[Kanigetts]

I've tried everything I could think of but it won't budge. '02 Ody. I've snapped a 1/2" breaker bar using a cheater pipe, my balance holder tool is now bent. I used a 3/4" 1400 ft/lb impact wrench and it won't budge. I tried the starter method but no dice. I even let a new breaker bar swing about a foot before contacting the frame with the starter method thinking that might help, but it's still welded in there. There is no place to put a torch on the crankshaft. I tried cooling the crank bolt with dry ice to shrink it, but it is still holding fast. Any ideas would be appreciated. My next option is a 1" impact wrench but they are so expensive, and I am not convinced even that will work.

 

[wormguy]

Holy frustration, Batman. The starter trick worked on my '01. Did you try taking a blowtorch to the bolt (i.e. not the crankshaft)? And/or penetrating oil?

Why not take it to a mechanic and get them to undo the bolt then tighten it to 180 ft-lb (manually, not with an air wrench)? Surely they would not charge you very much for five minutes' work. When you get it back home it should be relatively easy to remove with your impact wrench.

 

[Kanigetts]

It has been soaking in penetrating oil for a day now. I don't want to heat up the bolt as it will then expand and be even harder to get out. I had a bunch of other things apart on the engine and it has a bad motor mount that I'll have to replace before I drive it. Most mechanics don't have a bigger impact wrench than the one I already have, but maybe someone who works on trucks might have one. This is really a design flaw as far as I'm concerned. Between this, the sliding doors and of course the tranny, Toyota is looking pretty good right now.

 

[RinconVTR]

It has been soaking in penetrating oil for a day now. I don't want to heat up the bolt as it will then expand and be even harder to get out. I had a bunch of other things apart on the engine and it has a bad motor mount that I'll have to replace before I drive it. Most mechanics don't have a bigger impact wrench than the one I already have, but maybe someone who works on trucks might have one. This is really a design flaw as far as I'm concerned. Between this, the sliding doors and of course the tranny, Toyota is looking pretty good right now.

You need heat. I have used two simple tricks that havent failed me yet...

Try heating the bolt itself and then allowing it to cool down, by use of cold rag or time. Sometimes just the quick expansion and heat break loose the "lock" that was occuring.

The other trick is heating the entire area and use a can of compressed air UPSIDE DOWN to cool the bolt in a hurry. UPSIDE DOWN is key, because it sprays out the extreme cold liquid inside. The air alone is useless.

 

[wormguy]

The people in this YouTube video used a propane torch to heat their pulley bolt, and it seems to have worked for them:

Video

They point out the torch near the very end of the video.

 

[0dyfamily]

Heat is good, but be careful....the crankshaft seal can be a delicate item.

On my most recent Honda timing belt change I used my 3/4" drive breaker bar, rested the extension (also 3/4" drive) on a jackstand, and used an 8-foot section of round steel fence post as a cheater. You wouldn't believe the screeching noise it made initially as I first broke loose that bolt, but with all that leverage it just did not require much push on my part.

Didn't hurt anything, either, and it's my daily driver.

OF

 

[Kanigetts]

Thanks for all of the help. I finally got it loose! I thought of cooling the bolt with the liquid "air" as suggested but I was nervous about making it too brittle and breaking it off. I would be looking for a new motor at that point. I thought there was rubber in the harmonic balance which is why I was hesitant about heating in that area. What I finally did is a variation of the starter trick. I removed the bumper and jacked the car up high enough so a breaker bar could swing and not hit the ground. I loosened the spark plugs so I wasn't fighting engine compression when turning it over. I positioned the breaker bar as high as I could toward the front of the car so it would swing through about a 120 degree arc before contacting the A frame and stopping. It took about 10 repeated slammings like this, but it finally broke loose. I was afraid that I would break another breaker bar but it only spread out at the hinge and is still somewhat usable. It has a lifetime warranty, so I'll just get a new one. Thanks again for all of the suggestions.

 

[OdyinNH]

Wow, mine only took one hit on the starter. I can still remember the noise, it sounded awful but worked. You heard it multiple times, ugh.....

 

[davedrivesody]

Kanigetts, yours gets the record for the most difficult crank bolt removal - brutal! It's probably all buttoned up by now, but wanted to add a reminder to grease the bolt threads and the bolt-to-washer surface when reassembling. Could be that was missed at the factory so yours was a dry fit making removal a nightmare.

Once again, congrats on your success!

 

[0dyfamily]

As usual, dave has some good stuff...the shop manual actually has a little picture showing those required lube points. Like he said, it does sound like it was a dry fit, i.e., not enough lube on assembly (or none!) to make a positive difference.

OF

 

[baseball]

grease the bolt threads and the bolt-to-washer surface when reassembling. Could be that was missed at the factory so yours was a dry fit

Some old Hondas I have worked on had traces of a red substance on crank bolt threads. I thought it could be locktite and not a lube on the crank bolt.

 

[0dyfamily]

....or, possibly, a dry film lubricant? As well, threadlockers usually
have anti-corrosive (read as anti-seize, as a result) properties.

OF

 

[Kanigetts]

The crank bolt looked as though it had nothing applied to it when assembled. I followed the service manual for oiling the bolt on reassembly. Another possibility for why I had such a problem is that I waited until 140k miles to do the first timing belt change! Funny thing is, everything I replaced looked and felt almost new. The belt itself had no detectable wear and the bearings in the water pump and pulleys had no play in them whatsoever. I probably could have gone even further before replacing. Everything went back together fine and it runs as before. I did this service because the van was running poorly and I had the parts laying around for a couple of years. I thought the timing belt may have jumped a tooth, but it turns out it's the transmission after all. Replacing that will probably be an even bigger PITA.