I feel you have done your research, except for maybe one thing: Recognizing that the main impediment to removing the bolt is the friction between the pulley bolt washer and the surfaces with which the washer mates as follows:

In other words, most of the torque required to free the bolt is not de-tensioning the threaded portion of the bolt. Most of the torque goes to overcoming friction. For best results when freeing the bolt, I think understanding this distinction is important.

The friction between the mating surfaces can vary wildly. It is not unusual for 500 ft-lbs or more of torque to have to be applied to break the hold of the friction.

The fact that it is mostly friction (and not de-tensioning threads) involved here explains the "crack" (and a bit of dust) many people hear (and see) when they finally free the bolt. Subsequently the bolt is quite loose, and the operator can often remove the bolt with a short-handled ratchet or possibly by hand. This 'instantaneous freeing of the bolt' is also evidence of the bolt's threads not actually being tensioned pursuant to say 500 ft-lbs of torque (or whatever was needed to break the bolt free).

I think it is time for you to get part way under the Camry and start trying different approaches. For removal, I think all you can do is try the least expensive (and often perfectly effective) approaches first. From my experience with like a dozen pulley bolts over some 20 years now, spend some time just figuring out how to remove the pulley bolt. A full-tear-down of the timing belt end is not needed to do this. Figure out which pulley holder tool (be it a homemade tool or an eBay-purchased tool) you will use. Get at least a 1/2-inch drive socket and breaker bar, with at least five feet of pipe to increase the torque arm. (Disclosure: I am a slim-ish woman. I needed five feet of pipe twenty years ago when I first did this.) Consider practicing at a salvage yard.

Alternatively, since purchase of my 3SFE Toyota (same pulley bolt as your Camry) in 2018, the bump-start method has always worked for me.

For torquing the bolt in place, use the same tool.

I expect you are going to get as many answers in this thread as you already found. I think probably what is most important is to get in there and start deciding which approach you want to try first.

The service manual specifies 80 ft-lbs of torque. Where did you see 101 ft-lbs?

If you are somewhat experienced working with wrenches and sockets on your Camry, then it is unlikely you will need to have the dealer do this timing belt job. Instead to me the last resort is popping over to your local mechanic and asking if, for $20, they will apply their industrial-quality impact gun to the bolt; free it; and snug the bolt up tight enough to get home to continue the job. Subsequently loosening the bolt will not be nearly as hard.

 

Correction, I find 102 foot-pounds for the crankshaft pulley torque at the site 2001 Toyota camry 2.2L Engine Torque Specs| Toyota Specs (toyota-specs.com) I ran this site through VirusTotal and it wasn't flagged. You don't have to click on this link, I am just saying it was on toyota-specs.com that someone can tell me if this is legit. This page says it is for the 1997-2001 Camry, and I believe the 4th Gen Camry ends at model year 2000?

I am thinking I should remove the two crankshaft belts before trying anything on the bolt so as to not damage the belt driven accessories. I have a friend who works on his 60's era Jaguar who might have a compressor and an impact gun.

 

Correction, I find 102 foot-pounds for the crankshaft pulley torque at the site 2001 Toyota camry 2.2L Engine Torque Specs| Toyota Specs (toyota-specs.com)

This is wrong. But I am just some internet rando. Search the forum and you will see a number of posts saying the spec is 80 ft-lbs. Search the net and you will find parts of the service manual saying it is 80 ft-lbs. Even EBSCO "Auto Repair Source" (free from my library, and hewing closely to the service manual) says the spec is 80 ft-lbs.

I have a friend who works on his 60's era Jaguar who might have a compressor and an impact gun.

I say: Cool. As a quasi-weathered senior citizen, and for well-known hurdles to get past like this one, I suggest always having a Plan B, a Plan C, and possibly even a Plan D. Having back-up plans is a boon to one's attitude while accomplishing this task, too, in my experience. Proceeding systematically with consideration for as many possibilities as possible minimizes frustration, IMO.

