I may take some flak for this but here goes. For years I have read Brit
manuals on motorcycles and cars involving the necessary "locking of the
engine" in order to remove bolts from crankshafts or clutches or other
parts which involve twisting something attached to something which twists.
British tool use and mechanical repair did not evolve from the "two
spanners does everything" approach for many years - if evolution could be
described as the process. As a result the use of modern tools was never
part of the prescribed methodology.
There is a very easy method of removing bolts in the above circumstance.
It is called an impact wrench. All that's needed is air pressure and the
correct socket. It may be difficult to find a socket but there is one out
there which can be obtained with a bit of searching. I have made a habit
of purchasing those odd sizes that I need or might need at flea markets.
The impact wrench will remove the bolt without any fuss and a whole lot
more safely than reefing on it with wrenches and snipes. The wrench will
put it back on, and finding the correct torque on a large bolt requiring
160 - 180 foot pounds is simply a matter of putting it on as tight as it
will go without breaking something or someone. The torque setting in this
case is probably a minimum. Most impacts will not deliver much more torque
than this without very high airpressures.
I have used this method quite successfully for years and will stand by it
for most applications. Impact wrenches can even be adjusted for torque by
varying air pressure or input air if one is afraid of breaking something.
>In a message dated 97-03-04 20:48:31 EST, GROSS(at)UNIT.COM (Jarrid Gross (Yorba
>Linda, Ca)) writes:
>
>>A larget socket would obviuosly be nice, but I use a vise-grip locked
>>around the area
>>that sticks out of the crank pully.
>>
>>Put the car in 4th gear with the e-brake on "This locks the engine".
>>A carefull whack with a lead hammer in the counter-clockwise direction
>>will likely unlock the bolt.
>>
>>Find a correct fitting socket, cause you'll need it for tightening the
>>bolt to the 160 to 180 lb ft spec. later.
>>
>>
>
>Sounds like the ticket for loosening the Whitworth-sized bolt. But what
>about tightening it?
>
>Does anyone have any ideas on how to secure the engine (in the car,
>preferably with the pan still on) and torque the bolt down to 160-180 lb ft
>before the clutch starts slipping?
>
>Dick Sanders
>Series V x 2
>
This archive was generated by hypermail 2b30 : Tue Sep 05 2000 - 09:36:20 CDT