ltbong

Hello,

In the process of installing a new harmonic balancer. Any tips on how to get the bolt tightened to 250 ft lbs?

Thanks,
Lawrence

charlottes

how did you get it off? Mine is stuck on and I can't loosen it to save my life. I have a impact gun good for 625 ft/lbs.???????????

ki_soarer

pull like HELL!!!! thats to get it on and off. i had to do mine in a parking lot leaving a job site one day. that wasnt fun, but it worked, and its running strong now.

the air gun may be rated at that, but you need to consider the compressor, and the CFM going to the gun. i just layed on my back under the car, extended and locked my arm, then used my leg to push off the inside of thw wheel... after a few very hard tugs, it came loose. to put it back on, i just turned arround and did the same thing.

95 Integra

If Im not mistaken, you should be able to jam your rachet against a frame rail and bump the motor over. Im not sure I'd do it that way due to the fact that Ive seen a friends GSR motor destroyed because we didnt use the proper crank pulley remover tool (you aren't suppose to stress the crank side to side).

Project300

Lawrence,

This is the way to remve or replace the crank bolt if you have an auto trans:

Get under your car and find the rubber access cover betweeen the oil pan and the transmission on the front side of the bell housing. It is about 2 x3 inches and faces the front of the car. Pull the cover off and you can see the flywheel is directly behind it. Through the access hole, stick a bar ( I used a cro bar but any long straight prying device would work) into any round hole in the flywheel and prop it against the driver's side edge of the access hole. Have another person gradually turn the crank bolt with a big breaker bar til it engages, then have them pull and it pops off easliy. Once I held the flywheel even my girlfriend managed to loosen the crank bolt herself with a 2 foot breaker bar. To put the bolt back on just reverse the process. The crank bolt is tightened to 239 ft/lbs.

NEVER use the starter to do anything but start the car.

95 Integra

BTW, its a flex plate not a flywheel. Also, this is the exact method we use when we completely ruined my friends car (given its worked on several others with no problems).

Why not? Seems to be better then the method mentioned above....atleast from my personal experience.

Project300

The starter is for starting the car. Using it to take off the crank bolt is just a lazy hack job that can ruin your starter and battery. Plus, if you take it off with the starter you cant put it back on cuz the motor only turns one way. Then what? Then you'll have to use the method I described to get it back on and torqued to spec. By accessing the, ahem, flexplate.

Integra, can you explain how the method I posted ruined your friend's car? Was it an SC?

95 Integra

Tightening the crank pulley is much less of a task then loosening it. Its not more of a lazy hack job then shoving something in the motor to prevent it from spinning....in my opinion its better. Either way, we ruined his motor because we shoved a screwdriver in the flywheel (tranny off sadly enough), then torqued up on the crank pulley bolt. The crank shifted, allowing for the shim (that is suppose to prevent crank walk, which the SC may or may not have....but probably does unless its some old school crap *** design) to slide down bewteen the bottom main cap and the crank. Ofcourse with the oil pan and crank still in, nobody noticed. Cranked the car and next thing you know, you have a crank that has been worn funny, more metal fragments in the oil then you can count and sever scaring in the head because the oil was still very metallic even after the oil filter had done its job. No, it was an integra, but the motors arent all that much different. Im not sure of the proper way to do it on a lexus, but on the integra you need one of these http://www.thetoolwarehouse.net/shop/SP-60100.html.

RADSC

I agree with a few posts above:

A high torque impact wrench alone won't take it off or tighten it sufficiently. You need a strong compressor.

CFM: you need at least 125psi to take it off. We used a craftsman 33 gal 6hp horiz tank 150psi air compressor. you can also get a smaller diameter hose to bump up psi (it may help).

You can use the same which took it off to put it back on.

I've never had any problems with crank bolt loosening.

Air comp is a sound investment. you can use it for painting, and lots of other things, beside automotive work.

My 2 cents.

Good luck.

Project300

Toyota has a similar tool as well for our cars, but it is not absolutely necessary.

It's important to use something more substantial and longer than a screwdriver to hold the flex plate while the crank bolt is turned. Some people use a 3/8 extension, but I wanted a really strong flat blade so I used a cro bar. There won't be any problems like you encountered on the Integra, and your starting system will be spared.

I've done this on my car and its the proper way on a 2JZ auto Lexus.