The crankshaft pulley is an essential part of your car. Because it connects to the harmonic equalizer to reduce the vibration force of the motor during acceleration.
So a lousy crankshaft pulley will give the car many negative systems. The following article will help guide you on how to remove crankshaft pulley.
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The Role Of The Crankshaft Pulley For Cars
The crankshaft pulley is an essential component of an automobile. It is responsible for distributing engine power to other systems in your car. Therefore, once the crankshaft pulley fails, it will become a major obstacle affecting the vehicle’s performance.
Crankshaft Pulley Sign When Having Trouble
How to detect when the crankshaft pulley is in trouble? You can refer to 4 common phenomena below.
# Engine vibration
Engine vibration is a common phenomenon when the crankshaft pulley has a problem. You can completely notice this phenomenon quickly because the strong vibration engine will affect your driving process.
In essence, because the crankshaft pulley usually comes with a harmonic equalizer, it will affect your acceleration when this part fails. Specifically, the balancer will not absorb vibrations, and the engine will vibrate more and more when you intentionally accelerate.
# Engine not working properly
Unstable engine operation is the next phenomenon you can quickly notice when the crankshaft pulley has a problem.
Irregular engine RPM usually occurs when a crankshaft pulley is poor, the dampers will be under more pressure.
# Power booster pump failure
The crankshaft pulley is the part that directly affects the power steering pump. It helps inject hydraulic fluid into the system for stable steering. When you lose power steering, you will have difficulty controlling the car.
Sometimes you will think that the power steering fluid is about to run out, so it is difficult for you to manage, but you forget that the crankshaft pulley is also the cause of that situation.
So, the best way is to check all the details related to the power steering pump to make sure that everything is working correctly.
# Damaged transmission part
Failure of the transmission is caused by prolonged engine vibration. It will rust, the crankshaft ball, gear, and input shaft will be easily damaged.
In addition, when the communication fails, the gearbox will fail. You will feel that problem when shifting gears and hearing the groaning sound inside the car.
All of the above phenomena are caused by a malfunction of the crankshaft pulley. Light, it will make a sound, heavy will put your car in danger.
When you encounter one of the above 4 phenomena, you need to fix the temporary crankshaft problem right away to ensure the safety of both people and vehicles.
How To Remove Crankshaft Pulley?
To make it easier to check and troubleshoot, you’ll need to know how to remove the crankshaft pulley from your car. Many people have asked: “Can I remove the crankshaft pulley without a pulley remover?” The answer is yes. You can refer to 4 simple steps below.
Step 1: Take off the belt
For easy belt removal, you will need to remove the serpentine belt – the drive belt so that the harmonic equalizer can be easily accessible.
First, remove the car engine cover and the plastic protection plates on the working engine. Next, locate the belts below the spring tension to apply pressure to the belt.
It would help if you then used a wrench to push the tensioner in the opposite direction of the spring to release the tensioner. Remove the drive belt from the bottom of all pulleys.
Step 2: Determine the middle pin
The middle pin is responsible for keeping the harmonic balance in its position. You can find the middle pin in front of the crankshaft. Usually, the middle pin will be very tight, and you need some other tool to loosen it.
Step 3: Loosen/unscrew the center pin
Use the socket to loosen the center bolt by breaking the bolt with a hammer after placing the socket in the bolt.
If this doesn’t work, you can also fasten the socket on the bolt and start the car’s engine to rotate and loosen the bolt. This strategy works faster when the latch is very tight.
Step 4: Remove crankshaft pulley
In step 4, if you do not have a pulley remover, you can use the lever and socket to remove the crankshaft pulley.
To do this, you will need to secure the socket to the inner cage bolt, glue the cheater bar to the end of the socket. Next, you will need to rotate the crank in the same direction as the motor.
When you turn the engine, the bolt rotates because the bolt holds the crankshaft pulley. At this point, you will need to insert the key into the socket and turn it on. This way, the pulley bolt will be loosened, and you can altogether remove the bolt by hand.
Finally, you will use the screwdriver behind the crankshaft pulley to pull it out. At this step, you can use a 1/2 or 3/4 impact gun to knock it out.
Some Frequently Asked Questions
How do you remove a crank pulley without a puller?
To remove the crank pulley without a puller, place a wrench in the pulley bolt and secure the other end to the frame. Next, you use the starter motor to spin the engine. You should only apply 1 to 2 revolutions, enough to break the bolt.
Which tool is used to remove the crankshaft pulley?
To remove the crankshaft pulley, you need to use a ½ inch drive impact gun. Alternatively, you can use a wrench to unscrew the pulley.
Both methods give specific results. However, for the wrench, it will be more difficult for you. It will take you more time and effort to remove the crankshaft pulley.
Is the crankshaft pulley bolt a reverse thread?
Crankshaft bolts use counterclockwise regular thread. The motor rotates in the opposite direction of the bolt release to ensure that it won’t turn around.
Are the crankshaft pulleys expensive?
The cost to pay for the repair of the crankshaft pulley is about 350-400 dollars, including materials and labor costs. However, each location will have different prices, so you need to consult carefully before taking your car to the auto repair garage.
Conclusion
Hopefully, the article will help you to remove the crankshaft pulley set easily. You need to perform 4 steps sequentially so as not to make any mistakes during disassembly.
In addition, you should prepare yourself a car manual. Because it will help you capture the exact position of each pulley, part of the crankshaft pulley system.
