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Re: Stuck Bolt (1987 Celica)

To: John Fisher <jfisher@alabama.com>
Subject: Re: Stuck Bolt (1987 Celica)
From: Henry Frye <thefryes@iconn.net>
Date: Mon, 13 Jan 1997 14:13:41 -0500
John Fisher wrote:
> 
> Situation: I have exhausted almost all alternatives and am appealing to the
> list for help. My son (18 y/o) has been driving a 1987 Toyota Celica (2200
> cc DOHC). The crank pulley quit working (on examination, the groves for the
> serpentine belt were almost totally gone - remnants were what appeared to
> be glued-on rubber).
> 
> Problem: I can't get the pulley bolt off. The manual prescribes a tool to
> be inserted into the pulley (my read is that its function is to keep engine
> from turning as pressure is applied to unscrew the bolt. I improvised a
> stop using a quarter inch punch inserted into a hole in the pulley, and
> supported on a jack. I have applied torque including !standing! on the end
> of a 14" half inch drive I weigh >250 lbs). I have used (not necessarily in
> this order) liquid wrench, have heated (with a propane torch), and have
> used an airgun to try and loosen the #$!*&## bolt, and nothing has worked.
> During this process, I also checked with the Toyota people to verify that
> the bolt was right-hand threaded (they said it was).
> 
> If the list offers no insights, I plan to try drifting the bolt loose with
> a cold chisel. Failing that, cut the head of the bolt off using my trusty
> dremel tool, remove old pulley, extract bolt using extractor or drill & tap
> crankshaft where original bolt went, replace pulley, and use new bolt.
> 
> Since clearances are a problem in terms of getting to the bolt with the
> dremel tool, I'd rather see if anyone has an idea for removing that I
> haven't tried. I am reluctant to apply much more heat because the engine is
> in the car, and I don't want to have to remove the engine, or have the fire
> department visit the garage. Please help! Thanks

John,

You need more leverage!  A 14 inch long drive really doesn't provide
very much force, even if you stand on it.  Find a pipe or something
similar to slip over the handle of your 1/2 in drive and give it another
try.  The longer the extension, the better.

Also, you have to be sure you have stopped the crankshaft from turning. 
>From what you are describing, the punch resting on a jack, you may be
losing some of your turning force.  If the crank is turning, even a
little, as you apply force, my guess is you are going to have problems. 
If there are no holes in the pulley, vibration dampener, harmonic
balancer, whatever is bolted to the front end of the crank, you may want
to try to gain access to the flywheel to stop the crank from turning. 
Remove thecover from the clutch/torque converter and try to grab the
flywheel with a vice grip.  If there is no such cover, try pulling the
starter.

I would NOT grind the head off the bolt and go thru the shenanagins you
describe.  If it were me, and I couldn't remove the bolt for the lack of
the special tool, I would bring the car to someone who has the tool, and
have them do it.  I few bucks to the mechanic seems a whole lot better
than trying an easy-out on a crankshaft bolt.  

Good luck.

Henry "I never had a crankshaft pulley fail" Frye
thefryes@iconn.net

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