Taffy TR Man Posted April 30, 2004 Report Share Posted April 30, 2004 This may well be my last post on engine rebuilding... Having finally made the decision to rebuild it myself I purchased some goodies: 1000lb engine stand, digi vrnier, new tq wench etc etc. Some months ago my final mechanical problem was removing the fan extension bolt and envigoured with advice as to how to do it I was ready for the deed.... I eventually disconnected the propshaft and bolted a two foot long peice of steel lalterally across the car (towards the pasenerger RH door - LH drive car ) from the gearbox UL mount and used another 2 foot long extension bar on top of a plumbers wrench on the bolt..... Result - a very large dent in the floorpan and no movement in the bolt no matter what the gear I put the 'box in. If I have to give the short block to someone to resolve it I might as well get them to rebuild the whole thing.... Comments, advice, abuse, alll gratefully received... T Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Neil Russell Posted April 30, 2004 Report Share Posted April 30, 2004 It's not a left hand thread is it? Neil. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Richard Crawley Posted April 30, 2004 Report Share Posted April 30, 2004 It's not a left hand thread is it? That's a very good point; I've checked all my manuals but can't find any confirmation & I can't remember as it's a long time ago since I took, mine apart (& TRGB put it back together again). Taffy, try pulling the other way mate! Failing that, & if you have a compressor, it's a damn good excuse to buy yourself a high capacity, air impact wrench. Clark do a very good one for less than £40 & I bought mine when no combination of wrenches & pipes would shift the crankshaft pulley bolt on my daughters Escort; it worked effortlessly. You won’t use it much but when you do it’s a godsend, those buggers will shift anything! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
marvmul Posted May 1, 2004 Report Share Posted May 1, 2004 Taffy -it's NOT a left hand thread. - with your method, you've a lot of elasticity and this reduces a lot the 'peak force' on the bolt. Perhaps it's more effective to remove the sump and block the crankshaft with a piece of steel tube or something and use a big plumbers wrench or pipe wrench on the bolt. -if someone has used the highest grade of Loctite on the bolt, it's problaby necessary to apply heat. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
jonlar Posted May 1, 2004 Report Share Posted May 1, 2004 The sure-fire method I use to remove crankshaft pulley bolts (and it's never failed) is to fit the right sized socket and T-bar, turn clockwise until a convenient point is reached where wooden block, axle stand or something with no give can be under the T-bar stopping it rotating any further. Get your wife, partner, friend or whoever to flick the starter, whilst you press (with the palm of your hand) the socket onto the bolt to avoid it flying off. It sounds hairy but isn't in fact, as just flicking the starter will only rotate the crank a very short way, but it will loosen the bolt. As for heating, after a few miles running the crank has already been subjected to a lot of heat - probably more then can be applied with a torch, bearing in mind conductivity. It's a short, sharp jarrring effect that breaks Loctite. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
jean Posted May 1, 2004 Report Share Posted May 1, 2004 As Richard indicated, an impact wrench is a good investment. The hammer effect is able to undo almost any bolt. Further it works great for removing the wheels, you get the bolts off in no time. If it's adjustable you even can use it to bolt the wheels on again without overtightening. The downside is that you best use only quality impact drive sockets. Jean Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Taffy TR Man Posted May 1, 2004 Author Report Share Posted May 1, 2004 Thanks all - good ideas as usual. Quick questions - what size is the bolt and where do you get a socket... The size of the bolt is not in the manual or anywhere I can reference on the web. Measurement accross the flanks suggest 28mm (as the points are rounded to fit within the fan extension I'm not sure what they should be). I've already purchased the range of impact sockets in Halfords and my local motor factors sell and at the last show I went to (Bir NEC) I could find nothing in between the 27mm and 33mm ( I think) that I already have that are either too big or too small. Very frustratiing when everything else has gone reasonably well so far. An impact wrench for my compressor is a great idea if I have a socket to attach it to...! Other than that the starter idea with my plumbers wrench and a large pipe sounds great - just have to put the battery, half my wiring loom, ignition, etc back on.... Busy day Sunday.. Cheers Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Taffy TR Man Posted May 1, 2004 Author Report Share Posted May 1, 2004 Alec Ah ! - An idea I like. An overarm whake with a 14lb sledgehammer - I just happen to have one handy as I was knocking a wall down today.... Sunday could in fact be a very short day !! T Quote Link to post Share on other sites
aspoors Posted May 2, 2004 Report Share Posted May 2, 2004 Taffy I'm using the bolt to turn the engine over during my re-build. I bought a 1 1/8" impact socket from aaquality tools on the web - sorry, I don't have the address. The socket works well. I tried an ordinary socket, but was afraid that it would jam on the bolt because of the rounded corners. Good luck! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Guest harry dent Posted May 2, 2004 Report Share Posted May 2, 2004 Taffy, 1 1/8" is the correct size.Bend up a length of metal say 3/4" by an 1/8" and 6" in length to fit over and under any two of the top three studs which are fitted to the engine side of the gearbox bell housing and lock the flywheel using the bent piece of metal to jamb it all.You will with out fail undo the extension bolt anti clockwise using this method.I use my torque in reverse as a lever and find 90lbs will do it. Good luck and it will come off this way. Regards Harry TR5 nutter. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
