Honda Car Forum

George Macdonald <fammacd=!SPAM^nothanks@tellurian.com> spake unto the
masses in news:8feavvcjq00577bti1kftnuc7b6sqfakcl@4ax.com:

> The job is not that difficult but as mentioned getting the crank
> pulley bolt off is quite difficult. An '88 Civic will not have the
> 50mmm hex "socket" for a pulley holder tool so the options are a 1) a
> *big* impact wrench 2) a screwdriver jammed in the ring gear; or 3) an
> improvised tool made from heavy angle iron and a couple of bolts
> through holes drilled in it, which engage with the holes in the
> pulley. A strap wrench on the pulley would likely damage the rubber
> damper built into the pulley.
>
> I'd advise making sure you can get the pulley bolt off before doing
> any further disassembly.


I concur. That and making certain you have all the timing marks lined up
properly are the most difficult things about a timing belt change.

Myself, I would go rent a small compressor and 1/2" drive air gun. That
bolt will be off in a few seconds and the crank won't even turn.


--
TeGGeR®

"Tegger®" <teggeratistopdotcom@changetheobvious.invalid> wrote
> George Macdonald <fammacd=!SPAM^nothanks@tellurian.com> spake
> > The job is not that difficult but as mentioned getting the crank
> > pulley bolt off is quite difficult. An '88 Civic will not have the
> > 50mmm hex "socket" for a pulley holder tool so the options are a 1) a
> > *big* impact wrench 2) a screwdriver jammed in the ring gear; or 3) an
> > improvised tool made from heavy angle iron and a couple of bolts
> > through holes drilled in it, which engage with the holes in the
> > pulley. A strap wrench on the pulley would likely damage the rubber
> > damper built into the pulley.
> >
> > I'd advise making sure you can get the pulley bolt off before doing
> > any further disassembly.
>
>
> I concur. That and making certain you have all the timing marks lined up
> properly are the most difficult things about a timing belt change.
>
> Myself, I would go rent a small compressor and 1/2" drive air gun. That
> bolt will be off in a few seconds and the crank won't even turn.

That a promise, Tegger? Seriously.

I'm a weakling and so have to devise all sorts of tricks to get the foot-lbs. of
torque needed to break free bolts probably far less highly torqued than the
pulley bolt. (And doing so without somehow screwing up the timing mark
orientation.)

I have figured for awhile now that the pulley bolt would be immovable by me and,
in a rare moment, I'd become frustrated with my car maintenance efforts. You
pretty much guarantee a 1/2" drive air gun will do the trick without any
problems?

"Caroline" <caroline10027remove@earthlink.net> spake unto the masses in
news:qEmJb.16581$lo3.7709@newsread2.news.pas.earth link.net:

> "Tegger®" <teggeratistopdotcom@changetheobvious.invalid> wrote

>> Myself, I would go rent a small compressor and 1/2" drive air gun.
>> That bolt will be off in a few seconds and the crank won't even turn.
>
> That a promise, Tegger? Seriously.


Yes it is.


>
> I'm a weakling and so have to devise all sorts of tricks to get the
> foot-lbs. of torque needed to break free bolts probably far less
> highly torqued than the pulley bolt. (And doing so without somehow
> screwing up the timing mark orientation.)
>
> I have figured for awhile now that the pulley bolt would be immovable
> by me and, in a rare moment, I'd become frustrated with my car
> maintenance efforts. You pretty much guarantee a 1/2" drive air gun
> will do the trick without any problems?


Well, pretty much. There are times when even a half-incher won't do. When
that happens, the pros resort to an air hammer, and give the crank bolt
head a blow from that. In almost all cases you'll be fine with the 1/2"
drive. Sometimes you're OK with even an electric impact gun.

--
TeGGeR®

On Fri, 02 Jan 2004 22:54:14 GMT, "Caroline"
<caroline10027remove@earthlink.net> wrote:

>"Tegger®" <teggeratistopdotcom@changetheobvious.invalid> wrote
>> George Macdonald <fammacd=!SPAM^nothanks@tellurian.com> spake
>> > The job is not that difficult but as mentioned getting the crank
>> > pulley bolt off is quite difficult. An '88 Civic will not have the
>> > 50mmm hex "socket" for a pulley holder tool so the options are a 1) a
>> > *big* impact wrench 2) a screwdriver jammed in the ring gear; or 3) an
>> > improvised tool made from heavy angle iron and a couple of bolts
>> > through holes drilled in it, which engage with the holes in the
>> > pulley. A strap wrench on the pulley would likely damage the rubber
>> > damper built into the pulley.
>> >
>> > I'd advise making sure you can get the pulley bolt off before doing
>> > any further disassembly.
>>
>>
>> I concur. That and making certain you have all the timing marks lined up
>> properly are the most difficult things about a timing belt change.
>>
>> Myself, I would go rent a small compressor and 1/2" drive air gun. That
>> bolt will be off in a few seconds and the crank won't even turn.
>
>That a promise, Tegger? Seriously.
>
>I'm a weakling and so have to devise all sorts of tricks to get the foot-lbs. of
>torque needed to break free bolts probably far less highly torqued than the
>pulley bolt. (And doing so without somehow screwing up the timing mark
>orientation.)
>
>I have figured for awhile now that the pulley bolt would be immovable by me and,
>in a rare moment, I'd become frustrated with my car maintenance efforts. You
>pretty much guarantee a 1/2" drive air gun will do the trick without any
>problems?

