It begins: 2L-TE into '92 V6 Xcab

[Andy87]

So I have all the parts I need (I think), and the weather is finally getting better (other than the rain yesterday and today).

I had the A/C system on the V6 engine evacuated a few days ago... cost $95. I could have driven to the city and had it done for $40, but it's a 45 minute drive and the V6 isn't running all that well.

Anyway, I decided to do all the maintenance on the 2L-TE before I pull the V6, and I'm stuck at the crankshaft/vibration-damper bolt. I've done timing belts a few times with engines still in vehicles, which was no problem. But, even with a 1/2" impact wrench, and my compressor at ~120 psi (it only goes to 125), the bolt isn't budging. I braced the crank from turning by using a combination wrench against two of the bolts that hold the pulleys to the vibration damper, but still no luck. I tried the same thing, but used a 1/2" breaker bar instead of the impact wrench, and I managed to bend both of the pulley bolts.

So, the next thing I'll try is to make a brace out of a long piece of steel bar, and try the breaker bar again... but I'm not too confident that will work. The impact wrench is rated at 275 ft-lbs of torque, and I doubt it is making that at 120 psi, but still, I'm a little worried that this may not be possible with the engine out of the truck.

Anyone know any clever tricks or tips that I may be missing? I'd prefer to get this done before I put the engine in the truck, but it may have to wait if I can't get the bolt loose.

Thanks,
Andy

[chuckles]

Sure it's not reverse thread??

[Andy87]

Everything I've read indicates it's a standard right hand thread.

Can anybody confirm that?

I just got through reading a bunch on 4x4wire and toyotasurf.asn.au and it sounds like most people use the impact wrench when other methods don't work... and when the impact fails, a few guys on 4x4wire have had to take a grinder or dremel to the shoulder of the crank bolt, and then they just come right out. But... that's for a 22r where you can get a new crank bolt in a day.

Maybe I should try to get my hands on a more powerful compressor first; 120 psi might be the problem.

[nick]

If you bolt the starter on put the powerbar on and brace it on the ground on the drivers side and hit the key it works EVERY time, works better in the truck with the bar braced against the frame....
Just stand clear, O yeah disable the fuel syn wire on the IP so it cant start

[lkm46]

Nick is dead on with this one, it works like a charm, just bump the starter and she'll come right out. I can confirm that the crank thread is normal.

[handerso]

I can also confirm that it is a normal thread. The starter trick works great, but if like me you had Jarco pull everything off the half cut for shipping then you probably can't do that easily. I ran into this same problem. I pulled the bell housing and then reinstalled one of the upper bell housing bolts so that it was sticking out over the flywheel. Then I stuck a long (22") pry bar into the teeth on the flywheel and braced it against the bolt so that when I turned the crank the flywheel couldn't move (I had to hold the prybar it would be nice if you had someone else to hold it for you). Then I used about a 3.5' breaker bar on the crank bolt, and with that leverage and a lot of grunting I got it loose.

congratulations on starting the process :)

Andy A.

[Andy87]

Andy: something like that will probably be the next thing I'll try after a couple more attempts with the impact wrench.

If I have to resort to the starter trick, I'll just wait until I have the engine in the truck. There's a guy on 4x4wire who tried it with the engine out, and even bracing the hell out of it, the starter still torqued the engine up off the ground by 2': http://www.4x4wire.com/forums/showfl...ev=#Post789509

I'm going to get a new (shorter and better quality) air hose, then try giving the crank bolt a good whack with a hammer, and hopefully the impact wrench will work then.

[bioman]

Yeah, mine was a problem as well. I don't have a impact wrench and so the whole process has been full of finding ways to deal with issues like this. For the crankshaft pulley, I even broke an adapter to my socket wrench (lucky Craftsman has free replacements) so I went with a 19 mm deep socket w/out the adapter. I was able to put two mini locking pliers on the upper and lower center ridge in the pulley, and take chains to wrap around the frame counterbalancing the torquing force. The key here was having the chain attached to the pliers directly where they were gripping the pulley. That worked for both unbolting and bolting. Not textbook, but it worked. I also had a steel tool fabricated to undo the cam shaft pulley. It cost me some beer to the steel worker down the road, but I figured that was a good trade. I'll try and post a picture later as it's kind of a deal with the problem with what I have solution.

[nick]

Andy
You might save yourself some grief if you wait till its mounted in the truck then use the starter
my two cents

[Nitrousoxide764]

Yep, Nick is correct. The starter power never fails when you can brace a breaker bar against a frame rail. You'll have alot of time and money invested in buying tools trying to do this out of the truck. The drawback is having to lean over the core support to put your new belt on. I see why you want to do it with the enigne sitting in front of you however.