how do I turn the engine? (1 Viewer)

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Mar 31, 2004
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Alright, so I am doing the head gasket on my truck fj62. Before I take the head off, I want to turn the engine to TDC and make a nice big mark in the flywheel. So I go out and I buy a 46mm 3/4" socket from harbor freight. There doesn't appear to be enough room to get the socket on the crank due to the fan shroud. How should I be doing this? Should I buy the 46mm 1/2" drive from snap-on, I don't want to remove the radiator or the water pump. What is the trick or is there one. Where did you guys get your 46mm sockets from, do they fit with the fan shroud in place?

thanks,
Dave
 
I've never done this, so I'm just taking a stab in the dark. Can you get the socket on the crank without the ratchet attached, and then get a grip on it with a vice grip? I've done that in other tight situations.
 
I thought about that too... I'd rather not, I imagine there will be a significant amount of torque not to mention when I put the head back on, I will have to turn the engine over at least two times to adjust the valves. I think I might just take off the fan shroud and the fan, I have just about everything else taken off anyway. I just thought that maybe there was an easier way
 
I usually put the truck in gear and bump the truck (not with the engine, by hand) backwards or foward until I line up the line on the flywheel with the pointer in the window, that is how I line up the mark to adjust my valves I would also pull the plugs so you arent fighting the engines compression. In your case I would take the distributor cap off to watch the rotor and make sure it lines up with the spot were the #1 plug wire is because the mark on the flywheel can line up with the pointer and the engine would actually be 180 degrees out from TDC.
 
Loosen the plugs & you can rock it to the right spot in 4th. Then block the wheels & set the handbrake.
 
Here's a trick I found. Put your socket on the crankshaft nut then put a lengthy extension through the hand crank hole in the front of your truck. You can then put the rachet on it, or if you have your original handstart wrench thing that can help you turn it to TDC. Hope this helps.

Caleb
 
Tinker said:
Loosen the plugs & you can rock it to the right spot in 4th. Then block the wheels & set the handbrake.

OR,[assuming this is a FJ60] you can loosen the plugs and turn it w/ a 21mm box end wrench on the alternator pulley nut. Just did this...easy.
 
i pull plugs and put a wrench on the crank pulley
 
wo wo wo wo here. Listen just put a socket on the ac pully nut and crank that it works fine and is easy to get to. just go in the tightening way. No need to try to get to the crank nut!
 
Jack the rear up enough to get the tire of the ground and bump the tire by hand with the trans. in 4th gear, use that method for adjusting the valves to. hell, lock the hubs and jack up the right front and bump the tire and watch for the mark on the flywheel at the same time .
 
Remote starter switch. Works great but disconnect the coil wire to prevent starting and you those of us with 3FE's need to unplug the cold start injector.

Dunbar
 
Take the plugs off. Jack up the rear of the wagon of the ground. Put it in 4th gear and spin the rear tire by hand. It does take alot of muscles but it works. I second this procedure.
 
if you have the same bigass crank pulley that i have, hell, you can turn it by hand. unless you have girly hands. and yes, the plugs have to be out. oh, and so do your accessory belts.
 
Dunbar said:
Remote starter switch. Works great but disconnect the coil wire to prevent starting and you those of us with 3FE's need to unplug the cold start injector.

Dunbar

Dave,
Don't you remember that you can connect the remote starter switch to the cold start injector conector and then you don't have to disconnect the coil wire? Shame on you!
 
thanks for all of the help guys. I got really upset last night and ended up taking out the battery so that I could remove the fan shroud so that I could remove the fan. Now I have a ton of room and no problem turning the engine.

Also on another note, after finding TDC I now realize why I was having such a problem with timing the engine. There are a couple of white lines (probably paint from the PO) on the flywheel then TDC is a tiny little circle marked with a small x of rust colored paint. Since the veiwing hole is so hard to see anyway, I don't think I ever saw it flashing by. I'm going to mark the f@*& out of it now.

Back to about half of the threads about bumping the engine, I have an automatic. Is it possible on an automatic? I know on some cars (mercedes) if you put the gear selector in a certain gear you can pushstart the car.

Dave
 

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