Need to change the cam belt tensioner - but the harmonic balancer/Main pulley has destroyed my collection of breaker bars (that I used on my old car 3x times) , used the trick of the bar locking up the nut and using the starter motor as the muscle - the car leaped up in the air and sheered the head off the 90 degree bar.. Any Hercules solutions?

It's actually a bolt, not a nut . . .

Is your car missing the splash guard in front or at that side of the engine? If exposed to moisture, the bolt can rust solid. If so, lots of penetrating oil to start with.

I made up a mild steel bar to hold the pulley while tightening the bolt at the end of the job, but always use the starter motor to pulse them loose initially. I've found this destroys lesser tools, but a chrome-vanadium handle (with 90 degree bend, not a head type 90 bend) placed inside a square section mild steel extension, held up against the bodywork, not the ground, works. No slack to start with, need to apply torque from the starter smoothly, rather than as a massive shock.

If it is rusted in though, chances are you twist the head right off the bolt. Or find the pulley won't come off easily.

Good luck!

Thanks - no all the shields were in place and supposedly the cam belt was done only 30,000Km ago. Must have been refitted with Hercules' Rattle Gun?

Have given it a few shots of Inox during the week which may? help.

Have a friend with a big breaker bar that will fit - going to try that on Sunday - just hope the starter has enough grunt...

Ingersol Rand W7150

I don't have one but i've heard nothing but praise, with 1100ft-lb of torque i'd LOVE to have one. I bought a Dewalt DW059 it only has 300ft-lb but holy hell is it useful. It's removed things I couldn't budge with a breaker bar, at least not easily. Once I have the money i'm springing for a W7150

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q-LTtM5mOnY
Look at that 2nd nut smoke :O

like max said breakerbar on the bolt/nut do it on concrete if possible rest the handle close to the concrete and crank the engine it will crack the nut.

you said it was last removed 30,000kms ago?
By someone else perhaps?

If its rusted solid, i would think it'd take longer than 30,000kms (about a year and a bit?)
I'd almost wager that they have used some thread locking compound on it.
If so, depending on what it is, it could end up being one hell of a job...

You could try using a heat gun om the bolt. If locktite has been used, it may soften it enough. Heat may allow penetrant to get in more as well. The only problem by heating the bolt is that it expands. tightening it even further, but as a desperate measure, you could try it.

Years ago, I had trouble undoing the TF bolt. I was trying, but the position wasn't right. I asked my wife to hit the starter motor momentarily to move the shaft. I forgot to take the breaker bar off. Further, I had also not taken the crank angle sensor plug off. She hit the starter and the engine started. Fortinately, I was well clear. The engine was running wit h the crank bolt fully undone. OOPS!

The engine was running wit h the crank bolt fully undone. OOPS!

I managed to do this the first time I did the cam belt. No harm done.
I did that bolt up with a rattle gun when I was finished though, it will probably never come off ever again. lol

"I did that bolt up with a rattle gun when I was finished though,"

I tried to use my rattle gun to undo the bolt, but there was no way in hell that it would look like shifting it, hence I went to the breaker bar. It is important to get it all tight when you are finished though...

Yes I bought the car 10,000 Km ago, The cam belt tensioner rattle at startup is *very* impressive, the old turn the key off for 10 seconds and drive the rest of the day is also interesting, you'd think the engine was stuffed at first startup.

I've just done this 4 times on tiny Toyota engines - I custom made a tool to hold the pulley still while I used an 18" breaker bar.

After the 3rd time, my tool was too warped & mangled for reuse, so my father in-law welded a tool with boxed frame and pins. It ended up being similar to this, only square and long handled:
https://encrypted-tbn2.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcTAIhbDu4-pNsg5gQBmJKwj98JN8RpD_ciPBZOKhQBe7omOxeooEQ

The latter worked a treat.

