Any Advice for Stuck Crank Bolt?

[Kaninja]

Starter method didn't work for me. Battery was fully charged, crank bolt just laughed. I wedged a short socket extension between one of the the flex pate holes and the housing. Used my 3' breaker bar and nothing. Grabbed a 2' section of pipe I had and slid it over the end of the bar and pulled until my breaker bar looked like it was about to break.....then the bolt came lose with a loud crack. It is on there gudentite.

 

[jfz80]

14mm and 4' torque wrench did the trick.

 

[Jason hansen]

I was lucky enough to borrow a tourgue multiplier from work. Made the job very easy.

 

[AaKnight]

Took me a couple days to get bigger and better tools, but finally got that sucker out. Thanks for the help.

 

[BigAxeJack]

I have the gaskets for this job, but every time I read one of these threads, I wonder if I should just check my oil instead of doing all of this. I don't burn oil and I don't drip it either. Is it even worth it if I seep a teaspoon per annum? Part of me wants to do it and another more belligerent part of me says this is a waste of time and effort, not to mention the can of worms that gets opened if I can't get the damn thing re-torqued to 304 foot pounds or I mess up any of those screw heads that hold the cover in place. So I have a sorta leaky 23 year old motor. So what?

Thoughts?

Your truck, your choice! If you go this route, just get in the habit of looking under the truck for oil. I was in your shoes for a couple of years. I had the parts and just kept putting it off. One day I walked out to the truck after running errands to find a 10" puddle of oil. The job only took a few hours including a new radiator. I used the TC bolt and 4' breaker bar method and it worked well. I am fortunate to have mechanic friends to loan the tools, but they can be had via HF or a local parts store's loan program.

My bottom line, do it! It's not as bad as you think, the consequences of a sudden o-ring failure could be disastrous, and the peace of mind and confidence are invaluable. The write up in the FAQ is all you really need. I would add that it is worth it to remove the radiator so you can fit a small impact driver in there. It works a charm on the stubborn screws.

 

[Red Merle]

Your truck, your choice! If you go this route

I have a couple other projects that I want to do first. I want to replace my fuel tank and the whole fuel delivery system and the AC system. I am going to take a closer look at this project once those are done. I am leaning towards the torque multiplier route though since that seems to be the easiest way to be sure it comes off and goes back on without too much hassle.

 

[BigAxeJack]

I have a couple other projects that I want to do first. I want to replace my fuel tank and the whole fuel delivery system and the AC system. I am going to take a closer look at this project once those are done. I am leaning towards the torque multiplier route though since that seems to be the easiest way to be sure it comes off and goes back on without too much hassle.

See my edit above, stupid fat fingers...

 

[GeoRoss]

I have the gaskets for this job, but every time I read one of these threads, I wonder if I should just check my oil instead of doing all of this. I don't burn oil and I don't drip it either. Is it even worth it if I seep a teaspoon per annum? Part of me wants to do it and another more belligerent part of me says this is a waste of time and effort, not to mention the can of worms that gets opened if I can't get the damn thing re-torqued to 304 foot pounds or I mess up any of those screw heads that hold the cover in place. So I have a sorta leaky 23 year old motor. So what?

Thoughts?

I wouldn't bother unless it is leaking.


However, it helps if you can take your time, aka walk away for a bit. Remove the radiator and battery, the extra room helps. I used an old-school impact driver to remove the screws. I also used JIS bits. I had one or two really stubborn screws. I ended up using a #3 JIS Phillips screw driver and vice grips. I used my weight to keep the screw driver seated and the vice grips to rotate. I'm sure the hammering helped though.

I had no trouble with the crankshaft bolt. 1/2" breaker bar and the starter did the trick. I had trouble with the crankshaft seal. I finally bought a seal puller and solved that problem. I bought a HF 300ft/lb torque wrench. I was lucky to be able to test it against a calibrated snap on. It was fine.

The key for me was not being in a rush. I'm lucky the 80 is not my daily driver.

 

[Red Merle]

Thanks for the pep talk @GeoRoss and @BigAxeJack!

I trust my mechanical abilities to do the job, what I am hesitant about is reading the stories of the problems that people who seem to be more capable than I am run into. As I said, neither of mine appear to leaking real bad at the moment, so I am not in a rush, but given everything else I have done to the truck as far the motor goes, it would be a shame if I didn't do this and it caused a major failure. I think I am more worried about the screws than the crankshaft bolt. I will say that it seems kinda dumb that they used screws in this application. Do I need to worry about torquing those back up somehow in the event that I get them out without breaking or stripping them?

