Timing belt replacement issue

[rgansaldi]

Hi, everyone

I come in search of good news, I come with what may be bad news. Tonight I began working on replacing my timing belt and water pump but was faced with an impassable challenge. I followed my technical guide and informational videos best I could.

-Raised car
-Removed wheel and splash shield
-Remove air filter
-Removed serpentine belt

When it came to remove the crankshaft pulley, the darn crankshaft pulley bolt would not come off. It would only rotate the whole belt and camshafts; so I did the only thing I could do at the moment, with the car in park I put the lock on the camshaft cranks and went bellow to try to remove the crankshaft pulley bellow. As I pulled the wrench clockwise the crankshaft pulley jumped five times. I tried to reverse the direction out of fear that timing belt jumped on the crankshaft but I could not get it to jump in that direction. I decided to stop and seek guidance here.

What exactly did I just do? Did the pulley jump, or did the belt jump position? Why was I not able to remove the crankshaft pulley bolt?

Sweating bullets here, best regards.

[avguy]

Very bad news, because turning the crank with the cams not moving almost certainly bent some valves, so you're now looking at a valve job. Although it's not the best way, many people use an impact tool to remove the bolt. (reinstalling it to spec is the issue with the impact tool)

[rgansaldi]

Very bad news, because turning the crank with the cams not moving almost certainly bent some valves, so you're now looking at a valve job. Although it's not the best way, many people use an impact tool to remove the bolt. (reinstalling it to spec is the issue with the impact tool)

i'm not even sure the crank turned. I can't see it behind the pulley. How can I find out if it actually moved? it only jumped five times in the counter clockwise direction.

What do you recommend I do? I am going to continue the job once I acquire an impact wrench.

[avguy]

You can't do anything until the harmonic balancer is off and you can check to see how the 3 marks are lining up.

[rgansaldi]

Hmm. I understand what you are saying, hopefully the paint remains from the last timing belt replacement.

So, I've tried with everything in between a ratchet and a 450 ft/lbs impact wrench. Nothing. Why is the bolt on there so darn tight? Anyone have any guesses on how I can get this bolt off without the timing belt slipping?

Best regards

[avguy]

You are trying to go counterclockwise to remove the bolt, correct?

[Deano]

Hmm. I understand what you are saying, hopefully the paint remains from the last timing belt replacement.

So, I've tried with everything in between a ratchet and a 450 ft/lbs impact wrench. Nothing. Why is the bolt on there so darn tight? Anyone have any guesses on how I can get this bolt off without the timing belt slipping?

Best regards

In my previous crank bolt removal experiences, I have discovered that it is imperative that the crank pulley, alternately the flywheel, must be kept and held absolutely rigid in order for the wrench torque to be fully transmitted into the crank pulley bolt in order to remove the crank pulley bolt. You can have an impact wrench rated 1000 ft lbs. It won't help if there is a tiny amount of flex in the system that you are wrenching against. You will find the crank pulley bolt relatively easy to remove once the crank pulley is perfectly fixed and locked in place. I suggest locking the flywheel in place with a flywheel holding tool, or Allen key.

That's my two cents.

Deano.

[avguy]

In my previous crank bolt removal experiences, I have discovered that it is imperative that the crank pulley, alternately the flywheel, must be kept and held absolutely rigid in order for the wrench torque to be fully transmitted into the crank pulley bolt in order to remove the crank pulley bolt. You can have an impact wrench rated 1000 ft lbs. It won't help if there is a tiny amount of flex in the system that you are wrenching against. You will find the crank pulley bolt relatively easy to remove once the crank pulley is perfectly fixed and locked in place. I suggest locking the flywheel in place with a flywheel holding tool, or Allen key.

That's my two cents.

Deano.

I use a home grown method for holding the harmonic balancer in place while removing/installing the belt, so I've never needed to lock the flywheel/flexplate. In many years of exchanging information about Aveos, my understanding is that the only way to accomplish that locking is to remove the starter and use that access point to pin it in place. IMO most DIYers don't want the extra PITA of removing the starter, even though it's the only correct way of removing the bolt using standard methods.

I've read a number of posts from guys who used an impact tool on the bolt, and none of them mentioned locking the flywheel. I recall some people did mention using one of those specialty vice-grip tools designed to hold pulleys in place, but the majority didn't say anything about locking it. So I believe that the Aveo balancer bolt can be removed using just an impact tool, but I can't say that for certain because I've never done it that way myself.

My big problem with using an impact tool on that bolt has always been with the reinstallation side of the job, which takes us right back to needing to do the PITA starter removal. However the OP of this thread might very well have bigger problems, and needs to get the balancer off in order to figure out where he's at.

[rgansaldi]

You are trying to go counterclockwise to remove the bolt, correct?

hahahaha, yes. thanks for checking though.

[rgansaldi]

I use a home grown method for holding the harmonic balancer in place while removing/installing the belt, so I've never needed to lock the flywheel/flexplate. In many years of exchanging information about Aveos, my understanding is that the only way to accomplish that locking is to remove the starter and use that access point to pin it in place. IMO most DIYers don't want the extra PITA of removing the starter, even though it's the only correct way of removing the bolt using standard methods.

I've read a number of posts from guys who used an impact tool on the bolt, and none of them mentioned locking the flywheel. I recall some people did mention using one of those specialty vice-grip tools designed to hold pulleys in place, but the majority didn't say anything about locking it. So I believe that the Aveo balancer bolt can be removed using just an impact tool, but I can't say that for certain because I've never done it that way myself.

My big problem with using an impact tool on that bolt has always been with the reinstallation side of the job, which takes us right back to needing to do the PITA starter removal. However the OP of this thread might very well have bigger problems, and needs to get the balancer off in order to figure out where he's at.

thanks for contributing to the thread. from what everyone has been writing and i've read, the impact wrench will set the bolt at a higher torque that may damage it, is that correct?