My method was to put the locking tool on and turn the engine, manually from the crank pulley bolt, until this locking tool was held against the lower control arm (RHS of car, Toyota engine rotates clockwise), then I added my breaker bar and from the front of the car I put my foot on the bar to shift it - or when the bolt wouldn't shift I smacked the breaker bar hard with a mallet and as long as the locking tool and breaker bar were held under tension, this shocked the bolt off. Any slack between tools and the "shock" did nothing.

Managed to crack the balancer using a much bigger breaker bar and several hard hits of the starter motor, removed the old tensioner and installed the new, left it sit for 10 minutes and the plunger was driven right back into the tensioner just like the old... Bugger - had to turn the tensoner pulley a bit to release some tension so the old tensioner was ok (probably) just the belt too tight.

Anyway reassembled - and NO START! (Insert bad language)

After a lot of farting around it looks like the crank angle sensor has died? So it's back to driving the Jag - great V12 just at the top of the fuel price cycle...

Well ASSUMPTION made and ASS of me....

Car would start because....... Drum Roll, Whoever replaced the Cam belt the last time put it on 3 teeth advanced - I didn't even think a car would run that advanced, fixed the timing and all good - AND 1L/100km better economy - posting another thread just for others to search as this was a BIG frustration for me.

Ahh after the Trauma of cracking the harmonic balancer, the timing being out - this morning - turn the key - no metal on metal rattle... Ah the serenity....

Just reviving this thread.
As I am stuck with the crankshaft bolt on my Verada KS.
Even my power bar and some hefty hits with a mallet hasn't budged this bolt.

Going to soak it in inox and hope that helps.

Just curious, if anyone has tried the starter motor bump method (I know MadMax has mentioned doing this!) and if it worked.

I am all ears for any other suggestions.

I've done the cam belts on 2 third gens and two CH Lancers, as well as a V6 TS.

The TS was the first I did, years ago and can't remember how I got that bolt off - someone else will have to answer that one! lol
The others were by the starter motor method.

Possible methods:
Get the proper Mitsu tool to hold the pulley while you heave on a breaker bar.
Bump with the starter - but only if the engine runs clockwise viewed from the cam belt end.
Lock the flywheel.

Consider how you will do it up later though, you will still need to lock the pulley in position while you torque the bolt.

Electric rattle gun if you can. It will be off in a jiff.

It would need to be a good rattle gun as the one I borrowed was no good. I ended up putting a 22mm spanner on the bolt with the other end against the chassis (towards the rear) with a block of wood in between to prevent damage, then jogged the starter. You will need to pull the fuse for the engine management so the engine does not start.

Edit: This is for a third gen. I have a feeling the 2nd gen may run counter clockwise, also the engine is on the passenger side

My electric rattle gun didn't work, but its only rated at 300NM so I didn't expect anything else.
The power bar is suppose to give up to 800NM torque, but I gave up after about 30 minutes.

The 2nd gen V6 does run clockwise I believe (can't check it though!).
So maybe use a breaker bar up underneath the front member and bump the starter motor?

Just reviving this thread. <edit> Just curious, if anyone has tried the starter motor bump method.

Have used the same trick on 2 cars so far - and I have to acknowledge Boland Mechanical on the gold coast for putting me onto the fix, even his HUGE compressor and mother of all rattle guns couldn't shift the TH bolt, Jeff fitted the breaker bar and lowered it to the floor - cracked the bolt and I've done the same thing ever since, even the TJ was stuck.

A couple of tips - the more you can get the end of the breaker bar toward 90 degrees to the floor the more force you can put on a breaker bar - so look at a cinder block or something solid to lift the contact point of the bar off the floor. also just "tickle" the starter - you want the engine to "kick" not turn over. and lastly stay clear of the wheel well when you try it - I had one SuperCrap bar shatter - one fragment put a hole in the fibro wall in the carport!

My record on destroying tools bumping the starter so far has been one torque wrench and one breaker bar, which ended looking up like a pretzel.
The chrome vanadium tool was up to the job though.

On a particularly tight 6G75 I inserted a BIG allen key into one of the dowl holes on the pulley and jammed it against the chassis rail with a piece of flat steel in between.