As a side note, I just picked up a HF torque wrench that goes up to 250ft/lbs, but I didn't see one that went to 300. Is it a 1/2" model or 3/4"? What type of seal puller did you use? I have one of the simple hook types. Would that work, or did you need a different tool?

 

[GeoRoss]

Thanks for the pep talk @GeoRoss and @BigAxeJack!

I trust my mechanical abilities to do the job, what I am hesitant about is reading the stories of the problems that people who seem to be more capable than I am run into. As I said, neither of mine appear to leaking real bad at the moment, so I am not in a rush, but given everything else I have done to the truck as far the motor goes, it would be a shame if I didn't do this and it caused a major failure. I think I am more worried about the screws than the crankshaft bolt. I will say that it seems kinda dumb that they used screws in this application. Do I need to worry about torquing those back up somehow in the event that I get them out without breaking or stripping them?

As a side note, I just picked up a HF torque wrench that goes up to 250ft/lbs, but I didn't see one that went to 300. Is it a 1/2" model or 3/4"? What type of seal puller did you use? I have one of the simple hook types. Would that work, or did you need a different tool?

I don't think these cause a catastrophic failure. You will notice the leaks way before it could ever be a problem. I will say the dizzy o-ring is stupid easy to replace and a common leak point. I would do that one as PM. If I ever had the radiator out for some reason, I would consider the rest. If they aren't leaking, not an issue.

The torque wrench is 3/4". I looked for a rental and couldn't find one. It wasn't until I bought the HF one that a club member in Phoenix said I could borrow his. Just a simple hook puller. I was a bit paranoid about scratching things up.

 

[Red Merle]

I don't think these cause a catastrophic failure. You will notice the leaks way before it could ever be a problem. I will say the dizzy o-ring is stupid easy to replace and a common leak point. I would do that one as PM. If I ever had the radiator out for some reason, I would consider the rest. If they aren't leaking, not an issue.

The torque wrench is 3/4". I looked for a rental and could find one. It wasn't until I bought the HF one that a club member in Phoenix said I could borrow his. Just a simple hook puller. I was a bit paranoid about scratching things up.

Yeah, I am not going to jump into this unless there is a noticeable leak that starts leaving me treats on my garage floor. I already replaced the dizzy o-ring when I pulled the head for the HG rebuild. I was planning on doing these other two then, but I was kinda getting nervous about mission creep at the time and just wanted to focus my efforts on getting the head back on without further disassembling things. I didn't pull the radiator for that job, so I'm not sure if I really am in any different spot now then where I was then.

I will have to look for that big wrench. I suppose I would need one anyway, even if I do get a torque multiplier as those don't seem to have any way of knowing how tight something is beyond "gorilla" tight, which might not be what I want.

I always have my Tacoma as a back-up, at least until I get around to pulling the head on that once the Bar's Leak I dumped in eventually fails. That's the nice thing about the two old truck system, I should always have one that is working if the other is down for repairs.

 

[BigAxeJack]

I used a 3/4" breaker bar and torque wrench for the crank bolt. I used a dual-hook seal puller (looks like a miniature pick axe) for the crank seal. I used a JIS phillips driver for the pump cover screws after cleaning them out with picks and brake cleaner. There is no torque spec in the FSM for the screws, so I just snugged them up with a 1/4" drive ratchet. I will note that I replaced the OEM phillips-type screws with allen head screws to lessen the chance of camming out. I got them from a 'mud vendor, but I can't recall which one. If I had it to do again I think I'd opt for Torx head screws. One of the threads on this topic contains the screw size, pitch, etc.

 

[BILT4ME]

What you have described is not a "leak". It is a "weep." One drip a month or three is hardly anything to be even remotely concerned about. Most of my vehicles mark their territory like a Great Dane.

My LC is the one that leaks the least, and only because it may leave one drip every time I drive it.

My Studebaker leaks about 1/2 tsp every time I shut it off. If a Studebaker stops leaking, it's out of oil.......

My Chrysler minivan leaks about 6-7 large drops every time it gets shut off.

My 95 Jeep GC, we don't even have to change the oil, we have to just keep adding more. It drops 1/2 cup every time you shut it off. I think Exxon Valdez parks in front of our house.

I actually laughed out loud when a friend of mine was concerned that his LC dripped once per year. I felt bad afterward because I discovered he was seriously concerned.

The simple hook type (eagle claw) seal remover works fine.
I bought a Craftsman drill driver with impact to remove the screws per the guy's video that tells everyone how to remove the screws. It was TOTALLY worth the $45 I spent for that one tool. That is the ONLY time I have used it. I struggled with the hammer screwdriver to no avail. The drilldriver worked in seconds. It took me longer to go buy it than to do the job when I got back. I had already spent an hour and a half jacking with other tools.