I do not think I would worry about the accessory drive belts. Of course, if they seem in the way, sure, remove them.

My money says you will get it off. Worst case your local shop will free the bolt, snug it back up just enough, and then send you home to do the rest of the TB job.

 

x2 what Elle said, on all points!

Start with the simplest way to remove the bolt and you only need to worry aobut working your way up the ladder of difficulty if it becomes necessary.

Regarding your mixup about torque: the correct torque is 108Nm, which converts to 80ft-lbs. This is from the Toyota Service Manual, printed by Toyota, for your 4 cylinder '97 Camry.

To tighten the bolt you must hold the crank from turning. The simplest way to do this is using your old, scrap timing belt. Wrap it around the pulley and grip it with a vice grip so it is tight and hold the vise grip while applying the torque wrench to the bolt.

Toyota's special service tool is just a ring with holes you can bolt to the front of the pulley, using the same threaded holes you would use to pull the pulley off it if was stuck on the crank, and the ring has a bar welded on that you hold as a lever arm while applying the tightening torque to the bolt. If you are handy you could make one. If not, you can use the old belt as described.

 

Inexpensive tool that works well for removing and tightening the crank pulley bolt:

Amazon.com: Yoursme for Lexus and Toyota Harmonic Damper Pulley Holder Crankshaft Crank Holding Removal Wrench Tool with 2PCS Crank Bolts : Automotive

Buy Yoursme for Lexus and Toyota Harmonic Damper Pulley Holder Crankshaft Crank Holding Removal Wrench Tool with 2PCS Crank Bolts: Crankshaft Pulleys - Amazon.com ✓ FREE DELIVERY possible on eligible purchases

www.amazon.com

 

If you have access to a modern cordless impact, you might be surprised at the power compared to pneumatic impacts. Up to 1400ft lbs removal torque. This sort of thing makes pulley bolts, cv axle nuts, and rusty suspension bolts a piece of cake, with less chance of breakage.

 

Borrow one of those from AutoZone. You may never need to use it again. Those cordless tools are nice, but they're also pricey. Good luck.

 

What torque-rating impact do you plan to get? Are you getting a premium or a budget brand (cough, Harbor Freight, cough)? I am interested in how this goes.

As to replacing a front-main seal, I want to share why I want to open my timing-belt cover. The 1997 Camry (pretty much puts the age at 27 years) and 214,000 miles is leaking oil in this channel between the lower timing belt cover and where the oil pan bolts on. It is not a heavy leak, yet, but it is a couple of drops per night, and the source of the leaking oil "recharges" when I drive the car. It is using a quart per 6000 miles, and I almost think the slow leak accounts for this much use. When this gasket fails, owners are using a lot of oil.

From my Web reading, the oil pump has a plate where it bolts on to the engine, where this plate sticks out below the timing cover. The big source of a leak that is common on this Camry past 200,000 miles is the "spaghetti gasket." The oil pump, driven by a timing belt sprocket, has a seal of this sprocket where a shaft passes from the Land Under the Timing Belt to the Land Inside the Oil Pump Where Oil Pressure is Generated. The oil pump plate also has this meandering-noodle shaped black synthetic rubber gasket that keeps the pressurized oil from leaking directly to the outside world. The Toyota engineers may have had the forethought to have the oil pump plate stick out past the timing belt cover so when it leaks, it doesn't, at least at first, oil up the timing belt to make it stretch and then fail.

There are all manner of seals that leak on the 5SFE engine--valve cover gasket, the round used-to-be-the-distributor-shaft-gasket-from-the-Gen3-Camry-before-they-went-to-coil-packs, and inside the timing belt cover you have seals for the camshaft sprocket, the crankshaft sprocket or front main seal you speak of, and the two seals on the oil pump, its shaft seal and the "spaghetti gasket" sealing the plate holding the oil pump rotor against the engine block. There is also a timing-belt drive of the water pump, but the water pump has a non-replaceable seal against coolant leakage, and you have the option of replacing the entire water pump as some versions of the "timing belt kit" or keeping the existing water pump housing and replacing the face plate with the pump vanes and the water pump seal.

