Can anyone tell me the trick to getting the bolt out of the end of the crank at the pulley. Now I've worked on cars since I was big enough to walk. I spent 4 yrs I'm the military working kn M1 tanks, I've worked on everything from an 8n ford tractor to this whatever you wish to call it. What I call it is a mistake I've had it a month and it's been right here in my garage most of the time. I have certified paperwork from Toyota where they replaced the engine in this thing 50k miles ago. So it's relatively new motor wise.

I've worked all day trying to replace the front main seal, which I might add just outta the blue got in Friday to go to work got to work and had done lost all the oil from the motor. Now this is pathetic. Either on toyotas part or part manufacturer fault, which still falls back in the lap of Toyota. And on top if that. I'm a bug SOB and I've never come across a bolt I couldn't break loose. Not ever. I know for a fact there is absolutely no reason whatsoever to have this bolt this tight. None. And it makes me so mad that I bought this thing. The moment that either I get it going I'm trading it off. Or the moment I know I'm done with it, uts going to junk yard to be reborn a real automobile. It's been one thing after rhe other. I have not ever had a vehicle in my life rhat was as much trouble as this thing. Not even close. I will never consider another Toyota product and I'll be sure anyone I know feels the same way. MAJOR FRUSTRATION HERE. someone had to know something I don't on this bolt.

 

If you don't have an impact with enough beans find a shop that will zip the bolt loose for you. The bolt can require a ridiculous amount of force.

 

The timing belt was replace by Lexus dealer just prior to my purchase. Fast forward 100K miles, I went to change the belt/assembly. A 1/2 drive corded DeWalt impactor on the bolt didn't budge.
The short of it, the genius who did the belt prior put s-ton of lock tight on the crank bolt thread. To break the bond, you need to heat it up with torch first.

And then change the crank seal as well

 

On my vehicles the factory has set the bolt and no one else other than me has messed with it. No locktite and every time set by proper torque only. Factory service manual does not ask for one.

I have a home made tool to hold the pulley and I use breaker bar with cheater extension [pipe from the floor jack pump handle]. The home made tool is braced by the garage floor and I could see the breaker bar flex.

If some one has been there and used locktite, heat will break it down.

Other method folks have used is "bump start". Make sure the engine can not start by disconnecting the spark plugs. [not tried by me]. The bolt is held in place with a breaker bar braced to ground and the crank is spun by the starter.


Salim

 

When I did my timing belt I used

• Schley Products 64300 Toy/Lex Harmonic Bal Pulley Hold Tool.
• Lisle 77110 22mm Harmonic Balancer Socket
• https://www.harborfreight.com/85-amp...tch-64120.html

The puller holder is solid but before I use it again I will take an angle grinder to it so it meshes with the pulley face. Also the supplied bolts didn't fit the pulley.
I used a paint lid tool to remove the crankshaft seal and a piece of pvc to press in the new one

 

It's well worth having the harmonic balancer pulley holder tool, as you will need it to hold the pulley when tourquing down too

I got this one off Amazon -

 

I appreciate all the good information. I made 2 different crank pulley holders today. The 1st one was pretty well built, but after I continue to add length of cheater pipe it wound up a ball od nothing. So I built. Heavier one. And add a 3' cheater pipe to ny breaker bar. This time I all but picked the front end of the cR up off the Jack's. NO there's no way on God's green earth anything should be this tight. Not ever. I have 3 pneumatic impacts and electric and a dewalt 20 volt max. Numerous times applying heat, trying Ll the different combos of tools. He'll I even increased the psi on my air compressor to 175 . A neighbor is dropping off a really high torque impact in the morning. Now if this don't get it. I'm likely dragging it the way it sits to the scrap yard and getting 450 for scrap out of it. I have had my fill of this thing. I don't know why but this thing has cost me more time, labor and money for parts then any combo of vehicle I've owned literally its been one major thing after the next for the last month AND HALF. And I was so looking forward to owning. Lexus

 

Possible someone put thread locker on the bolt. I would keep trying by cooking the end of the bolt with a torch the hitting it with the biggest impact you have. A heavy impact socket designed for crank pulleys can make the difference. Don't give up.

I once resorted to removing the oil pan and using a block of wood to stop the engine from turning. It still took a breaker bar with a long pipe to break it loose. Insanity. BTW, if your breaker bar is flexible it won't work you need a high quality forged one that doesn't bend so easily.

 

In case it helps:

 

This is true.

The cheap harbor freight ones are only good for bolts not torqued on too tight.

The instant the breaker bar starts to bend like a wet noodle it's useless.

Better to use a shorter forged breaker bar that has no flex and add a pipe rather than a long breaker that bends like a wet noodle.

Rigidity is key. 🤔

 

I'm not smart enough to calculate how much torque goes into bending the bar vs. applied to the bolt. But I know it's substantial. I don't get how people have success with pulley holders. Only time I used one the bolts sheered off like they were not even there and they were the "strongest" bolts available.

A 3/4" breaker bar will remove that bolt assuming you can keep the engine from turning. I once purposely hydrolocked an engine for this purpose.

 

All I know is a person can't get the hammer action of an impact gun with a prybar that bends.

​​​​​​My theory is the bending action has a cost of time to go from zero torque to max torque.

So instead of dropping the torque fast like a hammer, the cheap prybar ease into the torque as they bend.

The fast torque of a hammer drill or impact gun has the bolt breaking power needed and can be simulated with a short rigid breaker and a metal pipe aka rigid for fast torque straight to the bolt that needs broke loose.

Also, the repetitive hammer action of an impact gun greatly reduces the force needed to get the stuck bolt turning in small increments vs shearing off the bolt head.

Ya'll that's my theory so far but just ideas.