Solution for locking the crankshaft pulley to undo the bolt.
I've seen mentioned this bolt is normally difficult to loosen, even that sometimes two people are needed.
In my case I actually found it easier than lots of other smaller bolts, and might've just been lucky on this occasion.
A special tool (I saw online) for holding the Pulley, can cost up to $150.
Without it the solution is to whip up something in-situ that enables locking the pulley, without damaging the pulley itself.
As an alternative to a length of steel I didn't have at hand at the time, I used a shifter from my toolbox, as it provided the necessary strength and length, and the added benefit of one end that was adjustable to adequately grip the chassis part I used as a point of resistance.
It was bolted to the left side of the pulley, at a fulcrum point (?) on the handle that enabled the opened claws to be wedged (pointing down and to the right) against the chassis. The intent is then to change it to the right side of the pulley, pointing left, to enable tightening of the bolt, even if it means drilling another hole🙂
This was my improvised method that seemed to work well, and didn't degrade the shifter's functionality:
- 1 x 12" shifter
- 1 x 6.5mm (approx) bolt that fits the threads in the three arms of the pulley
- mark and drill a hole in the handle to suit the required position for the bolt
- grind off a little of the raised edges either side of the hole, to reduce the clearance of the bolt-head from the pulley
- bolt the shifter to the pulley with the claws resting against the chassis
- lay with feet pointing toward rear of the car
- put a long socket bar (I used my torque wrench) on the bolt, from underneath the car
- turn bolt gently to take up the strain on the shifter/chassis point
- pull the bar/wrench toward the front of the car to undo the bolt
Note the attached photo shows the setup.
Hope someone else finds this method useful.