I'm willing to guarantee it (for whatever thats worth) will get it
off. I've done a few.. Its probably a 17 or 19mm socket + 1/2"
impact gun (A real one, IR, SnapOn, Mac, etc) with camshafts locked.

The crankbolt is on there at around 130 ft-lbs, but the impact will
take it off.

__________________
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Thanks, Barry and Tegger, for sharing your experiences.

I am tens of thousands of miles away from a new timing belt, but I am looking
over the Chilton manual's instructions for this as well as what online sites say
about it, and hoping I can do it on my own. If I can, this will be really cool.

"Barry S." <nntp@spamsack.org> wrote
> <caroline10027remove@earthlink.net> wrote:
> >"Tegger®" <teggeratistopdotcom@changetheobvious.invalid> wrote
snip
> >> I concur. That and making certain you have all the timing marks lined up
> >> properly are the most difficult things about a timing belt change.
> >>
> >> Myself, I would go rent a small compressor and 1/2" drive air gun. That
> >> bolt will be off in a few seconds and the crank won't even turn.
> >
> >That a promise, Tegger? Seriously.
> >
> >I'm a weakling and so have to devise all sorts of tricks to get the foot-lbs.
of
> >torque needed to break free bolts probably far less highly torqued than the
> >pulley bolt. (And doing so without somehow screwing up the timing mark
> >orientation.)
> >
> >I have figured for awhile now that the pulley bolt would be immovable by me
and,
> >in a rare moment, I'd become frustrated with my car maintenance efforts. You
> >pretty much guarantee a 1/2" drive air gun will do the trick without any
> >problems?
>
> I'm willing to guarantee it (for whatever thats worth) will get it
> off. I've done a few.. Its probably a 17 or 19mm socket + 1/2"
> impact gun (A real one, IR, SnapOn, Mac, etc) with camshafts locked.
>
> The crankbolt is on there at around 130 ft-lbs, but the impact will
> take it off.

Caroline,

If you're a weakling with an air tool, the law of 'Equal and opposite
reactions' dictates that you'll rip you arms off at the elbows (just
before the nut would have come loose) :-(

Just kidding. Use the breaker bar method instead. You hold on to the
underside of the bumper and pretend that the breaker bar is a diving
board. You spring up and down on it (body almost horizontal) until you
here a loud 'click', and the resistance melts away.

'Curly'

=================

Caroline wrote:
> "Tegger®" <teggeratistopdotcom@changetheobvious.invalid> wrote
>
>>George Macdonald <fammacd=!SPAM^nothanks@tellurian.com> spake
>>
>>>The job is not that difficult but as mentioned getting the crank
>>>pulley bolt off is quite difficult. An '88 Civic will not have the
>>>50mmm hex "socket" for a pulley holder tool so the options are a 1) a
>>>*big* impact wrench 2) a screwdriver jammed in the ring gear; or 3) an
>>>improvised tool made from heavy angle iron and a couple of bolts
>>>through holes drilled in it, which engage with the holes in the
>>>pulley. A strap wrench on the pulley would likely damage the rubber
>>>damper built into the pulley.
>>>
>>>I'd advise making sure you can get the pulley bolt off before doing
>>>any further disassembly.
>>
>>
>>I concur. That and making certain you have all the timing marks lined up
>>properly are the most difficult things about a timing belt change.
>>
>>Myself, I would go rent a small compressor and 1/2" drive air gun. That
>>bolt will be off in a few seconds and the crank won't even turn.
>
>
> That a promise, Tegger? Seriously.
>
> I'm a weakling and so have to devise all sorts of tricks to get the foot-lbs. of
> torque needed to break free bolts probably far less highly torqued than the
> pulley bolt. (And doing so without somehow screwing up the timing mark
> orientation.)
>
> I have figured for awhile now that the pulley bolt would be immovable by me and,
> in a rare moment, I'd become frustrated with my car maintenance efforts. You
> pretty much guarantee a 1/2" drive air gun will do the trick without any
> problems?
>
>


--

"'Curly Q. Links'" <motsco__@interbaun.com> wrote
> Caroline,
>
> If you're a weakling with an air tool, the law of 'Equal and opposite
> reactions' dictates that you'll rip you arms off at the elbows (just
> before the nut would have come loose) :-(
>
> Just kidding. Use the breaker bar method instead. You hold on to the
> underside of the bumper and pretend that the breaker bar is a diving
> board. You spring up and down on it (body almost horizontal) until you
> here a loud 'click', and the resistance melts away.