It took a 2 meter water pipe around a good sidchrome socket and handle but sure came off .

I will take some pictures of the crankshaft pulley, as I can't see a way of jamming it.
Also will add some pictures of the breaker bar setup against the front member for opinion.

BB61266 suggested pointing the breaker to the floor.
That does seems a better approach to me, except I am concerned that the car might be lifted momentarily off the chassis stands.

My breaker bar is only 1/2 inch and about 600 mm long and not sure of the quality (its old and unmarked).
Should I get a new one that is brand quality and a bit longer?

BB61266 suggested pointing the breaker to the floor.
That does seems a better approach to me, except I am concerned that the car might be lifted momentarily off the chassis stands.

My breaker bar is only 1/2 inch and about 600 mm long and not sure of the quality (its old and unmarked).
Should I get a new one that is brand quality and a bit longer?

I'm wary of propping the breaker bar against the ground for the same reason, ie the car doing a leap into the air. I usually brace it against part of the body work under the car.

Try your breaker bar with a length of 1 inch square tubing on the end. Your breaker bar may work, or not - if it doesn't you have a good excuse to go buy another. Look for something stamped "chrome vanadium", totally unbreakable! eBay is worth a look if you are not in a hurry.

BB61266 suggested pointing the breaker to the floor.
That does seems a better approach to me, except I am concerned that the car might be lifted momentarily off the chassis stands.?

May have described it wrong - I recommend the bar is as near to parallel with the floor - hence putting a brick under the end of the bar off the floor - the more it is parallel to the floor the more the weight of the car is on the bar.

May have described it wrong - I recommend the bar is as near to parallel with the floor - hence putting a brick under the end of the bar off the floor - the more it is parallel to the floor the more the weight of the car is on the bar.

Yep, brick or a spare axle stand should do it.

@ MadMax, I am definitely looking for the best "spot" to brace the bar against.

@ bb61266, I think You described the physics correctly.
I do have a slightly different take on the actions involved (hence my concern!)
With the breaker bar at an angle, the force (from the starter moter) at the point of contact, is split into a "car uplifting" and "car moving backward" one.
With the breaker bar constrained parallel with the floor that uplift generated is maximum.
But also with the breaker bar constrained parallel with the floor all of the weight of the car acts against that maximum uplift.
Question is which force is the stronger, the starter motor or the weight of the car?

I have read that the car can jump up, and that seem risky in terms of displacing the chassis stands.
Without any idea of how these forces play out I think its safer to brace against a part of the car itself.

I should mention the other extreme, viz the case with breaker bar constrained at right angles to the floor.
Here all of the starter motor torque creates no uplift at all just maximum force to move the car backwards.
Also not a good idea.

Ideally a decent rattle gun is needed (if anyone in Canberra can help me out?).

Since my car is "second generation" and this is a "third generation" subforum I better post my pictures in the proper sub forum.
Don't want to confuse anyone with the wrong layouts.

With the breaker bar constrained parallel with the floor that uplift generated is maximum.
But also with the breaker bar constrained parallel with the floor all of the weight of the car now acts downwards (same physics reason).
Question is which force is the stronger, the starter motor or the weight of the car?

I have read that the car can jump up, and that seem risky in terms of displacing the chassis stands.
Without any idea of how these forces play out I think its safer to brace against a part of the car itself.



The front end of the car is quite heavy and has a lot of inertia. As long as you just pulse the starter, it's not going to jump up.

I have read that the car can jump up, and that seem risky in terms of displacing the chassis stands.
Without any idea of how these forces play out I think its safer to brace against a part of the car itself.

Oh yes the car can bounce up quite a bit an inch or two maybe if the bolt doesn't release, I use a trolley jack on the flat part inside the standard lifting point with a bit of timber to spread the load - with the wheels chocked it can bounce up and down and not fall off, but also I NEVER get under a car without a 2nd prop anyway - to easy to get killed by a failing jack.