Stuck crank pulley bolt

[chrome]

You haven't tried an impact at this stage? Most people seem to have better luck with an impact wrench than using breaker bars on extensions.

If it's an air impact, make sure your air pressure is healthy, and have a nice size hose and fittings. Use the least number of socket extension possible to reach the crank nut, as any extension robs the impact of some torque.

 

[DBMaster]

If the belt can't handle a drive from your home to a local shop and back you've more or less put yourself into a corner, I guess. That vintage Honda motor could easily go 90-100K miles on a timing belt. Plus, a lot of Hondas were mistakenly classified as having interference engines when they didn't. Take for example my 1989 A20A3. Gates' TB guide says 60K miles and that the engine is interference. The correct interval is 90K and the engine was NOT interference.

 

[CHARLIEBRONSON21]

It's a 93 H22A swap into a 93 civic. Pulleys on driver side. Impact didn't remove the bolt. And the motor has 130k miles. The body is over 280k.

 

[Trav]

The motor runs CW looking at the pulley correct? If so put the breaker bar on top of the lower control arm or the frame and blip the starter.
I don't know what i was thinking it makes no difference unless the engine runs CCW.

 

[eljefino]

If the bolt has wrong-way thread wouldn't there be a big disclaimer pictogram machined into the front... righty loosey, lefty tighty?

 

[Tegger]

Originally Posted By: CHARLIEBRONSON21
Impact didn't remove the bolt.

I'll bet that was an AIR impact that didn't remove the bolt.

You would be shocked to find out what kind of of grunt a good electric has. They put air impacts to shame.

You want that bolt to come out with no muss or fuss? Use an electric.

 

[DBMaster]

The Honda crank pulley bolts are very finely threaded. They get locked down very tightly. It took some doing for the guys at the shops to break it loose. I have an electric impact gun and it wouldn't do it. It's even worse if someone previously forgot to oil the threads or if they put the "bad" kind of Loctite on it. You can use blue Loctite when you reassemble. That will make it easier the next time.

I had my 89 Accord long enough to do four TB jobs on it.

 

[Burny]

ghet the Schley tool. Works like a boss.

http://www.tooltopia.com/schley-60100a.a...CFYWFfgodKBMA0Q

 

[hpb]

Originally Posted By: Trav
put the breaker bar on top of the lower control arm or the frame and blip the starter.


This. Works every time. Just keep hands well clear. Depending on access to suspension arms, I'll often slip a long piece of pipe over the end of the breaker bar and use the concrete floor to brace it against.

 

[Vikas]

Has there been any Honda with left handed crank bolt?

Assuming the answer in none, then find out if the engine turns in the "correct direction" as stated by Trav and use the starter trick. There *are* some Hondas which do spin the engine in the "wrong direction" but you can figure that out! Make sure you disable ignition or remove the spark plugs first!

You will find quite a few vidoes on the youtube.

 

[Tegger]

Originally Posted By: hpb
Originally Posted By: Trav
put the breaker bar on top of the lower control arm or the frame and blip the starter.

This. Works every time.

DO NOT DO THAT ON THE HONDA H-series engine, or on ANY OTHER Honda 4-cylinder engine where the timing belt is on the LEFT (American driver's) end of the engine!!!

Using the "blip the starter" technique on these engines will cause SEVERE DAMAGE.

 

[Tegger]

Originally Posted By: Vikas
Has there been any Honda with left handed crank bolt?

NO.

Originally Posted By: Vikas
Assuming the answer in none, then find out if the engine turns in the "correct direction" as stated by Trav and use the starter trick.

If the timing belt is on the LEFT (American driver's) end of the engine, you CANNOT use the "starter blip" technique.

 

[Tegger]

Originally Posted By: DBMaster
I have an electric impact gun

Please give the make and model of your electric.

 

[wokeupdead]

They turn CCW. Do not use starter trick. They can be very difficult to break loose. I have had to hang off of them with a 3-4 foot pipe on a 3 foot breaker bar. I estimate somewhere north of 1100 lb/ft of removal torque for many of them. You might need a 3/4" drive set to get enough torque to remove without breaking your socket.

Are you under the car or are you pulling from the top?

If you can lock the crankshaft down, you may be able to set the car down on the breaker bar to break the bolt loose.

 

[Trav]

Right, if it turns CCW it wont work.

 

[DBMaster]

My 89 Accord (A20A series engines used for years) rotated counter clockwise, but the pulley bolt still turned in the conventional direction.

 

[Trav]

Yes it does but that fact eliminates using the engines starter to help loosen it. The pulley and bolt are both going in the same direction, it will tighten the bolt not loosen it.
It doesn't matter which side the engine pulley is on as long as the direction of rotation is CW when a right hand threaded bolt is used.
If it was a left hand thread then it would work CCW.

 

[Tegger]

Originally Posted By: Trav
It doesn't matter which side the engine pulley is on as long as the direction of rotation is CW when a right hand threaded bolt is used.
If it was a left hand thread then it would work CCW.

No Honda/Acura engine has a left-hand-thread crank pulley bolt.

For a Honda/Acura engine, timing belt/chain position is a valid way to determine whether the starter-blip method can be used.

For a Honda/Acura engine:
If the timing belt/chain is on the RIGHT side of the car (American passenger side), then you CAN use the starter trick.
If the timing belt/chain is on the LEFT side of the car (American driver side), then you CANNOT use the starter trick.

The best method of removal in any case is a GOOD electric impact gun, one capable of 350 ft-lbs of torque. I posted a photo of just such a gun a few pages back. A cheapo Harbor Freight gun may not be capable of producing that much power.

 

[Trav]

That may be the case with Honda i don't know but not all other makes thats why i said it doesn't matter, what does matter is engine direction of rotation.
If someone has a different make having the belt on the drivers side doesn't automatically eliminate it from using this technique.
Good to know though that this is the case with Honda, good tip. Thanks for that i will remember it.

I have tried a lot of different electric impacts in my lifetime from top shelf to cheap stuff although i never wanted to own one.
No offense but not one of them was worth a pee hole in the snow when compared to a good air gun. The Aircat 1150 will remove these Honda crank bolts, i used it on a 3.5 with no trouble and its only half the weight.

If that fails i have 3/4 IR and 1" CP894 that could break the crank bolt off if it had to. I can get a GM 3800 crank bolt off in 5 sec or less with the 894 and these are even tighter than the Honda.

 

[kschachn]

TBH I've never found a crank bolt that defied the 3/4" breaker bar I got at HF along with a piece of pipe as a cheater. I do use the Honda or Toyota crankshaft pulley holder as instructed in the manual. I bought the breaker bar just for this use and IIRC it was about $12 at Harbor Freight. In my mind, a smooth removal of the bolt is better than endless hammering on the engine internals with an air wrench. But maybe that's just me.

Besides, how are you going to put it back on without a holder?