Replacing the crank pulley on my 06 R50. I have read that you should use a M12 x 1.75 x ~110mm long threaded rod or bolt in place of the normal retaining bolt.... My problem is finding something suitable local. Can I instead use something smaller to transfer the load from the puller center point to the bottom of the crank threaded hole? i.e. something like a long M10 or M8 bolt? I have a couple of long M8's that I use for radiator core support when putting the front end into service mode.

Alternatively, there is a Fastenal nearby, but I would have to take a day off to get there during business hours. If I go that route and pick up a M12 bolt, what is the threaded length needed for the bolt to bottom out?

Thanks,
~mike

 

I saw where Modmini had a bolt/dowel that he put in and then he used a magnet to pull it out. It did not thread in so I am thinking he just transferred as you thought above.

 

You don't have to put the front end in service mod to do the crank pulley.

On the R50 pulley you can use a standard 3 jaw puller to remove it as has 3 flats for doing that.

 

Thanks Way... however, my reference to service mode was just to state that I have some long 8mm bolts (that I used for service mode support) that I am contemplating using as a rod to insert in the crankshaft threaded hole.

I scoured Home Depot and Menards last night and bought a handful of miscellaneous 10mm and 12mm hardware to see if I can do the job with the readily available hardware. I was not able to get the 110 mm length on anything. The longest I found was 100 mm, so I'll post feedback letting you know whether I've either succeeded or failed with the hardware I bought.

I also picked up a set of three jaw pullers, in various sizes.

~mike

 

100mm was the longest I could find - worked fine.

 

OK. So how do keep the crank from spinning when I try to get the bolt loosened? I have the cvt transmission.

Tried putting it in gear with the engine off and the crank pulley still spins.

~Mike

 

I used a impact wrench

 

You might be able to put a wood shim in between the brake caliper and the drum. Would think with the car in park, one wheel on the ground chucked, and the shim in place on the passenger side you might be able to get the bolt out.

 

Ok, so here’s the writeup of this saga… First off, as noted, I have the R50 with the CVT. This is key to the problems encountered.

TL;DR:
Bolt removal: Used a strap wrench and air impact…. Off in 15 seconds.
Pulley removal: Used 3/8” x 4.5” grade 8 bolt from Menards. Used 3” Tekton 3-jaw puller. Off in a few minutes.
Pulley installation: Cleaned threads with a 12mm bolt. Boiled pulley. Repeated tightening and adjusting with the long 12mm bolt and a boatload of washers. On in ~15 minutes.
Bolt installation: Cake walk. Used strap wrench and 1/2” drive socket. On in 1 minute.

Long Version:

Bolt Removal - First Attempt. Put the whole front end up in the air, and forgot to loosen the passenger side lug nuts. Drop the front end and loosen the lug nuts. After removing the wheel and fender liner, I see the self-destructed crank pulley with the outer donut resting on the inner “hub”. The rubber component between the two is completely gone. (thanks mini). Take off the outer donut and get the ½” drive ratchet ready to remove the pulley bolt. Engine spins as I turn the ratchet. OH, I’ll just put it in gear and get that bolt right off…. NOPE…engine still spins. Hmmmm. Well okay, lets check the manual…. It says to remove the starter and jam a screwdriver in the flywheel. To do this, I have to take off the header and then pull the starter. Well, 11 year old header hardware does not look like it is going to survive this experiment, so let’s start considering some alternate plans. Strap wrench time.

Bolt Removal - Second Attempt. Acquire heavy duty alumimum handle strap wrench with a nylon strap (yes, wish it was a rubber strap, but I couldn’t get one same day prime shipping). Ended up picking up a strap wrench with a rubber strap at Sears anyway. Put that new aluminum/nylon strap wrench to work. Get the strap super tight on the pulley hub, and F-me the thing still spins when I try the ratchet.

Bolt Removal - Third attempt. Since attempts 1 and 2 were night-time activities, I couldn’t fire up my compressor and impact wrench (sleeping kids). So, 3rd try is daytime work. Was able to zip the retainer bolt off in 15 seconds with the impact wrench. I used the aluminum/nylon strap wrench to ensure the crank didn’t spin. Not sure if that was required, but it was already there, so why not. Success… I’m only at 25% done.

Pulley Removal – First Attempt. I have a 3-jaw puller set from Tekton. Used the 3” puller for this work. I picked up some 10mm x 100mm threaded rod from Menards. Length and diameter were fine. However, once I bore down on the puller, I ended up significantly dimpling the end of the threaded rod, without really getting the pulley to move at all. Came to realize that the threaded rod was class 4.6, which is apparently the metric equivalent of string cheese. Tried it again, with the other end of the rod, and this time heated the pulley hub with a low flame from a torch…. No dice. Same problem. Crushed the end of the threaded rod again.

Pulley Removal – Second Attempt. Went back to Menards, and picked up some 3/8” x 4.5” grade 8 bolts. There really was no good metric bolt available in class 10.9, so the SAE sizes worked as fine substitute for crushing a puller against. I slotted the head with a dremel tool to ensure the point would not walk, and went to town on the pulley with the three jaw puller. Ended up dimpling the bolt head ever so slightly, and the puller center point deformed, but managed to get the pulley hub off. Now were 50% done.

Pulley Installation. The pulley I used was the PQ pulley from Way Motor Works. I picked up a 12mm x 110mm fully threaded bolt, I think from Home Depot. Fully threaded is very important here. Also picked up an assortment of 12mm and 14mm washers, and some 12mm nuts. The installation tool I made included a 14mm washer, snugged up against the bolt head by a separate 12mm nut. Then a few 12mm washers, with a single 14mm washer to spread the load on the pulley face. I spent some time running that 12mm bolt into and out of the crank threaded hole to ensure all of the junk was cleared. After boiling the pulley for 15-20 minutes, it was carefully aligned with the crank end, and I started tightening down on the 12mm bolt "installation tool". Once the pulley was partially seated, I needed to use the rubber strap wrench here, to ensure the crank would not rotate as I tightened the bolt. Every 1 or 2 revolutions of the bolt, I would back it out and add a new 12mm washer to ensure I would not bottom out the bolt. As I went, I checked the progress by measuring the distance between the back of the pulley bore and the face of the crank shaft with a metal pick tool. After about 15-20 minutes of this, the pulley was fully seated. 75% done…

Bolt installation. Again, used the rubber strap wrench to hold the pulley in place and removed the 12mm installation tool, and replaced with a new 12mm flanged retainer bolt. This went right in, and snugged up nicely. Didn’t have a torque wrench handy, so used my uncalibrated arm, and tightened it to the point where I didn’t want to tightening it anymore. 1 minute and then…. 100% done.

Probably only 30 minutes to an hour of actual work… but it took me about 3 days with all the starts/stops, hardware store runs, failed attempts, etc.

~mike