Timing belt pulley bolt won't come off!, Help please :-) Options

[wilc4]

I have a 1996 Celica GTS Convertible with a 2.2. I need to replace the water pump and to do that need to remove the timing belt (arrgh!!!). I got it to to TDC and have good access to the 3/4" bolt and am using an impact wrench but still cannot get the bolt to come off. My impact wrench just goes and goes and my concern is that it is actually starting to round the bolt.

Any suggestions on how to get this thing off?

Thanks!

Wil

[lagos]

Are you talking about the 19mm crank bolt?
Best way to talk that off is to pry a wrench against the floor and blip the engines starter a few times to break the bolt loose. You just have to make sure you pull the efi fuse so that the motor wont actually start.

[95CelicaST]

x2

Or if the motor won't start or is out of the car I found that lots of PB Blaster and the use of a propane torch (obviously not at the same time) works well.

[xrav22]

x2

Or if the motor won't start or is out of the car I found that lots of PB Blaster and the use of a propane torch (obviously not at the same time) works well.

I had to use a chain wrench. Just put a old rag between the metal chain. Remember you are going to have to torque it to around 150 lbs to tighten
back up.

[Spider77]

I have a 1996 Celica GTS Convertible with a 2.2. I need to replace the water pump and to do that need to remove the timing belt (arrgh!!!). I got it to to TDC and have good access to the 3/4" bolt and am using an impact wrench but still cannot get the bolt to come off. My impact wrench just goes and goes and my concern is that it is actually starting to round the bolt.

Any suggestions on how to get this thing off?

Thanks!

Wil

What is your impact rated for? I had used several smaller guns but had to break out one that produced upwards to 380 to break it with ease.

[wilc4]

x2

Or if the motor won't start or is out of the car I found that lots of PB Blaster and the use of a propane torch (obviously not at the same time) works well.

Not to be naive (LOL) but what is PB Blaster?

I got everything apart (and the batter is also dead) so starting it is not an easy option...however, it is helpful to note that it is probably a 19mm, which will give me a little snugger fit, since I have been using a 3/4". Should at least prevent any more rounding to the bolt.

Not sure what my impact gun is rated for, but I will check on that, too.

Thanks for all the good suggestions, at least gets me going in the right direction, I hope!

[95CelicaST]

Never ever ever ever ever use standard sockets on your Celica.

PB Blaster. Google it.

[mkernz22]

Just an FYI, there are no bolts on said car that are standard, everything's metric

[RobbMeeX]

Also Autozone can charge that battery for you for free.

[wilc4]

Seriously, it is a month later and I've tried the propane torch, PB blaster and bought a 425 lbs impact gun and this thing still won't come off...I am getting a good grip with a phillips in the "holding" hole and wedgeing it with a large flat head. The gun (using a new 19mm impact socket, btw) just sits and hits but it doesn't budge...

Any other thoughts...? At my wits end with this thing...

[rave2n]

Hah, I just had to do this myself...took me about 4 days to get it off.

I didn't use an impact gun, and the engine was out of the car when I did it. On a stand.

I used a breaker bar, with another 4-5 foot pole on top of it. Then I used one of the flywheel bolts to hold the crank in place with a pry bar to stop it from moving.

Came off pretty easy once I got the torgue in the right place.

Don't know anything about that holding "hole" on the 5s, but on the 3s, those holes are ment to pull the pulley off, not the bolt. So you may not be getting a solid crank as you estimated. Trying holding it from the flywheel side somehow, or use a breakbar longenough to bump start it with the starter.

This post has been edited by rave2n: Aug 4, 2012 - 3:14 PM

[Special_Edy]

Lmao dude, there is no way you are gonna be able to hold and apply torque. Nope, theres only one way to get a sufficient impact to break the bolt loose without a $500 air impact hammer, and that is to use the starter installed on the car to turn the bolt.

Find a lugwrench or use a ratchet and socket with a pipe slid over the ratchet. Make sure to fully seat the wrench or socket onto the head of the bolt, then wedge the base of the wrench or breakerbar under the lower control arm on the suspension. Now get your hands away from it and have a helper briefly turn the engine over. The bolt should be immediately loosened.

Ive used it on all kinds of cars and never had any mishaps

[Jaytwou2]

X3 on using the starter to remove the bolt... I removed mines with the engine outside of the car since i also snapped my timming belt and decided to go with a full rebuild it being my first experience with an interference engine didnt wanna chance throwing a water pump and belt at it and end up having some bent valves! Good luck getting that bolt off

[wilc4]

I will try a socket again, though I was getting enough torque on it that the socket got stuck on the bolt on my last attempt and actually is starting to round the bolt (and this is with 19mm not a 3/4). I can't get a long bar in there since its still in the engine and there isn't clearance to come out the top...

