Special Service Tools (SSTs) and a stuck crank bolt

[blowfoo]

I'm hoping someone can direct me where to purchase SSTs or what substitutions have worked for them.

With a large screwdriver stuck in the one of the jelly bean holes of the crank shaft pulley and propped against the fender well, and a 22mm six-point deep socket on the crankshaft bolt with a breaker bar, I can't get the crankshaft bolt off! Instead, it twists the entire engine block.

I tried my hand impact wrench. I'm not even sure I had it set correctly.

A friend suggested that I hold the impact wrench with a pipe wrench, and then strike the end of the impact wrench real hard. No need to hold the pulley.

So, I don't have much experience removing crank bolts. I don't recall having this much trouble when working on a '67 Cutlass.

I'm looking for tips or suggestions on how its done. Maybe the only way it will come off is with an air wrench or using the SST in combination with the breaker bar. I simply don't know.

Jeff

[Rivet]

You'll need an Impact Gun, get a good one. Trust me, it will pay for itself.

An inpact is all we ever used in the dealership, it will come right out in nothing flat.

[shameem]

This might be a bit dangerous if not done correctly - you can put a socket and wrench with a breaker bar on the bolt - prop it against the ground and try to "start" the engine....

[Turpro]

This trick has worked for me every time

Have a friend sit inside the cr and put it in 5th and hold the brake pedal to the floor. Then take your breaker bar and crack that son of a bish off. Done

[therieldeal]

i use the friend holding the brakes trick, too. its safest.

if you MUST do the engine starting trick, unplug the grey 3 or 4 wire plug from the distributor first. this way the ECU wont know that the engine is turning, so it wont inject any fuel or fire any spark, so the car will not actually start...

[blowfoo]

What is a good impact wrench, Ingersoll Rand?

http://www.mytoolstore.com/ir/ir244.html

I will pass on starting the car with the breaker bar on the ground. I will try the gear and brake before purchasing an air wrench.

Jeff

[atomicEGT]

Impact, or get one of those cylinder stopper tools that threads into the spark plug hole, that's what I used on the Miata since you can't get an impact in there.

[RF323]

This spring I went through front oil seal replacement on my '90 323. If you have a B6 with a small snout crank - 1986-1991 Mazda 323 and 1990-1991 Mazda Miata you can get a Powerbuilt 648819 crank pulley holder. It will hold crankshaft stationary so crankshaft center bolt can be removed or replaced. Bolts directly to crankshaft timing cog pulley using balancer/drive pulley attaching bolts. Note that center bolt is torqued to about 80 to 95 ft-lb (or more in later models, so having a holding tool and BFBB makes this job a lot easier.

Available from amazon and many other tool sources.

The later B6 and B8 are different, so you can fabricate a similar looking tool out of steel angle bar...

//RF

[therieldeal]

actually on ebay right now there are both large and small nose crank holding tools listed. they are listed for the miata but its the same motor.

[blowfoo]

I should have mentioned that my car is a 1992 Mazda Protege DX SOHC, and I just learned that the engine is a BP01 (Wife read it for me over the phone).

It also looks like I' m an idiot, because I'm trying to do this with the belt pulley still on the crankshaft pulley boss. With the 4 10mm bolts removed, it pulls forward and off? I took the 10mm bolts off, but the plate wouldn't budge. I'm guessing it didn't rotate because it's keyed. So much for following the disassembly order in the FSM.

Amazon sells special tools?!!!

[RF323]

Or something even simpler....

http://www.miata.net/garage/timingbelt.html

http://www.miata.net/garage/images/crankshaft_tool.jpg

Harmonic balancer/v belt drive pulley is probably not keyed - at least it not a case on B6 or B8 engines. BP might be different (I do not know). Couple of taps with a 2x4 should break rust off and pulley should come off after 6mm bolts have been removed (10mm socket heads). There is a dowel pin protruding out of the timing pulley that forces harmonic balancer to align.

//RF

[atomicEGT]

Or something even simpler....

http://www.miata.net/garage/timingbelt.html

http://www.miata.net/garage/images/crankshaft_tool.jpg

Harmonic balancer/v belt drive pulley is probably not keyed - at least it not a case on B6 or B8 engines. BP might be different (I do not know). Couple of taps with a 2x4 should break rust off and pulley should come off after 6mm bolts have been removed (10mm socket heads). There is a dowel pin protruding out of the timing pulley that forces harmonic balancer to align.

//RF

If you'd ever taken a big snout BP apart, you'd know this doesn't work, as the harmonic balancer cannot be removed without first removing the crank bolt. The harmonic balancer is in fact keyed- speaking as someone who ruined a key and harmonic balancer because a crank bolt decided to walk itself loose.

[Rivet]

I'm due for a new impact gun (the old one is starting to get weak, plus it is on the heavy side), I'm going with the Snap-on MG725: http://www.snapon.com/impact/
I've had IR guns before and they are also a good choice.

As for Maita, a swivel-impact get the job done quick and easy:

http://buy1.snapon.com/catalog/item.asp?P65=&tool=hand&item_ID=79281&group_ID=414&store=snapon-store&dir=catalog

List is $61 for just a 22mm; but then job is a peice of cake.

[therieldeal]

that thing looks pretty cool

[Turpro]

I can't wait till I have a garage. Damn it would be nice to start collecting tools.