice just now and did a starter bump. After a terrifying pop, the bolt is out and everything looks straight and undamaged. Thanks for the encouragement. I was really not wanting to do that, but it turned out fine.

 

[IsaiahC]

The starter bump method takes like 30 seconds

 

[19963.4lsr5]

This is mine. All from ACE hardware.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[badattitude]

My pulley has 3 holes. In two of the holes, the M8x40mm bolt just goes into the hole and bottoms out. No threads catch at all. In the other hole, my M8x40mm bolt won't even thread into it.

Yep, it looks like three holes for sure. However, I believe there are two holes across from each other on the balancer/pulley, these are the ones to use the crank pulley tool on. The third hole is a drill hole that was made to "balance" the harmonic balancer, like balancing a tire. There may be a couple more "balance" holes on the back. They are small and don't drill down very deep. Their purpose is to balance weight, so the harmonic balancer/pulley rotates without vibration.

I also approve the starter method for crank bolt removal. It sounds like a bad idea I know, but it worked for me at 130,000 when I put on a lightweight crank pulley, and am now at 203,000 miles and still using the original starter with no other issues. Be sure to install a new crank pulley bolt at 210 foot pounds! Use blue lock-tight. My wooden 2"x4" crank pulley holder broke/snapped at a full 220 foot pounds, wood works fine, if I had to make another one, I'd make one of these metal ones and always use a long torque wrench when tighting the crank bolt. They let you borrow them for free at a lot of auto parts stores.