They are easier to torque on with a TW.

The HF 300 LB TW is 3/4" drive. Buy the socket from Northern Tool or Tractor Supply or Lowe's or even online
3/4 in. Drive Click Type Torque Wrench

Defintely remove the radiator to make the whole job easier.

When I did mine, I also did the following:
VC gasket
Spark Plug Tube seals
Dizzy O-Ring
Cap, Rotor, Wires
Spark Plugs
Front Main Seal
Oil Pump O Ring
PS hoses
Transmission Cooling hoses
New radiator (mine had exploded...that's what started all of this)
New radiator cap (mine was inoperative due to sludge)
All vacuum hoses I could reach
All coolant hoses I could reach (except the PHH and the rear heater hoses and the heater valve because I'm an idiot)
New belts
Flushed with distilled water 6 times.
Toyota Red coolant

Having the radiator out made all of these things MUCH easier.

When I do it next on the cooling system, I will flush multiple times and switch to GREEN coolant because it is less expensive, C-Dan approved it, and it is MUCH more available since Toyota discontinued production of red. The only red now available is the aftermarket red, of which there are two types and you DON'T want to mix the two types.

 

[BigAxeJack]

I will have to look for that big wrench. I suppose I would need one anyway, even if I do get a torque multiplier as those don't seem to have any way of knowing how tight something is beyond "gorilla" tight, which might not be what I want.

The beauty of the multiplier is that you can use it in conjunction with your torque wrench to reach the required torque spec. So lets say your wrench only goes to 250# and you need 304. If you have a 2x multiplier you can just set it to 152 and you're good. This works within the limits of the drive system of the torque wrench, of course. I wouldn't try to reach 500# with my 1/2" 250# wrench. That would turn it into a Snap-Off...

 

[GeoRoss]

What you have described is not a "leak". It is a "weep." One drip a month or three is hardly anything to be even remotely concerned about. Most of my vehicles mark their territory like a Great Dane.

My LC is the one that leaks the least, and only because it may leave one drip every time I drive it.

My Studebaker leaks about 1/2 tsp every time I shut it off. If a Studebaker stops leaking, it's out of oil.......

My Chrysler minivan leaks about 6-7 large drops every time it gets shut off.

My 95 Jeep GC, we don't even have to change the oil, we have to just keep adding more. It drops 1/2 cup every time you shut it off. I think Exxon Valdez parks in front of our house.

I actually laughed out loud when a friend of mine was concerned that his LC dripped once per year. I felt bad afterward because I discovered he was seriously concerned.

The simple hook type (eagle claw) seal remover works fine.
I bought a Craftsman drill driver with impact to remove the screws per the guy's video that tells everyone how to remove the screws. It was TOTALLY worth the $45 I spent for that one tool. That is the ONLY time I have used it. I struggled with the hammer screwdriver to no avail. The drilldriver worked in seconds. It took me longer to go buy it than to do the job when I got back. I had already spent an hour and a half jacking with other tools.

They are easier to torque on with a TW.

The HF 300 LB TW is 3/4" drive. Buy the socket from Northern Tool or Tractor Supply or Lowe's or even online
3/4 in. Drive Click Type Torque Wrench

Defintely remove the radiator to make the whole job easier.

When I did mine, I also did the following:
VC gasket
Spark Plug Tube seals
Dizzy O-Ring
Cap, Rotor, Wires
Spark Plugs
Front Main Seal
Oil Pump O Ring
PS hoses
Transmission Cooling hoses
New radiator (mine had exploded...that's what started all of this)
New radiator cap (mine was inoperative due to sludge)
All vacuum hoses I could reach
All coolant hoses I could reach (except the PHH and the rear heater hoses and the heater valve because I'm an idiot)
New belts
Flushed with distilled water 6 times.
Toyota Red coolant

Having the radiator out made all of these things MUCH easier.

When I do it next on the cooling system, I will flush multiple times and switch to GREEN coolant because it is less expensive, C-Dan approved it, and it is MUCH more available since Toyota discontinued production of red. The only red now available is the aftermarket red, of which there are two types and you DON'T want to mix the two types.

I did something very similar.

 

[Red Merle]

OK, thanks guys, you have me convinced that I can do this and I will when I get a chance.

The torque multiplier idea is genius. I wasn't aware that they had any sort of settings on them as I have never seen one in person, much less used one. Saves me from buying another TW that I will likely never use again.

I do have a Makita impact driver that should work as well as the one in the video if I can get it in there, otherwise, I have been looking for an excuse to get one of those little drivers.

 

[AaKnight]

Yeah, but a multiplier will cost you double what a 3/4 wrench will. Unless you already have one at your disposal, that is. If you do, your cooler than me.