crankshaft pulley... (again)

[sylba]

Hello,
As I've to change the cambelt, I firstly tried to remove the crankshaft pulley, but no chance to undo the bolt!!!
Is it absolutely necessary to remove thos pulley to change the cambelt?
How do the professionals? Whith a pneumatic shock wrench? - I have one, but even with that it wasn't possible to undo this bolt ( my shock wrench is old...)
Thank you for your advices.

[mikeydude]

Well, this is one of the well known maintenance issues with the Elan.
It is very common for this bolt to be difficult to undo.

There are several ways of going about it, Power tools have been known to work in the past.

The general way seems to be to use a quality socket, a couple of long extension bars and a "T bar" with the extension basr being long enough to allow you to put pressure on the socket from outside the car wheel arch using two lever tubes (scaffolding bar will do) over each end of tee T-bar to give a huge amount of leverage. Support the long extensions with an axle stand.

Now, even if you put the car in gear and have someone put there foot on the break.. I found it still would not release, this is because the drive train sort of "springs back" at you as you try to turn the bold head...this is very worrying as if feels like you are going to break something in the gearbox etc...So I made a tool which bolts into the holes in the pulley and then travels down to wedge against the floor so that the pulley cannot rotate, then I got it to unscrew! by two people heaving on the end of scaffolding bar.

I could possibly get the kit to you PM me for details.

[racerstev]

The Isuzu guys do it a little differant. Just get a long breaker bar and a short socket. Put one end of the bar either on the
ground or ageinst the chassis and simpley tap the starter. Works evey time.

Steve

[dunnlor]

I attached a bracket at the end of the bar to ensure it didn't swing out when I tapped the starter.
I removed the spark plugs before I did this.

Tom

CrankshaftPulley1.jpg

CrankshaftPulley2.jpg

[mikeydude]

Cool If that works....do it....I had no idea that the starter would have the power to do that!!

[sylba]

mikeydude: -- > PM

[sylba]

Great!
I've done it with the starter... excellent, no problem, very easy to do!
Many thanks to you!

[Fourdoorcat]

I use a technique that has always worked well for me. This requires a willing assistant and your floor jack. Put the car in gear, the willing assistant in the driver's seat and have the willing assistant hold the brake. Take up the slack and position the floor jack under the breaker bar. Say loudly, "Continue to hold the brake!" while jacking the breaker bar in the anti-clockwise direction. Repeat saying, "Continue to hold the brake!" and jacking up the bar until the bolt goes pop.

If that jack can so easily lift the Elan, taking off the pulley bolt will hardly cause it to break a sweat (or you). Visions of terrible things keep me from using the starter method. Call me chicken.

Ken