By the way, it took a lot of digging to find out about the infamous "weep hole" that drips coolant if your water pump is going bad with some suggestion this may be under the timing belt cover. Fortunately on my car, and my last timing-belt service included a water pump replacement, the weep hole is outside the timing belt cover on the side of the water pump facing the alternator, and there does not appear to be any coolant drip from there, even though I need to top off coolant to keep the reservoir at the cold fill line on this car about every 1000 miles.

If you are equipped to do this, there is probably benefit to replacing the front main seal while you have the timing belt cover off, but I am told that more likely than not, it is the spaghetti gasket leaking oil.

The spaghetti gasket should be straightforward as part of a time-belt replacement. You can unbolt the oil pump as a unit. You can work on removing the gasket, changing the shaft seal if you choose off the car on your workbench, which is a huge advantage.

 

I am getting the high torque 1/2" m18 fuel model. I'd like the 3/8 stubby fuel impact as well, but thatbwill have to be down the road, justified by a different repair savings, lol. Incidentally, this job is in a Honda.

 

That's a tasty tool, that M18 fuel, but make sure the kit you buy includes the battery and charger. If you want a 3/8 tool, just get an impact-rated 1/2" to 3/8" adapter. Good for you.

 

I am hearing that the high torque 1/2" m18 is popular with people who do this for a living. The Car Wizard on YouTube tells viewers that this tool effectively replaces the need for a high-flow air compressor in his shop.

There is the Torque Test Channel on YouTube where they reviewed a $1400 Milwakee Tool mid-torque model, and they answer the question, who is going to spend $1400 on an impact wrench.

Apparently techs who set up solar panels commercially are "a thing." This high-end impact wrench is also a torque wrench in that it has a fancy torque-limiting feature for when you have to spend your working day putting in a lot of bolts to a torque spec. Maybe not as accurate as a proper torque wrench, it is worth every penny to these installers who can install bolts with impact speed and near torque wrench accuracy.

Wouldn't it be neat to have one of those for tightening the harmonic balancer bolt without having to stabilize the pulley against turning, either with a harmonic balancer tool or with the stuffed and folded old alternator belt method?

 

I'm sure that it's nice but for most car tasks it's probably overkill. Lots of people swear by the M12 stubby which is officially 300ft-lb but likely goes a bit over that, and there are few fasteners on most cars that it can't take off. For those you'd need a breaker/cheater or a mid torque. I doubt that there's anything on a car that it can't remove, unless it's seriously seized or rusted, and if that's the case a high torque wrench could well break off the head.

 

The toughest job on a timing-belt replacement would be removing and reinstalling the crankshaft pulley (harmonic balancer). There is a lot of discussion here and elsewhere .online about removing the harmonic balancer bolt, but much less is said about tightening that bolt after putting the harmonic balancer back on.

I see many how-tos on the timing belt change where putting the bolt back on is glossed over. It tightens in the "allowed" clockwise rotation of the engine. I have seen more than one torque spec for the 5SFE 4-cylinder engine in my 1997 Camry. I have seen casual mention here of 80 foot-points, and I have seen 101 foot-poinds on another online source.

Is it essentiall to immobilize the crank pulley to tighten with a specified torque, or is it enough to tighten the bolt against compression resistance offered by the engine and call it a day? As to immobilizing the crank pulley, I guess there is that pricey Special Service Tool (SST) from Toyota that I can't locate online, but there are numerous aftermarket pulley tools of various descriptions.

One YouTube video recommends folding and wedging the alternator belt as offering enough resistance to meet the tightening torque spec, but my thinking is this presupposes you are replacing the alternator belt--I am hard pressed to reinstall an alternator belt that has been folded and crunched in this way. Does this method risk putting too much side force on the crank pulley?

