Stuck crankshaft bolt (1 Viewer)

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If you can keep the crank from turning, then just get a longer cheater bar. If the issue is that you can’t get enough swing with a longer bar, then jack the truck up to make room.

Try the starter method with a longer swing, like 60 degrees in your breaker bar before it hits the frame to put more impact in your “impact” wrench.
 
A can of compressed air upside down makes a "freeze spray". For a stubborn crank bolt, I used a propane torch targeting the washer part of the crank bolt, I'd heat then try and break about four times in a row, then I'd hit the end of the bolt itself with the freeze spray for 20 seconds or so, then try and break it again. Theory was, metal expands when heated, shrinks when cooled. So try and heat the socket and area around it, then rapidly cool just the bolt. In theory, that would help the surfaces move independently and break any bonds from corrosion, and make the slightly shrunk bolt easier to remove from the slightly enlarged hole. Must have done something right, because it did the trick. Also worked on the stuck flywheel bolts.
 
go to harbor freight and get their 1/2 air impact wrench. Or an aircat on amazon.

Aircat will take it off, had to use it on mine. My MAC 1/2" air impact (650 lb ft torque) wouldn't do it.
 
A can of compressed air upside down makes a "freeze spray". For a stubborn crank bolt, I used a propane torch targeting the washer part of the crank bolt, I'd heat then try and break about four times in a row, then I'd hit the end of the bolt itself with the freeze spray for 20 seconds or so, then try and break it again. Theory was, metal expands when heated, shrinks when cooled. So try and heat the socket and area around it, then rapidly cool just the bolt. In theory, that would help the surfaces move independently and break any bonds from corrosion, and make the slightly shrunk bolt easier to remove from the slightly enlarged hole. Must have done something right, because it did the trick. Also worked on the stuck flywheel bolts.


You just have to be very careful when heating the Crank Bolt. Its a BIG bolt and takes a lot of heat on the head to conduct down to the threads. The trouble is....the harmonic balancer has a rubber 'damper' that is already old. So you don't want to soften it any by applying too much heat in that area for too long a time. A good impact will take it right off.

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I made a bit of progress today. Bought a high-torque impact wrench. I figured, since I will be doing the same job on LC #2 and will be doing some suspension work, I might aswell get the right tool. Came right off. BUT..........those darn oil pump cover bolts....... Fought 5 of them off. Stripped 2 of them to heck. They have thread locker or something on them. See pictures.

Not looking forward to getting the stripped bolts out. <sigh>

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Glad it came right off. A big ole impact wrench is invaluable. That looks like corrosion on the oil pump cover screws. How did you go about trying to remove them? a quality PH3 Bit? light taps with hammer to seat the bit into the screw? impact driver? those three things help alot with painless removal.
 
Drill the heads of the bolts then remove the cover. You will have about 10mm of bolt to play with. Plenty enough to get a set of vice grips or similar on to it.
 
Glad it came right off. A big ole impact wrench is invaluable. That looks like corrosion on the oil pump cover screws. How did you go about trying to remove them? a quality PH3 Bit? light taps with hammer to seat the bit into the screw? impact driver? those three things help alot with painless removal.
I did all that with the first screw. Except for the HIGH QUALITY PH3. The LOW QUALITY PH3 twisted and stripped the Philips head. I then bought a PH3 connected to a socket housing. I heated them, put the PH3 on there, attached the socket wrench, applied some UMPF and they turned right off. Except for one more that just stripped like butter. These are some SOFT screws.

For one of the stripped screws, I knocked a T25 TORX bit in there and it turned right off. The other was WAY more stubborn. The T25 stripped it. Then a T30 stripped it too. I ended up drilling with a left hand drill, hoping that it would come out. Nada. Lastly, when I put the extractor bit on there (I use these as a last resort, because I have broken a ton of them off, causing a much bigger problem), it was finger-tight. It must have decided to just give up. See photos.

Spent all day to get 8 bolts off. That is how it goes some days. But still better than a conference call.

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I went hunting for replacement screws yesterday. I could only find alloy steel (black oxide) in the M6x1 with Allen drive. Has anyone else used these instead of stainless? Will they corrode easier/faster in that space? Also, I am thinking that I will either put vaseline or anti-seize on the treads to avoid this battle in 20 years when I have to do it again. Thoughts?
 
Aren't those JIS type screws? Standard bits will strip them easily IIRC. I think Wit's End has both the screws and proper drivers.
 
@NLXTACY at Wits end has a kit with aluminium torx screws. Comes with the gasket as well..a great solution to the problem you have.
 
Personally, 4X torque multiplier has worked on every one, with ease. A good investment if you’re going to do it more than once. It truly makes it a breeze.
 
Personally, 4X torque multiplier has worked on every one, with ease. A good investment if you’re going to do it more than once. It truly makes it a breeze.
We used them a lot when I worked on electric commuter trains. Talk about high torque and break away tightness in confined places.
 
I buzzed my main bolt off with my milwaukee 1400ftlb impact. It hit dugga dugga'ed 3 times then spun the bolt off! That Milwaukee is worth its weight in time saved.
 
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The Milwaukee is suppose to have just a little more umph than Dewalt but I already had Dewalt tools/batteries.

My Dewalt 899 didn't work first try but after a full charge and overnight soak with PB Blaster it zipped that crank bolt right off too. Was nice to not have to deal with holding the crank in place or long cheater bars to loosen.

Homemade tool to hold while tightening and an offset adapter for the torque wrench and it should all be good now.
 

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