Wow, you described to a "T" one of my general techniques for breaking bolts
free. ;-)

I need to study up on maintaining the proper orientation of the timing marks.
I'll take off the valve cover and then the timing belt cover and "get
acquainted" sometime soon when it's a bit warmer where I am.

Thanks for the caution re the air gun. I'll read up on it. Safety first. I've
seen the outcome of one too many accidents where it was not.

"Caroline" <caroline10027remove@earthlink.net> spake unto the masses in
news:jHsJb.32300$Pg1.13490@newsread1.news.pas.eart hlink.net:

>
> Thanks for the caution re the air gun. I'll read up on it. Safety
> first. I've seen the outcome of one too many accidents where it was
> not.
>


That caution is not realistic. An air impact gun is specifically designed
to allow any able-bodied individuals to safely exert forces otherwise not
possible for them. The gun will NOT "rip your arms off", as Curly does say
later.

An impact gun works by a series of rapidly applied shocks of very short
duration, which is why it sounds the way it does. The shocks are of too
short duration to overcome the mass of the engine, your arms or the gun
itself. If you were to use a normal hand-drill, which applies steady
torquing force, and you weren't holding on tightly enough, it WILL try to
twist itself out of your hands as it tries to spin, since the duration of
the torque application is the length of time you hold the trigger.

A major drawback of the breaker bar method is that, if improperly applied,
you risk damage to the engine mounts. There's a reason all garages use air
impact tools.

If you can swing the compressor rental (easy enough in most locales),
that's the best way to go, hands down.


--
TeGGeR®

"Tegger®" <teggeratistopdotcom@changetheobvious.invalid> wrote in message
news:Xns94655AB204560teggeratistop@207.14.113.17.. .
> "Caroline" <caroline10027remove@earthlink.net> spake unto the masses in
> news:jHsJb.32300$Pg1.13490@newsread1.news.pas.eart hlink.net:
>
> >
> > Thanks for the caution re the air gun. I'll read up on it. Safety
> > first. I've seen the outcome of one too many accidents where it was
> > not.
> >
>
>
> That caution is not realistic. An air impact gun is specifically designed
> to allow any able-bodied individuals to safely exert forces otherwise not
> possible for them. The gun will NOT "rip your arms off", as Curly does say
> later.
>
> An impact gun works by a series of rapidly applied shocks of very short
> duration, which is why it sounds the way it does. The shocks are of too
> short duration to overcome the mass of the engine, your arms or the gun
> itself. If you were to use a normal hand-drill, which applies steady
> torquing force, and you weren't holding on tightly enough, it WILL try to
> twist itself out of your hands as it tries to spin, since the duration of
> the torque application is the length of time you hold the trigger.
>
> A major drawback of the breaker bar method is that, if improperly applied,
> you risk damage to the engine mounts. There's a reason all garages use air
> impact tools.
>
> If you can swing the compressor rental (easy enough in most locales),
> that's the best way to go, hands down.

I had mine undone at a friendly garage, using their 3/4" impact. My 1/2" did
squat.

Snugged it back up, and finished the job at home.

On Sat, 03 Jan 2004 15:27:37 GMT, "Stephen Bigelow"
<sbigelowPOV@rogers.com> wrote:

>
>"Tegger®" <teggeratistopdotcom@changetheobvious.invalid> wrote in message
>news:Xns94655AB204560teggeratistop@207.14.113.17. ..
>> "Caroline" <caroline10027remove@earthlink.net> spake unto the masses in
>> news:jHsJb.32300$Pg1.13490@newsread1.news.pas.eart hlink.net:
>>
>> >
>> > Thanks for the caution re the air gun. I'll read up on it. Safety
>> > first. I've seen the outcome of one too many accidents where it was
>> > not.

Wouldn't worry about the impact gun taking your arm off. It doesn't
happen. However, you should wear Z87 compliant eye protection because
things can go flying.

>> That caution is not realistic. An air impact gun is specifically designed
>> to allow any able-bodied individuals to safely exert forces otherwise not
>> possible for them. The gun will NOT "rip your arms off", as Curly does say
>> later.

This is absolutely correct.

>> A major drawback of the breaker bar method is that, if improperly applied,
>> you risk damage to the engine mounts. There's a reason all garages use air
>> impact tools.

The other problem with breaker bars is that if you don't have a
vehicle lift, e.g. your lying on ground using jack stands, it can be
hard to get enough torque on it and maintain a good angle so that the
socket doesn't slip off. With the impact, you're hitting it straight
on. No chance of rounding the bolt off.

>> If you can swing the compressor rental (easy enough in most locales),
>> that's the best way to go, hands down.

Home Depot rents them for a small sum. I'm not sure if you can rent a
1/2" impact wrench, if not, invest in one.

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