LOL - it this doesn't work I am going to have it towed to the mechanic down the street and pay him $50 bucks to take it off and save my sanity!

[Jaytwou2]

I will try a socket again, though I was getting enough torque on it that the socket got stuck on the bolt on my last attempt and actually is starting to round the bolt (and this is with 19mm not a 3/4). I can't get a long bar in there since its still in the engine and there isn't clearance to come out the top...

LOL - it this doesn't work I am going to have it towed to the mechanic down the street and pay him $50 bucks to take it off and save my sanity!

I hope that works out for you! i once had to do that with a civic i had... Mechanic hit it a few times with a hammer then put the impact gun to it

[SwissFerdi]

decided to go with a full rebuild it being my first experience with an interference engine

Here's the twist, Celicas do not have interference engines.

[Bitter]

Sounds like your air compressor is too weak, you need a good compressor behind a good gun to run those out with any ease. Use a breaker bar with a pipe with the trans in 5th, parking brake set, and someone holding the brakes down.

[Stambo]

x2 on getting a good compressor and impact. I've never had a problem getting crank pulley bolts off with my impact.

[garin]

best guns out there are the ir titanium, snap on mg, and mac just put a new one out!

[Special_Edy]

Everyone a 19mm and a 3/4" socket are the same thing. As is the case with 14mm and 9/16", though the 14 is just a fraction of a hair smaller.

[Jaytwou2]

decided to go with a full rebuild it being my first experience with an interference engine

Here's the twist, Celicas do not have interference engines.

Did some research and you are right they are a non interference engine! I bought my st204 for dirt cheap since the seller was told it was an interference engine and it bent valves when the belt broke... Turns out it didn't bend any valves

[mkernz22]

Everyone a 19mm and a 3/4" socket are the same thing. As is the case with 14mm and 9/16", though the 14 is just a fraction of a hair smaller.

And that fraction of a difference is the difference between you rounding out a bolt and not.

[Special_Edy]

Everyone a 19mm and a 3/4" socket are the same thing. As is the case with 14mm and 9/16", though the 14 is just a fraction of a hair smaller.

And that fraction of a difference is the difference between you rounding out a bolt and not.

Actually it just means you have to wiggle the 14mm to get it onto a 9/16 " head. If youre roundiing of bolts switch to six sided or youre doing something else wrong.

[95CelicaST]

3/4" = 19.05mm. That is a narrow enough tolerance where a 3/4" socket would be nearly indistinguishable from a 19mm socket. But that's the smallest size where a metric and standard socket fall within any reasonable margin of each other.

Close, but not the same.

I would NEVER use standard on any of my cars. It calls for metric - I'm using metric. I don't care how close the tolerances are.

Don't have any metric tools? Go buy some, or pay a mechanic. You're just going to round the bolts you're working on and you'll be screwed.


What you need to do is use a breaker bar and a 6 point 1/2" drive 19mm socket (now that you've started rounding the bolt....). Take that breaker bar to the hardware store and find a long piece of steel piping that slips over the handle. Purchase it. Go home and assemble socket to breaker bar, breaker bar to crank bolt, and cheater bar to breaker bar. Ideally (you say you've started tearing down the motor, but I don't understand why any of that is actually relevant to the task) you would remove the underbody plastics and lodge the breaker bar in a spot where it won't have room to spin, put it on the crank bolt, and blip the starter. Go get your battery charged. It takes maybe a half of a day? Just make sure you disconnect the coil wire from the distributor so you don't actually start the car. Then you're done.

If you just can't bring yourself to doing that, then use a punch or screwdriver to lock the pulley in place by threading through the holes in the pulley and jamming it in a spot on the block. Then with the breaker/cheater bar combo you should be able to apply enough force to break it loose. I had this problem with my 1MZ on an engine stand. I figured out a way to immobilize the crank and remove the bolt after a day or so. This isn't that difficult. Time to put on your MacGyver pants.

This post has been edited by 95CelicaST: Aug 9, 2012 - 1:07 PM

[rave2n]

You can look in your closest for a steel bar...works well.

[Special_Edy]

You can look in your closest for a steel bar...works well.

Bicycle seat posts are perfect size to fit over a ratchet. Try to use an aluminum, it will hold up better than steel.

As for immobilizing the crank, you can have someone hold the brake pedal or use a 2x4 wedged against the seat/brake pedal and roll the seat forward until its holding the pedal down. Make sure to put the transmission in 5th. If its an automatic you are SOL.