As to removing the harmonic balancer (crank pulley) bolt, there are all manner of horror stories here and elsewhere online of the difficulty. There is at least one ambitious person who immobilized the harmonic balancer with a harmonic balancer tool, don't remember if it was store-bought or home-made, applying a breaker bar with a "cheater bar" to get 6 feet of wrench length, applying a mighty heave that visibly bowed this improvised handle, and the bolt breaking loose with a mighty pop. This procedure looks dangerous.

Apart from the breaker bar loosely braced against a frame member and the starter bump method, there is the impact wrench method. I have even read advice, "Oh, no, don't use an impact on it" but a lot of people do. The question remains as to how powerful of an impact wrench is needed along with the side question if the "nut busting" spec on an impact wrench even means anything. I am reluctant to spend $500 on a high-end impact lithium battery impact wrench if I am only occasionally using this tool, but if a sub $100 corded electric wrench doesn't do the job, I guess I wasted $100 dollars although I can still use this tool for tire rotations?

Then there is the "if your method or methods fail, heat the bolt with a propane torch, which will release any thread locker that may have been applied to the threads." Do you need to replace the harmonic balancer if you go that route? Yes, be careful to apply heat only to the bolt and don't melt the rubber on the harmonic balancer rim, but even so.

I am closing my long post with the question that a mid-torque impact is typically rated for at least 300 foot pounds. In the immobilize the crank pulley and give a breaker bar a heave, a 3-foot breaker bar would require 100 pounds of pull, and I don't know if am that strong, to equal what the mid-range impact wrench can do. The 3-foot breaker bar extended another 3 feet with a cheater with a 100 pound heave, a dangerous setup, would equal a high-range impact wrench.

Am I correct that if a mid-range impact wrench doesn't break loose this not-all-that-big-compared-to-a-suspension component bolt, and if the PB Blaster fluid soak and the fat "harmonic balancer removal" impact socket didn't help either, it is time to take this old car and be prepared to spend $1500 at an authorized Toyota dealer? Breaking this bolt would require towing the car as well as getting the scolding a car repair tech gives to a failed D.I.Y. attempt.

Honda V-6 engines have similar folk lore about the difficulty of removing the bolt. I, as well as Eric at South Main Auto, used the Lisle "fat" socket. Easy peasy. I have an old cheap twin-piston impact wrench. I believe when new it was rated at 600 lbs./foot. Three fingers on the gun, two seconds, and it was off. The engine/pulley didn't turn a bit. I don't have fancy torque angle wrench for installation, so I marked the bolt with a marker and sneaked up on 60 degrees after the initial 80 lbs./ft. with brief hits on the impact gun. Again, the enginej/pulley didn't turn a bit.

 

Last time I removed a Toyota harmonic balancer, I too couldn't break it free with just hand tools, so I went to my local muffler shop and asked them to break the bolt free for me with their impact wrench then lightly retighten it so I could drive home. They didn't even charge me for doing it, and whenever somebody asks be to reccommend a muffler shop, I send them to that one. By the way, it is NOT Midas or Firestone.

 

M18 are no joke for this

I have this ,does everything I've needed it to

M18 FUEL™ 1/2" Mid-Torque Impact Wrench with Pin Detent (Tool Only)

www.milwaukeetool.com

 

The toughest job on a timing-belt replacement would be removing and reinstalling the crankshaft pulley (harmonic balancer). There is a lot of discussion here and elsewhere .online about removing the harmonic balancer bolt, but much less is said about tightening that bolt after putting the harmonic balancer back on.

I see many how-tos on the timing belt change where putting the bolt back on is glossed over. It tightens in the "allowed" clockwise rotation of the engine. I have seen more than one torque spec for the 5SFE 4-cylinder engine in my 1997 Camry. I have seen casual mention here of 80 foot-points, and I have seen 101 foot-poinds on another online source.

Is it essentiall to immobilize the crank pulley to tighten with a specified torque, or is it enough to tighten the bolt against compression resistance offered by the engine and call it a day? As to immobilizing the crank pulley, I guess there is that pricey Special Service Tool (SST) from Toyota that I can't locate online, but there are numerous aftermarket pulley tools of various descriptions.

