Looking for suggestions

[fastivaca]

I'm replacing the timing belt on my brother-in-law's 97 Ford Ranger with the 2.3l 4 banger. I've run into a bit of an issue... I can't get the crank pulley bolt to loosen :disgust:. I've tried doing it manually and also with an impact wrench to no avail.

Any suggestions???

[Biglay5150]

heat it. just not so hot that it makes the crank seal melt ;-)

[FeistyFesti]

How about a chain wrench and an old piece of belt wrapped around the crank pulley and wedged against the frame. Get a huge cheater bar with a cheater pipe if necessary and go to town. I am gonna be doing the same thing on my friend's 99 Ranger in the next few months, he's at 66,000 miles right now.

[challe1]

They make a tool for the crank bolt..I use it for Isuzu cab chassis...I believe it made by KD tools...It looks like a slide hammer...

[WmWatt]

Provided you can block the crankshaft from turning, and there are various ways to do that, a pipe on the end of the ratchet handle gives added leverage. Or, what I do in tight places is to whack the ratchet handle with a large hammer or the blunt end of an axe. Instead of a ratchet I have a T-bar which is a socket driver on a metal bar about a foot long - saves ruing a ratchet and I can hammer on it as hard as I like. I have an 8 pound sledge hammer which works great. Used it yesterday to remove a control arm.

[sanjeet]

I have to laugh as well I could not get the damn thing undone and I had to call one of those mobile guys to do it, its a real pain and you have my sympathies, from memory he had me stick a screw driver into something to stop it turning...good luck with that one and remember to check the bearing on timing belt tensioner, I think its worth replacing that part when you do the belt but there are two schools of thought on that one, remove the tensioner and rotate it and if it feels gritty or lumpy best to replace...cost about $85 New Zealand dollars

[TominMO]

Provided you can block the crankshaft from turning, and there are various ways to do that, a pipe on the end of the ratchet handle gives added leverage. Or, what I do in tight places is to whack the ratchet handle with a large hammer or the blunt end of an axe. Instead of a ratchet I have a T-bar which is a socket driver on a metal bar about a foot long - saves ruing a ratchet and I can hammer on it as hard as I like. I have an 8 pound sledge hammer which works great. Used it yesterday to remove a control arm.

You can also use a breaker bar in place of the ratchet, and hammer on it.

[fastivaca]

Thanks for all the suggestions! I went old school and used rope in the cylinder to stop the engine from turning over. I made sure the piston was coming up on the compression stroke so that the valves would be closed too. That along with a bit of pipe to extend my breaker bar did the trick!

[TominMO]

Thanks for all the suggestions! I went old school and used rope in the cylinder to stop the engine from turning over. I made sure the piston was coming up on the compression stroke so that the valves would be closed too. That along with a bit of pipe to extend my breaker bar did the trick!

Oooh, nicely done. Forgot about the rope trick.