Crank Shaft bolt

[Cpt Marvel]

90 Lexus 2.5l. This crank pulley bolt IS a lefty loosey righty tighty ain't it? Impact wrench ain't budging it. Put a breaker bar on it and on the floor and cranked it......actually made the engine stop turning, but no loosey.

[mcx]

i used the recommended method of using the starter motor when i did my recent t-belt job....just wedge the ratchet in position and bump the starter a small bit...you'll hear a boom but it'll work like a charm!!

[Cpt Marvel]

Nope, didn't work. Engine just stopped cranking. I think someone has locktited the hell out of this thing, or worse, the bolt may have been broken off and JB welded. Though I doubt that would hold.

[mcx]

damn,thats really tight!!...ask around your friends to borrow a stronger impact gun?

[Cpt Marvel]

More like a better air compressor. This weekend I'll put a stronger battery to it and try that. If that don't work I'll do the water pump and take it somewhere else and take it all apart again..@#$##@!!!

[TBayToyotaBoy]

I hate to break it to you, but you probably won't be able to get that pulley bolt off. I've been soaking mine in penetrating oil for almost four years, and it still won't budge. I've been using my 1/2-inch impact gun for over a year (every two weeks or so) with no luck.

You could use a 3/4-inch drive to break the bolt, then drill and re-tap the bore...or buy another engine, like I did.

[himajin123]

either use a 3/4 impact or use a serpatine belt (largeone) to wrap the crank pulley up so it can't turn and break the bolt loose.

If you're using an electric impact gun, give up and call a local mobile mechanice and give him some beer and cash to have him stop by and use the right power tools to get the job done.

[TBayToyotaBoy]

Originally Posted by himajin123

either use a 3/4 impact or use a serpatine belt (largeone) to wrap the crank pulley up so it can't turn and break the bolt loose.

If you're using an electric impact gun, give up and call a local mobile mechanice and give him some beer and cash to have him stop by and use the right power tools to get the job done.

Your suggestions would ordinarily be sound, but in the case of the 2VZ crank bolt, when so much lock-tite has been applied, there is a significant risk that the bolt head will snap. I have had numerous mechanics try getting it off (like, five or six now) and none of them will try a 3/4-inch drive to loosen it for fear of breaking it. Given the extreme torque required to break the bolt free, a serpentine belt is woefully inadequate to stop the crank. I've actually bent rebar trying to stop the crank...

[toyomoho]

Had a similar experience with a crank pulley bolt on a Honda Accord 4 cylinder. An air impact wrench did not touch it. Removed the starter and used a combo screw driver and pry bar to engage ring gear teeth while someone else used a 3/4 in breaker bar and cheater pipe. Eventually it broke free. Re-installed the bolt with never seize and a torque wrench.

If going this route suggest you purchase a ring gear locking device that bolts on at the starter mount holes. This will make the job much easier.

[camo_ken]

I had a similar problem on my old 22re. I ended up heating it up, then smacking it w/ a hammer. At that point I used an air chisel against the flat area of the bolt where it mates w/ the pulley to get it off. I had to replace the bolt of course, but it didnt break. Locktite red can be un-done w/ heat and then a smack.