jonlar Posted May 2, 2004 Report Share Posted May 2, 2004 just have to put the battery, half my wiring loom, ignition, etc back on.... As long as battery is connected to the starter through the solenoid, a wire from the solenoid can be flashed to +ve terminal, to save replacing wiring. What I like about this method is that not only does it work, it does so quite gently without risk of rounding off the hexagons on the bolt head, I would advise fitting a new bolt when rebuilding, with some Loctite. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Red 6 Posted May 2, 2004 Report Share Posted May 2, 2004 Taffy, I have had just this problem on several occasions. It is easier when the engine is out but it can be done in situ. You need a pair of large stiltsons and a long 5-6 feet long to slip over the end of the said plumbers hammer. Put gearbox in ist and put some thick wood across the floor pan to stop your cross bar from digging in as you stated. Take up the slack anti clockwise with the stiltsons placed as near the n/s wing as poss, fit the scaffold pole and gently lever away. The bonett must of course be removed to do this. You will hear a crack and its done. You could use an impact gun but a home compressor (mine is 3hp) will not strong enough. If you remove the engine its easier just lock off the flywheel using the teeth on the ring gear and the stiltson/ scaffold pipe method. They are difficult if it is the first time they have been off since mfg.. Good luck and dont give up. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Richard Crawley Posted May 2, 2004 Report Share Posted May 2, 2004 You could use an impact gun but a home compressor (mine is 3hp) will not strong enough. Sorry but I disagree; a half decent, belt driven home compressor, even a relatively small one, should provide enough puff to drive an impact wrench, even if it’s only in short bursts – after all, were talking odd stubborn nuts here, not changing a set of F1 wheels in the pit lane! It’s all about having enough reserve air pressure to drive the wrench & as long as you have reasonable size air tank, it will work OK. My compressor is 9 CFM @ 150psi with a 2½ HP motor (not sure what the FAD is), it has a 50 litre tank & I have absolutely no problem at all running my wrench. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Taffy TR Man Posted May 2, 2004 Author Report Share Posted May 2, 2004 Harry and Red6 Thanks for the info - I will get the bolt out by the end of the weekend if it kills me! I must admit I never thought I'd get the kind of leverage through the gearbox to be able to dent the floorpan - in hindsight, an old peice of wood on the floor would have been a good idea but the red mist came down and the rest is history. Hindsight is not only 20:20 - it's also cheaper..!! I must admit I thought geting it out with the engine in situ was the thing do - I could use the full leverage of the chassis etc but I may well take the whole lot out and try the alternative. Cheers T Quote Link to post Share on other sites
JohnC Posted May 4, 2004 Report Share Posted May 4, 2004 In case you're still trying to undo the crankshaft end bolt, here's a tip from when I had the same problem. I found a very helpful tip (on the VTR website, I think) suggesting a tool to lock the flywheel when loosening (and retightening) the crankshaft end bolt & flywheel bolts. Basically a piece of metal drilled in three places to allow it to be bolted to the flywheel (in two places) and to the engine endplate (third hole). I modified an old tyre lever, and it worked a treat. Good luck! John Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Guest ron Posted May 4, 2004 Report Share Posted May 4, 2004 I go along with Richard on this, if an impact gun won't remove it, someone's welded it on. I also think the advice to lock the engine at the crank or flywheel is much better than doing it at the gearbox output, apart from the fact it can't do the box any good there is a fair amount of backlash through the system. I must have been lucky, a whack with a BIG hammer and off it came. Ron Quote Link to post Share on other sites
jonlar Posted May 4, 2004 Report Share Posted May 4, 2004 I also think the advice to lock the engine at the crank or flywheel is much better than doing it at the gearbox output, apart from the fact it can't do the box any good there is a fair amount of backlash through the system.I must have been lucky, a whack with a BIG hammer and off it came. This is the beauty of using the starter motor method, it acts directly on the bolt against the bulk of the engine and vehicle. It is very controllable, and the socket can be held onto the bolt minimising the risk of rounding the hexagons, which must be very difficult to avoid using this big hammer!!! - let alone bruised bits of body (human) or vehicle!!! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Richard Crawley Posted May 5, 2004 Report Share Posted May 5, 2004 Taffy, If you are still having probs ,don’t sod about with it any more, wait till you’ve got the motor out & put a 20” Stillson wrench on it & I'm certain it will be easy. If not, you can always “angle grind” it off! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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