One YouTube video recommends folding and wedging the alternator belt as offering enough resistance to meet the tightening torque spec, but my thinking is this presupposes you are replacing the alternator belt--I am hard pressed to reinstall an alternator belt that has been folded and crunched in this way. Does this method risk putting too much side force on the crank pulley?

As to removing the harmonic balancer (crank pulley) bolt, there are all manner of horror stories here and elsewhere online of the difficulty. There is at least one ambitious person who immobilized the harmonic balancer with a harmonic balancer tool, don't remember if it was store-bought or home-made, applying a breaker bar with a "cheater bar" to get 6 feet of wrench length, applying a mighty heave that visibly bowed this improvised handle, and the bolt breaking loose with a mighty pop. This procedure looks dangerous.

Apart from the breaker bar loosely braced against a frame member and the starter bump method, there is the impact wrench method. I have even read advice, "Oh, no, don't use an impact on it" but a lot of people do. The question remains as to how powerful of an impact wrench is needed along with the side question if the "nut busting" spec on an impact wrench even means anything. I am reluctant to spend $500 on a high-end impact lithium battery impact wrench if I am only occasionally using this tool, but if a sub $100 corded electric wrench doesn't do the job, I guess I wasted $100 dollars although I can still use this tool for tire rotations?

Then there is the "if your method or methods fail, heat the bolt with a propane torch, which will release any thread locker that may have been applied to the threads." Do you need to replace the harmonic balancer if you go that route? Yes, be careful to apply heat only to the bolt and don't melt the rubber on the harmonic balancer rim, but even so.

I am closing my long post with the question that a mid-torque impact is typically rated for at least 300 foot pounds. In the immobilize the crank pulley and give a breaker bar a heave, a 3-foot breaker bar would require 100 pounds of pull, and I don't know if am that strong, to equal what the mid-range impact wrench can do. The 3-foot breaker bar extended another 3 feet with a cheater with a 100 pound heave, a dangerous setup, would equal a high-range impact wrench.

Am I correct that if a mid-range impact wrench doesn't break loose this not-all-that-big-compared-to-a-suspension component bolt, and if the PB Blaster fluid soak and the fat "harmonic balancer removal" impact socket didn't help either, it is time to take this old car and be prepared to spend $1500 at an authorized Toyota dealer? Breaking this bolt would require towing the car as well as getting the scolding a car repair tech gives to a failed D.I.Y. attempt.

I had this problem with another brand car. I tried everything mentioned by you but what really worked was to remove a spark plug, and feed a rope into the cylinder, sitting at bottom top center, and then using a long handled socket bar undoing the nut. I doubt very much if you can break the hardened nut. It came of easiy after doing that.

 

Yeah the rope trick is almost as old as dirt, definitely nothing new or TikTok-ish.

 

For my 1997 Celica I made a tool from a short length of 2X4. It has a large hole in the middle and a smaller hole on either side so I can access the pulley bolt. When turning the pulley bolt the 2X4 comes around, jams against the side of the engine compartment and holds the pulley still to allow torque to be applied. The two smaller holes allow a duckfoot puller to be used by screwing the bolts into the threaded holes. Easy, foolproof, and material cost is just about zero.

 

My preferred method is to empty a can of spam bit by bit down into the cylinder, with the engine on the compression stroke. When I'm finished the job, I remove the spark plug and crank it over, and watch the geyser of spam rocket out from under the hood.

 

That must be intriguing to watch. I'd rather eat the spam. I have no appetite for rope. What did you clean the spark plug with?

