Trying to change cambelt

[Draven]

I've got to the point where I am changing the cambelt. I'm just about to undo the crank pulley bolt

I've got the car in gear but a breaker bar on the bolt and pushed.. It just turns even with the car in gear. What the hell has happened.

[Draven]

Scratch that didn't have the hand brake on.. just won't come undone need a impact wrench

[MartinF]

No, make up a tool which will allow you to bolt into the two holes in the crank pulley and then brace the tool against the chassis or similar as you wrench.

An impact gun may undo it but you may end up in the same situation as well, hence why making the tool up is a better idea.

[Draven]

I can't even get the bolt undone. I'm going to get a pulley puller to remove the pulley once the bolt is loose. But it is stuck solid.

[MartinF]

As I say you need to make up a tool which allows you to use the two bolt holes in the pulley to brace the pulley as you wrench on the bolt. Have attached a couple of pics of similar tools to give you an idea.

[Draven]

ah i get ya.. I'll see what I can do about getting a tool made..

Thanks

[ashley]

This might help you?

This afternoon's task: strip the timing belt and check the idlers, the water pump and the oil pump. The first step was the usual, optimistic, attempt to undo the crank pulley bolt with the air gun...and no surprise it didn't budge

So I removed the bottom gearbox cover, inserted a screwdriver to hold the flywheel:



And then broke out the big gun- Dad bought this to change the hubs on his skoda, this is a real breaker bar



I didn't even need to lean on it and it came undone- happy days

Next up I removed the top timing cover, and confirmed the engine was at TDC. Time to remove the crank pulley- bring on the custom crank pulley removal kit I put together for my 3SGE:



Firstly run a tap into the two threaded holes in the cam pulley to clean up the threads, then place the smaller socket on the end of the crank shaft and slowly tighten down both bolts at the same time:



The larger socket is for when the pulley is almost off, but soon enough the tool proved it's worth again:



Bottom timing cover off, then I marked up the cambelt and cam sprockets, I also marked the cambelt and crank sprocket, and direction of travel on the belt- the belt was going back on so this would guarantee it all went back in the same position.

[Lefty1991]

Put the breaker bar down on the ground on the right side of the crank pulley and then turn over the car using the starter motor. That will turn the crank pulley and keep the bolt still causing it to undo slightly

[Draven]

Put the breaker bar down on the ground on the right side of the crank pulley and then turn over the car using the starter motor. That will turn the crank pulley and keep the bolt still causing it to undo slightly

That scares me.. I just need a long breaker bar..and make a bracket.

[gnzyza]

Careful ignition fuel is cut off don't want it to start!

[ashley]

Put the breaker bar down on the ground on the right side of the crank pulley and then turn over the car using the starter motor. That will turn the crank pulley and keep the bolt still causing it to undo slightly

I hate it when people give this advice, it may work, but so much potential for serious damage/ injury if slightly misunderstood and tried out without adequate thought. If you're gonna do this be very very careful...better still, use some tools and do it properly imo

[Lefty1991]

Sorry only trying to help rather than making all sorts of brackets.
Always worked for me but maybe I'm just dangerous.
Good luck with the belt change it's a satisfying job to do.

[ashley]

Sorry only trying to help rather than making all sorts of brackets.
Always worked for me but maybe I'm just dangerous.
Good luck with the belt change it's a satisfying job to do.

I'm sure it is totally safe in the right hands, and I'm probably over the top nervous about it, I just have visions of a 17 year old with zero experience trying it with no idea what he's doing, not realizing which way the crank turns, starting the engine, getting stuck, trying to release it, fek knows....just bad images

[Driftlimits Performance]

You can get a screwdriver in the bottom of the box onto a flywheel tooth that usually works when working old Skool ie no power tools!

My mg725 works a treat lol

Oh, best thing for the pulley i find is a caliper wind back tool with a modified plate for the 2 m8s. Always run a tap through the holes before bolting your tool on.

So far my best time was on a rev3 Uk na and took 1.5hr

[ashley]

You can get a screwdriver in the bottom of the box onto a flywheel tooth that usually works when working old Skool ie no power tools!

[MartinF]

So far my best time was on a rev3 Uk na and took 1.5hr

My hero !

[Driftlimits Performance]

He has a rev 3 so there is no metal cover over the flywheel, so you have to go in through the hole on the bottom.

[ashley]

[ElvisRockVinyl]

I remember doing mine for the 1st time some years ago and broke 3 3/4" snap on breaker bars, it was almost like someone had welded the bolt in, went out and bought a compressor and a IR impact gun and took it out but someone had put thread lock on the bolt, only a W**ker does that!

[Draven]

I've just ordered some 5mm metal strips and i'm going to fashion a bracket type thing to stop the wheel turning.