 

Don't forge ahead until immersing yourself in this seminal masterpiece. It was my guide last year to R&R my Timing Belt, kudos to L35 in Colorado, who posts a handy Index below the Video too: Torques are specified, along w/ Tools, Tips, comprehensively:

 

You said this a Honda. Long time mechanic. It either comes the first or second try with the impact or it's heat. Don't worry about the harmonic, have a spray bottle of water handy to keep it cool. Don't worry about the oil seal, you are going to replace it. Make sure the seal you buy, if not from Honda, Felpro is brown rubber. Lasts forever. For heat and it sounds like you do all your own work for ever get a Miniductor, watch the vids. Worth it's weight in gold. Heat the bolt up until it the head is starting to glow, let it cool. Repeat 2 times. Keep the harmonic cool. The heat softens the Locktite. Bolt will come out. No need to replace, use blue Locktite. I did many of these.

 

-- From experience and the service manual, Loctite (or any equivalent) is not used on 1990s Toyota harmonic balancer bolts. I have never used Loctite on any of my three Honda Civics (multiple TB changes) or my 1998 Toyota Rav4. The HB bolt never loosened. Edit: As well, if Loctite is used, then when tightening the bolt the Loctite acts as a lubricant on the threads. The bolt when torqued to the spec of 80 ft-lbs, will be overtorqued and overtensioned. The Toyota spec of 80 ft-lbs assumes a dry, unlubricated bolt.

-- Edit: The 1990s Honda Civic service manuals actually expressly direct that oil (not Loctite) be applied to the threads of the pulley bolt when re-installing the bolt.

-- Using other reports on the net, I experimented with a 2x4 for tightening down the bolt. I drilled holes appropriately. I used higher strength bolts for fastening the 2x4 to the pulley. The 2x4 was iffy. I broke one 2x4 at one point. I quickly abandoned the 2x4 idea. It's not worth the "iffiness." Maybe the 80 ft-lbs of torque is pushing it for the stress limit of 2x4, unless maybe one uses pressure treated 2x4? Dunno. I eventually built my own pulley holder tool from steel scrap parts I had laying around. From experience, use at least metric Class 10.9 bolts. Sometimes even those bend when freeing the HB. If the DIY tool is going to be used a lot, Class 12.9 is likely the best choice.

-- The video Techsus linked has an excellent example of a DIY pulley holder tool, starting at about 15:00. (Remember that the harmonic balancer and its bolt are the same on the 3SFE engine and the OP's 5SFE engine.)

 

Very clever! (linked video in post #27 above, at 15min). A pipe flange, some strip stock steel and a drill to make holes that match the holes in the pulley, with a pair of M8x1.25 bolts to hold it:

The center hole just has to be large enough for the socket:

 

SUMMARY: For 2023 Timing Belt R&R, I bought all OEM factory Toyota parts, incl. new $289.58Harmonic Balancer

FYI: Some misguided soul installed a rotten aftermarket Harmonic Balancer (HB) on my '98 RAV4, which I discovered when attempting to remove it for 2023's Timing Belt R&R (Remove & Replace). The Jaw Puller I employed first for this onerous task BROKE pieces of metal from the edges of this miscreant HB. To correct this mess, bought a new OEM Factory Toyota Harmonic Balancer ("Engine Crankshaft Pulley" PN #13408-74031) despite the cost $289.58*. Why? Because this aftermarket POJ ("Piece of Junk"!!!) was:

• Brittle, and as noted, cracked upon removal attempt
• Slightly (in my opinion) too tight on the axle, making it even more difficult to remove
• IDIOTICALLY, its threaded "removal tool" holes were (also) too small-- requiring another trip to Lowes to find bolts that would fit

In short, a lesson to all-- Aftermarket (sometimes cheaper) parts aren't always "cheaper" when they cost much additional 1/ Grief 2/ Labor 3/ Time. Ages ago I decided to pay "a little extra" for what are reliable, sturdy true-fit OEM (Toyota, Denso, Aisin) parts. Which, nowadays, aren't much more expensive than crummy don't-quite-fit-but-look-like-they-should-fit CHINESIUM aftermarket junk.

Thus, the translation of the adage: "DEVIL: 'Pay me now or pay me later.'"

*Ordered from Springhill Toyota online parts, Free Shipping on $75+ Orders, no Sales Tax, excellent Customer Service

Genuine Toyota Parts and Accessories: Official Online Store Springhill Toyota

Find genuine Toyota parts and accessories that fit your Toyota. Your source for everything from batteries and floor mats to body panels and engine gaskets.

autoparts.springhilltoyota.com

 

Perhaps you should have removed it with the bolts in the first place..

 

@John Oh
"Perhaps you should have removed it with the bolts in the first place.."

Surely it would have been of great assistance had you been there to oversee the project. However, as you were absent, you didn't notice Iteration-#01 did involve attempting to remove w/ the bolts in the first place. As noted, aftermarket-junk-HB's bolts holes were too small for anything in the Kit. Moved on to Iteration-#02, Jaw Puller, as noted. The elegant solution is genuine OEM Toyota parts.

 

If treated nicely all problems can be resolved. Genuine parts prove a problem too, as they are much more expensive and can create similar problems as you so literarily describe. The cost is the problem. The part was working until you removed it. That's no big deal. So maybe you did need my help.

 

Lesson learned: never try to use a jaw puller on a ribbed belt pulley, use the threaded holes provided for that purpose (with appropriately sized fasteners to fit them).

I have seen OEM pulleys chip and crack when jaw pullers were used. Even had experienced mechanics say, "its fine", but not willing to risk losing a timing belt because of the chips.

 

I used an impact wrench to remove and ended up using it to reinstall, first at the 10ft-lb setting, then at the middle setting just for a second It's a 300ft-lb wrench (M12 stubby) so I doubt that I overtightened it. I suspect that most people and mechanics do it this way. It's so much simpler than using specialized tools to hold the crankshaft. And if you work on your car enough to replace a TB you should probably invest in a decent cordless impact. They're not that expensive and save you so much time and trouble.

 

What the impact wrench didn't work, due to the balancer dampening the blows, I used the rope on cuclinder method. It worked using a longer than normal socket wrench. It was nice and tight. The pulley came of easily. Sometimes the pulley isn't so easy, so heating it can give you that extra expansion. There should be NO need for a puller to break things. An experienced mechanic knows when that situation is reached..

 

You ever get the bolt off? Here's my story:

1. Tried torquing it off with a breaker bar while bracing the harmonic balancer. Bolt wouldn't budge.

2. Tried bracing a breaker bar on the ground and briefly turning the engine on to "bump" the bolt loose. Super shady. Do not recommend. Bolt wouldn't budge. In fact, the breaker bar bent precariously then rebounded up into my windshield wiper reservoir, shattering it (I videotaped this).

3. Purchased a highly-touted mid-range DeWalt cordless impact (DCF921B) recommended by TorqueTestChannel on YouTube. Bolt wouldn't budge.

4. Went scorched earth. Bought:

A. high torque DeWalt impact wrench (DCF900B)--you can rent these from Home Depot/Lowes.
B. weighted socket (these add considerable torque)
C. Harmonic balancer removal tool to hold the pulley in place/stop the engine from turning when cranking on the bolt.

The bolt came off like butter on the first trigger pull.

In sum, get the right tools for this difficult job. Costlier up front but safer, still way cheaper than going to the shop, and you get to keep the tools! Hope you got it off o.k.

 

My experience is with a Honda V-6 crankshaft pulley bolt - notorious for being crazy tight. Based on a random YouTube commenter, I purchased a Lisle extra heavy crankshaft bolt socket in the appropriate size and voila. My cheap twin-piston air impact wrench took it off in two seconds with my three-finger grip. Didn't move the pulley one iota. The tightening spec. was 40 lb./foot plus 60 degrees of rotation. I marked the socket and pulley with a felt tip and just walked the bolt around to the mark with short hits on the impact gun. Again, the pulley didn't move and all was well. $13 and easy peasy.

 

Been turning wrenches for over half a century and the product that I always recommend is the Milwaukee M18 1/2” drive high impact wrench. These crank bolts always come off like butter. Less than $300 bucks and they last forever!